Nancy Walters (born Nancy Driver on June 26, 1933 – September 29, 2009) was an American model, actress and minister.

Early years

Walters was born in

Mount Plymouth, Florida Mount Plymouth is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lake County, Florida, Lake County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the CDP population was 4,011, up from 2,814 in 2000. I ...

, and brought up near Mount Plymouth and

Zellwood, Florida Zellwood is a census-designated place and an unincorporated area in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,817 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Zellwood is loca ...

. A bone infection that was incurred when she was four years old prevented her from standing until her teenage years. When she was seven years old, she spent eight months in a hospital for treatment of the infection. After she finished high school, she went to secretarial school and took a business law class, both of which were in line with her plans to be a lawyer's secretary.

Career

Her career in modeling included appearances in magazines, including ''

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'', ''Vogue'', ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. It was first published in New York City on November 2, 1867, as the weekly ''Harper's Bazar''. ''Harper's Bazaar'' is published by Hearst and considers itself to be the st ...

'', and ''Mademoiselle''. In 1955, Walters left modeling and began working on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

game show A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...

The Big Payoff ''The Big Payoff'' is a daytime and primetime game show that premiered on NBC in 1951, and ended its network run on CBS in 1959. It had a brief syndication revival in 1962. NBC used ''The Big Payoff'' to replace the 15-minute show ''Miss Susan'' st ...

''. In 1958 she was also on the CBS show '' Strike It Rich''. Walters polished her acting skills in productions at the

Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre is a full-time professional conservatory for actors in New York City. First operational from 1915 to 1927, the school re-opened in 1928 and has been active ever since. It is the birthplace of th ...

. On Broadway, she performed as a singer in ''Ankles Aweigh'' (1955). A 1957 newspaper article described her as a protege of

Bernie Wayne Bernie Wayne (March 6, 1919 – April 18, 1993) was an American composer who wrote over 1,000 songs and music for commercial jingles. He was best known for " Blue Velvet", which was recorded as a hit by numerous artists, and " There She Is", the son ...

. In 1960, Walters signed a film contract with

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

, with her first film for that studio being '' Bells Are Ringing'' (1960). She was in several movies including ''

Blue Hawaii ''Blue Hawaii'' is a 1961 American musical romantic comedy-drama film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Elvis Presley. The screenplay by Hal Kanter was nominated by the Writers Guild of America in 1962 in the category of Best Written Americ ...

'', ''

The Singing Nun Jeanne-Paule Marie "Jeannine" Deckers (17 October 1933 – 29 March 1985), better known as Sœur Sourire () and often called The Singing Nun in English-speaking countries, was a Belgian singer-songwriter and a member of the Dominican Order in ...

'' and ''

Monster on the Campus ''Monster on the Campus'' (a.k.a. ''Monster in the Night'' and ''Stranger on the Campus'') is a 1958 American black-and-white science fiction/horror film from Universal Studios, Universal-International, produced by Joseph Gershenson, directed b ...

''. Over the years she was a guest star on several television shows, including '' 77 Sunset Strip'', ''

Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centers on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central character ...

'', ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conc ...

'', and '' Get Smart''. Her film and television career ended after 1967. After her husband was killed in Vietnam, Walters joined an evangelical group. She became an ordained minister and was living 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 ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

when she died at the age of 76.

Personal life

On March 10, 1962, Walters married Lt. Paul Warren Payne, a jet pilot in the U.S. Navy, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Recognition

Walters was one of 13 actresses selected as Deb Stars of 1958.

Television

References

American film actresses 1933 births 2009 deaths American television actresses People from Lake County, Florida Actresses from Florida 20th-century American actresses Female models from Florida 21st-century American women {{US-film-actor-1930s-stub