Gail Gilmore ( Gerber, October 4, 1937 – March 2, 2014) was a Canadian television and film actress. She was from

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, Canada. She was sometimes known as Gail Gibson.

Dancing career

In 1952, at age 15, she became a member of

Les Grands Ballets Canadiens Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal (GBCM) is a ballet company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. A creative and repertory company, it performs works that reflect the diverse trends of contemporary ballet. History Les Grands Ballets Canadien ...

. In November 1963, at the age of 26, she posed in a tight-fitting sweater for ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'' magazine as one of "The Girls from Canada". She taught ballet in the

Berkshires The Berkshires () are highlands located in western Massachusetts and northwestern Connecticut in the United States. Generally, "Berkshires" may refer to the range of hills in Massachusetts that lie between the Housatonic and Connecticut River ...

from 1973–95. She later changed her surname to "Gilmore".

Acting career

While in the midst of her dancing career, Gilmore began an acting career in 1964 when she played in four television series: ''

Mr. Novak ''Mr. Novak'' is an American television drama (film and television), drama television series starring James Franciscus in the title role as a high school teacher. The series aired on NBC for two seasons, from 1963 to 1965. It won a Peabody Award ...

'', ''

My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...

'', ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...

'', and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

''. On stage, she had the lead in the Ivar Theatre's production of ''Under the Yum Yum Tree'' in Hollywood. Between 1964 and 1965, Gilmore appeared in six movies leaving an indelible impression on fans of teenage drive-in movies. Gilmore co-starred with

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...

twice, playing a vacationing coed in ''

Girl Happy ''Girl Happy'' is a 1965 American musical romantic comedy and beach party film starring Elvis Presley in his eighteenth feature. The movie won a fourth-place prize Laurel Award in the category Top Musical of 1965. It featured the song " Puppet ...

'' (1965) and a dancing gypsy in '' Harum Scarum'' (1965). She then frolicked on the seashores of sunny Southern California in '' The Girls on the Beach'' (1965) and ''

Beach Ball A beach ball is an inflatable ball for beach and water games. Their large size and light weight require little effort to propel them. Beach balls became popular in the beach-themed films of the 1960s starring Annette Funicello and Frankie Ava ...

'' (1965) before growing to gigantic proportions along with five other delinquent teenagers who terrorize Hainesville, California, in ''

Village of the Giants ''Village of the Giants'' is a 1965 American teensploitation comedy science fiction film produced, directed and written by Bert I. Gordon. Based loosely on H. G. Wells's 1904 book ''The Food of the Gods and How It Came to Earth'', it contains ...

'' (1965). After finishing on the set of ''

The Loved One Loved Ones, Loved One, The Loved Ones, or The Loved One may refer to: Films *The Loved One (film), ''The Loved One'' (film), a 1965 American satire based on the Evelyn Waugh novel *The Loved Ones (film), ''The Loved Ones'' (film), a 2009 Australia ...

'' (1965), Gilmore met writer

Terry Southern Terry Southern (May 1, 1924 – October 29, 1995) was an American novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and university lecturer, noted for his distinctive satirical style. Part of the Paris postwar literary movement in the 1950s and a companion to ...

. Subsequently the couple left Hollywood in 1966 and lived together in New York City and later

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. She remained Southern's companion until his death in 1995.

Writing and teaching

In 2009, she published her autobiography, "Trippin' with Terry Southern: What I Think I Remember", with co-author Tom Lisanti. Although the book is focused on the 30 years she spent with

, details of her childhood and acting career are given. During Southern's decline and after his death, she remained on the East Coast and supported herself by teaching ballet. In 2010, the book was awarded the Independent Publisher Book Award Silver Medal. After her acting career ended, she taught ballet for 25 years.

Death

On March 2, 2014, Gilmore, a smoker, died in

Sharon, Connecticut Sharon is a New England town, town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, in the northwest corner of the state. At the time of the United States 2020 Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population ...

of complications arising from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

, aged 76.''Variety'' obituary for Gail Gerber
accessed April 7, 2014

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmore, Gail 1937 births 2014 deaths Actresses from Edmonton Canadian ballerinas Canadian female dancers Canadian emigrants to the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian television actresses Deaths from lung cancer in Connecticut 20th-century Canadian actresses