Debbie Watson (born January 17, 1949) is a retired American movie and television

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

Early years

Watson was born on January 17, 1949, in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

, California, the daughter of Gene and Kitty Watson. The family later moved to La Mirada, California, and she attended Buena Park High School

Career

Watson began her acting in community theater, appearing in productions at Long Beach Community Theater, Tustin Community Theater, and Melodyland Theater.

Television

Watson got her start on television as a hopeful on '' Ted Mack and the Original Amateur Hour'' in 1963. She went on to star as the boy-struck teenage girl Karen Scott in the 1964

situation comedy A sitcom (short for situation comedy or situational comedy) is a genre of comedy produced for radio and television, that centers on a recurring cast of character (arts), characters as they navigate humorous situations within a consistent settin ...

television series '' Karen'', the only portion of the largely unsuccessful ''

90 Bristol Court ''90 Bristol Court'' is the umbrella title of an NBC series consisting of three sitcoms set in a Southern California apartment complex located at the title address. The 90-minute block aired Monday nights from October 5, 1964, through January ...

'' (which also included '' Harris Against the World'' and '' Tom, Dick and Mary'') to last the entirety of the 1964-1965 season. She then appeared as Tammy Tarleton in the 1965 rural-themed sitcom TV series '' Tammy'', with co-stars

Denver Pyle Denver Dell Pyle (May 11, 1920 – December 25, 1997) was an American film and television actor and director. He was well known for a number of television roles from the 1960s through the 1980s, including his portrayal of Briscoe Darling i ...

and Frank McGrath. Watson had a role in ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

'' in 1971 before retiring from acting. In 2003, she appeared in A&E's ''Biography'' episode of ''The Munsters''.

Film

Watson's film appearances include the character of Marilyn Munster in ''

Munster, Go Home! ''Munster, Go Home!'' is a 1966 American comedy film based on the 1960s family sitcom ''The Munsters''. It was directed by Earl Bellamy, who also directed a number of episodes in the series. The film was produced immediately after the television ...

'' in 1966. The actress was a

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

starlet at the time, and the studio used Watson to replace Pat Priest, who had played Marilyn through most of ''

The Munsters ''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom about the home life of a family of benign monsters that aired from 1964 to 1966 on CBS. The series stars Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster (Frankenstein's monster),Episodes referring to the fact that Herman is ...

'' TV sitcom series. In 1967, Watson co-starred with

Roddy McDowall Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall (17 September 1928 – 3 October 1998) was a British-American actor whose career spanned over 270 screen and stage roles across over 60 years. Born in London, he began his acting career as a child in his n ...

in ''

The Cool Ones ''The Cool Ones'' (aka ''Cool, Baby Cool'') is a 1967 film starring Roddy McDowall and directed by Gene Nelson. The 1960s novelty singer known as Mrs. Miller performs in a cameo role, and the film features performances by the bands the Leaves ...

'', followed by ''Tammy and the Millionaire'', which comprised four episodes of '' Tammy'' re-edited into a feature-length film.

Personal life

When Watson was 17 years old she married record producer-engineer Richard Sanford Orshoff, who was then 22.Debbie Watson All For Teen Marriages, ''Desert Sun'', January 2, 1967
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Television series

*'' Karen'' (1964–65) *'' Tammy'' (1965–66) *'' The Virginian'' (1967,1969) *''

'' (1970-1971)

Filmography

*''

'' (1966) *'' Tammy and the Millionaire'' (1967), four episodes of ''Tammy'' re-edited into a feature film *''

'' (1967)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Debbie Living people 20th-century American actresses American child actresses American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from California 21st-century American women 1949 births Entertainers from Culver City, California