Elinor Donahue

Birth Name:

Mary Eleanor Donahue

Birth Place:

Tacoma, Washington, United States

Profession

Actress, Soundtrack

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․""
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
While filming an episode of "The Love Boat", she got the nickname "Boom Boom Ginger Jones" from Bernie Kopell

1959Primetime Emmy - Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Comedy Series:Nominated
2004Legend AwardWinner

Fast Facts