Donna Douglas, who played the buxom tomboy Elly May Clampett on the hit 1960s sitcom “The Beverly Hillbillies,” has died.
Douglas, whose age was variously reported at 81 and 82, died Thursday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where she lived, her niece, Charlene Smith, said. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer, Smith said.
Although Douglas appeared in commercials and TV shows in the 1950s and ’60s, she was best known for her role in “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the CBS comedy about a backwoods Tennessee family who moved to Beverly Hills after striking it rich from oil on their land.
The series, which ran from 1962 to 1971, also starred the late Buddy Ebsen and Irene Ryan as well as Max Baer Jr., who turns 77 on Sunday.
Douglas had long been out of the entertainment business.
Douglas was born in Pride and lived in Zachary, a WAFB report said.
In 2009, she told The Associated Press she moved from California to her native Louisiana to live near her only child. At the time, he owned horses and Douglas said she liked to help him bale hay.
“Cutting grass, baling hay … I grew up doing all that stuff,” Douglas told The AP. “I don’t mind getting sweaty and dirty. I enjoy being outside.”
Douglas was chosen for the part of Elly May from more than 500 other actresses. She said she felt at ease playing the role because, like her character, she grew up a poor Southern tomboy. The experience came in handy when she was asked during her audition to milk a goat.
“I had milked cows before,” she said. “I figured they were equipped the same, so I just went on over and did it.”
Douglas’ career began with beauty pageants. She’s a former Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
