Judi Clare Meredith (born Judith Clare Boutin; October 13, 1936 – April 30, 2014) was an American actress.

Early life

Born on October 13, 1936 to Herbert Boutin and Janice M. Starr in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

, Meredith graduated from St. Mary's Academy in Portland.

Skating

Meredith was a figure skater who became a professional star performer with the

Ice Follies The Ice Follies, formerly known as the Shipstads & Johnson Ice Follies, is a touring ice show featuring elaborate production numbers, similar in concept to Ice Capades. It was founded in 1936 by Eddie and Roy Shipstad, and Oscar Johnson. In later ...

. She broke her back in an accident, but returned to skating until she broke her

knee cap The patella, also known as the kneecap, is a flat, rounded triangular bone which articulates with the femur (thigh bone) and covers and protects the anterior articular surface of the knee joint. The patella is found in many tetrapods, such as m ...

and was advised by doctors to stop.

Acting career

Meredith was performing in stock until she was spotted at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

, who cast her in several small roles on ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

'' beginning in 1955. Through mid-1957, she appeared in small roles on a number of TV shows (including ''Burns and Allen'') billed under her real name of Judi Boutin. Eventually, she assumed the name Judi Meredith, and was cast by Burns in the supporting role of Bonnie Sue McAfee on the ''Burns and Allen'' show, becoming a recurring performer on the show in 1957-58. In 1958-59, she appeared in a recurring role as herself (in the role of the girlfriend of Ronnie Burns) on the follow-up series ''

The George Burns Show ''The George Burns Show'' is a comedy television program that aired on NBC for one season ( 1958–59). The program was sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive. ''The George Burns Show'' immediately followed the eight-season run of ''The George Burns and ...

''. 1958 also saw Meredith's film debut, ''

Wild Heritage ''Wild Heritage'' is a 1958 American CinemaScope Western film directed by Charles F. Haas and starring Will Rogers, Jr., Maureen O'Sullivan and Rod McKuen. Plot Emma Breslin (O'Sullivan) and her family cross the plains in a covered wagon. T ...

''. Throughout the 1960s and through early 1970s, Meredith worked steadily, mostly as a guest performer in several American TV series, including '' Bonanza'', '' The Investigators'', ''

87th Precinct The 87th Precinct is a series of police procedural novels and stories by American author Ed McBain (a writing pseudonym of Evan Hunter). McBain's 87th Precinct works have been adapted, sometimes loosely, into movies and television on several o ...

'', ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', Tales of Wells Fargo, '' Gunsmoke'', '' Rawhide'', '' Laramie'', ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

'', ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...

'', '' Mannix'', '' The Tall Man'', and ''

Hawaii Five-O Hawaii Five-O or Hawaii Five-0 may refer to: * ''Hawaii Five-0'' (2010 TV series), an American action police procedural television series * ''Hawaii Five-O'' (1968 TV series), an American police procedural drama series produced by CBS Productio ...

''. Her last screen credit was a guest appearance on a 1973 episode of '' Toma'', following which she retired from acting and left the public eye.

Personal life

In 1962, Meredith married director Gary Nelson with whom she had two sons.

Death

Meredith died in

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, aged 77, from undisclosed causes. She was survived by her husband and two sons.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1958) *''

Money, Women and Guns ''Money, Women and Guns'' is a 1958 American Western film directed by Richard Bartlett and written by Montgomery Pittman. The film stars Jock Mahoney, Kim Hunter, Tim Hovey, Gene Evans, Tom Drake, Lon Chaney Jr., William Campbell, Jeffrey S ...

'' (1958) *''

The Restless Gun ''The Restless Gun'' is an American Western television series that appeared on NBC between 1957 and 1959, with John Payne in the role of Vint Bonner, a wandering cowboy in the era after the American Civil War. A skilled gunfighter, Bonner is a ...

'' (1958) Episode "Tomboy" *'' Have Gun, Will Travel'' (1959) *'' Summer Love'' (1958) *'' Jack the Giant Killer'' (1962) *'' The Raiders'' (1963) *''

The Night Walker ''The Night Walker, or The Little Thief'' is an early seventeenth-century stage play, a comedy written by John Fletcher and later revised by his younger contemporary James Shirley. It was first published in 1640. Authorship The play enters th ...

'' (1964) *''

Dark Intruder ''Dark Intruder'' is a 1965 horror film made for TV that was released theatrically, and starring Leslie Nielsen, Mark Richman and Judi Meredith. The film is set in San Francisco in 1890 concerning playboy sleuth and occult expert Brett Kingsf ...

'' (1965) *''

Queen of Blood ''Queen of Blood'' (a.k.a. ''Planet of Blood'') is a 1966 science fiction horror film produced by George Edwards and Samuel Z. Arkoff, directed by Curtis Harrington, that stars John Saxon, Basil Rathbone, Dennis Hopper, and Judi Meredith. ...

'' (1966) *'' Something Big'' (1971)

References

External links

*

from Allmovie
At Yahoo movies
1936 births 2014 deaths Actresses from Portland, Oregon American film actresses American television actresses American Roman Catholics Cleveland High School (Portland, Oregon) alumni St. Mary's Academy (Portland, Oregon) alumni 21st-century American women {{US-screen-actor-1930s-stub