Elinor Donahue is famous for her role in the TV show “Father Knows Best.” But her career didn’t stop there. She also acted in other TV shows and movies.
She recently appeared on “The Young and the Restless,” a popular soap opera.
On “Father Knows Best,” she played the eldest daughter in a typical American family. The show started on the radio and later moved to television.
During the six years she was on the show, she was also in other TV programs like “Crossroads” and “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.”
Elinor had a busy schedule during those years. She once said she didn’t have time to watch the show because she was always working.
She was born in Tacoma in 1937 and started acting as a teenager. Her mom had to accompany her on sets because she was still young.
After “Father Knows Best,” she appeared in other popular shows like “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Dr. Kildare,” “Star Trek,” and “Mork & Mindy.”
In total, she has acted in more than 70 TV shows and movies like “Winter Wonderland” and “Pretty Woman.”
She got married for the first time when she was 19. She thought getting married and having a baby would make her feel like a grown-up.
Her first husband was someone she met while working on “Father Knows Best.” They had a son together but divorced six years later.
She married her second husband, Harry Ackerman, in 1962. They were married for almost 30 years until he passed away in 1991. They had three sons together.
Then, in 1992, she married her third husband, Lou Genevrino. She’s been retired from acting for the past ten years.
Even though she didn’t plan to be an actress, she had a successful career on screen.
