Melinda Ann Plowman (born May 13, 1941), also known as Melinda Ann Casey and Melinda Casey, is an American actress and associate director. She began her acting career at age 6 and appeared in feature films and television episodes through the 1960s. In the 1970s, she became a member of the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

and worked as an associate director through the 1990s.

Early life

Melinda Ann Plowman was born on May 13, 1941, in Abilene, Texas. Her parents, Homer Lee Plowman and Lura Frances Slaughter, had met and married in Abilene in 1934. She has one younger sister. Her second birthday party, hosted by her mother and grandmother, was reported in the ''

Abilene Reporter-News ''Abilene Reporter-News'' is a daily newspaper based in Abilene, Texas, United States. The newspaper started publishing as the weekly ''Abilene Reporter'', helmed by Charles Edwin Gilbert on June 17, 1881, just three months after Abilene was f ...

''. The family moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 1942. Plowman was enrolled in a dance school at age 3. She was "discovered" at the age of 6 through the dancing school and was cast in a bit part in the 1949 film '' Little Women''.

Career

Acting

Plowman acted in Hollywood films in the 1950s but primarily worked in television. She appeared in seven ''

NBC Matinee Theater ''Matinee Theater'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from October 31, 1955, to June 27, 1958. Its name is often seen as ''Matinee Theatre''. The series, which ran daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. E ...

'' episodes, as well as episodes of ''

Ford Theatre ''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...

'', ''

The Loretta Young Show ''The Loretta Young Show'' (originally known as ''Letter to Loretta'') is an American anthology drama television series broadcast on Sunday nights from September 2, 1953, to June 4, 1961, on NBC for a total of 165 episodes. The series was hosted ...

'', and ''

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 ...

''. She was one of the original Mouseketeers on ''

The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...

''. Her parents preferred to maintain her status as a freelance actor rather than a studio contract player. Her mother accompanied her on the set. When she wasn't working, Plowman attended a public elementary school and, later,

San Marino High School San Marino High School (SMHS) is a public high school in San Marino, California, United States, and the only high school in the San Marino Unified School District, Los Angeles County. According to the 2015 California Academic Performance Index S ...

San Marino, California San Marino is a residential city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It was incorporated on April 25, 1913. At the 2010 census the population was 13,147. The city is one of the wealthiest places in the nation in terms of househo ...

. During film shoots, she had a private tutor on the set. Plowman landed her first leading role at the age of 25 in the 1966 horror film '' Billy the Kid Versus Dracula''.

Directing

In the 1970s, she joined the

, listing herself as an associate director under the name Melinda Ann Casey. She continued working on film crews through the 1990s.

Personal life

Plowman married Phil Casey, a talent manager, in

Las Vegas 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 Vegas ...

in August 1967. They had one son. Plowman later married Robert Ballew, with whom she has a daughter. In 1971, her parents moved back to Fort Worth. She lives in

Victoria, British Columbia Victoria is the capital city of the Canadian province of British Columbia, on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada's Pacific coast. The city has a population of 91,867, and the Greater Victoria area has a population of 397,237. The ...

Filmography (as an actress)

References

Sources

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plowman, Melinda 1941 births Living people American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Texas People from Taylor, Texas 20th-century American actresses