What Was Donna Douglas’ Net Worth?
Donna Douglas’ legacy is in her career as an American actress. Although Donna is not alive, her fans keep talking about her work and their curiosity leads to a discussion of what her net worth was at the time of her death.
Donna moved to pursue her career in New York City. She started out as a model and it was after appearing in several television commercials that she landed an acting role. From there, she got more acting roles and that’s how she went ahead to create an acting career and this post will share more insights about her life, career, and her net worth.
Who is Donna Douglas?
Many people came to know Donna Douglas after her role as Elly May Champett in “The Beverly Hillbillies” Television series that ran from 1962 to 1971. Well, Donna was born Dors Lone Smith on September 26, 1932. She was born in Pride, Louisiana and she was the second child of Elma Robinson and Emmet Ratcliff Smith.
Donna attended St. Gerard Catholic School and she was part of the school’s first graduating class. As a student, Donna participated in basketball and softball. Additionally, she ended up getting named “Miss Baton Rouge” and “Miss New Orleans” in 1957.
Looking at her personal life, Donna was first married to Roland Bourgeois Jr. The two married in 1949 and welcomed one child. However, they divorced in 1954 and Donna got married to Robert M. Leeds who was her director on “The Beverly Hillbillies.” Their marriage took place in 1980.
Unfortunately for Donna, her husband died on January 1, 2015 after battling pancreatic cancer.
Career Life of Donna Douglas
Donna’s career started after she moved to New York City. She started out as a model for toothpaste ads. Donna then went on to be featured on “The Steve Allen Show” and “The Perry Como Show.”
Notably, Donna got awarded the “Miss By-line” crown and she was later featured in films such as “Li’l Abner” and “Lover Come Back.” Donna was also involved in Television shows such as “The Twilight Zone,” “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet,” “Adam 12,” and “Checkmate.”
Donna’s appearances on TV were mainly in the 50s and 60s.
Donna’s Acting – The Beverly Hillbillies
Although Donna started her career with modelling, her spotlight came after she landed the casting role of Elly May Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies.” The show ran from 1962 to 1971. It was a hit and in its first two years it ranked #1 in the United States.
With the success of the show, it was inevitable for Donna not to become popular and more people followed her and this added to her celebrity status.
Donna Douglas’ Net Worth
We’ve seen how Donna focused her career around modelling and acting. The two professions are what helped her gain success in life. During her active years, she was earning good income and although she had several lawsuits, Donna managed to have a net worth of $500 thousand at the time of her death.