Laurel Goodwin
Laurel Goodwin (August 11, 1942 – February 25, 2022) was an American film and television actress who is known for her role as the love interest of Elvis Presley in the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls!, as well as appearing as Yeoman J.M. Colt in the rejected Star Trek pilot episode.
Laurel Goodwin | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 11, 1942 Wichita, Kansas, U.S. |
| Died | February 25, 2022 (aged 79) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1962–1971 |
| Spouse(s) | Walter Wood (m. c. 1967; died 2010) |
Life and career
Goodwin was born in Wichita, Kansas, on August 11, 1942. She later moved with her family to San Diego, and then San Francisco.[1]
A child model, Goodwin made her screen debut as the love interest of Elvis Presley in the film, Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962).
She was a co-star in the Paramount comedy Papa's Delicate Condition (1963), playing Augusta Griffith, the daughter of Jack (Jackie Gleason) and Amberlyn Griffith. She also appeared in the western films Stage to Thunder Rock (1964), Law of the Lawless (1964) and The Glory Guys (1965).
Her work as a guest actor on several drama television series included a role as Yeoman J. M. Colt in the 1964 Star Trek pilot episode, "The Cage" (from which scenes featuring Goodwin were later incorporated into the first season two-part episode "The Menagerie"),[2], and Mannix ("A Question Of Midnight").[3][4]
She also played roles in some comedy series. These included the role of Phoebe, the Chief's niece, in the TV comedy Get Smart[5] and the role of Stella in two episodes of The Beverly Hillbillies ("Robin Hood and the Sheriff" and "Robin Hood of Griffith Park") (both 1967).
She married Walter Wood, c. 1967.[1] After retiring from acting in 1971, Goodwin pursued a career in home nursing for over 35 years. When Wood became ill, she began taking care of him full-time until he died about a year and a half later, in 2010.[6]
Goodwin died in Cathedral City, California, on February 25, 2022, at the age of 79.[1]
References
- Barnes, Mike (March 7, 2022). "Laurel Goodwin, Actress in 'Girls! Girls! Girls!' and the Rejected 'Star Trek' Pilot, Dies at 79". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
- StarTrek.com interview, "Catching Up Laurel Goodwin, Yeoman Colt from The Cage", StarTrek.com, September 1, 2016
- Lisanti, Tom (2003). Drive-in dream girls : a galaxy of B-movie starlets of the sixties. Jefferson, N.C. [u.a.]: McFarland. pp. 1, 15, 16, 29, 33–43, 140, 225, 250. ISBN 978-0786415755.
- Muir, John Kenneth (2007). The rock & roll film encyclopedia. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 91, 118. ISBN 978-1557836939.
- Get Smart Season 2 Episode 1 Titled "Anatomy of a Lover" Air Date: September 17, 1966
- StarTrek.com interview, "Catching Up Laurel Goodwin, Yeoman Colt from The Cage", StarTrek.com, September 1, 2016