Elinor Donahue Biography

Fast Facts

• Became a Las Vegas showgirl at 14, and after breaking her ankle when she was 16, she decided to forego dancing and pursue a career in acting
• Her mother Doris Genevieve moonlighted as a department store saleswoman to help pay for her daughter's dancing lessons, as she was appearing in dancing-chorus roles from the age of 5
• When she was 18 months old, she went to her older sister's tap dance lessons, and by the time she was 2, she had picked up on the routines
• Quote: "The blessing has been to act with so many wonderful actors, both stars and non-stars․ It's all been a highlight, I think even the low points have been highlights in their own way, because I've learned something from them․"
• Quote: "(On how she would like to be remembered) "That I was able to span a lot of decades and a lot of different kinds of entertainment from vaudeville to television․""
• While filming an episode of "The Love Boat", she got the nickname "Boom Boom Ginger Jones" from Bernie Kopell
• Got a personal call from Gene Roddenberry at home, inviting her to join the cast of "Star Trek" for an episode, where she caught pneumonia and lost 10 pounds