Pamela Austin (born Pamela Joan Akert, December 20, 1941) is an American actress.

Early life

Austin was born in

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

. She spent part of her childhood in Europe, as her father served a tour of duty with the Air Force there. Austin studied dancing at

Sacramento State College California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...

, and found work with the Tony Martin nightclub act upon arriving in Hollywood.

Career

In addition to appearing in two

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

films, in 1964-1967 Austin gained fame for a long series of popular automobile television commercials (and print ads) for

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

(the

Charger Charger or Chargers may refer to: * Charger (table setting), decorative plates used to fancify a place setting * Battery charger, a device used to put energy into a cell or battery * Capacitor charger, typically a high voltage DC power supply ...

Coronet A coronet is a small crown consisting of ornaments fixed on a metal ring. A coronet differs from other kinds of crowns in that a coronet never has arches, and from a tiara in that a coronet completely encircles the head, while a tiara does ...

, Polara, and other models). As the perky "Dodge Rebellion Girl", she appeared in around twenty commercials as a

damsel in distress The damsel in distress is a recurring narrative device in which one or more men must rescue a woman who has either been kidnapped or placed in general peril. Kinship, love, or lust (or a combination of those) gives the male protagonist the motiv ...

— menaced by sharks, falling from a drawbridge, a roof, a cargo plane, etc. Her tag line at the end of each ad was "The Dodge Rebellion wants you!" The ad series led to numerous film and television offers and a three-page profile in ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...

'' (August 20–26, 1966). By 1968, Dodge executives felt Austin's popularity was overshadowing the cars and began a new "Dodge Fever" campaign with a different model, Joan Anita Parker. In August 1967 she starred in the adventure-comedy film '' The Perils of Pauline'' based on the silent

cliff-hanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

serial. Posters for the film referenced her Dodge commercials: ''That "Rebellion Girl" is dodgin' unbelievable perils...'' In 1968 she was a semi-regular on the hit comedy series ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Da ...

'' during its first season. Austin performed in various comedy sketches, song-and-dance numbers, and pre-filmed segments, including an early music video for "Buy For Me The Rain" by

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constant ...

Filmography

Films

*''

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 ...

'' (1961) - Selena (Sandy) Emerson *''

The Chapman Report ''The Chapman Report'' is a 1962 American Technicolor drama film starring Shelley Winters, Jane Fonda, Claire Bloom and Glynis Johns. It was made by DFZ Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. It was directed by George Cukor and produced by ...

'' (1962) *''

Rome Adventure ''Rome Adventure'', also known as ''Lovers Must Learn'', is a 1962 romantic drama film, based on the 1932 novel ''Lovers Must Learn'' by Irving Fineman. It was directed by Delmer Daves and stars Troy Donahue, Angie Dickinson, and Suzanne Pleshet ...

'' (1962) - Agnes Hutton *'' Critic's Choice'' (1963) - Daughter (uncredited) *''

The Caretakers ''The Caretakers'' (released in the UK as ''Borderlines'') is a 1963 American drama film starring Robert Stack, Polly Bergen, Diane McBain, Joan Crawford and Janis Paige in a story about a mental hospital. The screenplay was adapted by Henry F. ...

'' (1963) - Student Nurse (uncredited) *''

Hootenanny Hoot ''Hootenanny Hoot'' is a 1963 folk music musical film directed by Gene Nelson. It stars Peter Breck and Ruta Lee. Plot A TV director, having split up with his producer-wife, decides to telecast a traveling hootenanny show. Cast *Peter Breck as ...

'' (1963) - Billie-Jo Henley *''

Kissin' Cousins ''Kissin' Cousins'' (stylized onscreen as ''KISƧIN' COUSINS'') is a 1964 American musical Panavision Metrocolor comedy film directed by Gene Nelson and starring Elvis Presley. Written by Gerald Drayson Adams and Gene Nelson, the film featured P ...

'' (1964) - Selena Tatum *'' The Perils of Pauline'' (1967) - Pauline *''

Evil Roy Slade ''Evil Roy Slade'' is a 1972 American television movie, made-for-television Western (genre), Western comedy film about the "meanest villain in the American Old West, West". It was directed by Jerry Paris and co-produced and co-written by Garry ...

'' (1972, TV Movie) - Betsy Potter *'' Agatha'' (1979) - Pierrot #2 *''

No Surrender No Surrender may refer to: Politics * "No Surrender!", a British Unionist slogan originating from Siege of Derry now used in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and England *No Surrender (to the IRA), a political chant since used by England football fans ...

'' (1985) - Organist *'' The Dressmaker'' (1988) - Singer (final film role)

Television

*''Screenplay'': '' Nearly a Happy Ending'' (1980) *'' Columbo: Blueprint for Murder'' (1972) *''

Love American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a part of ABC's Friday primetime lineup t ...

'' ("Love and the Phone Booth"; 1969) *''

'' (six episodes; 1968) *'' It Takes a Thief'' ("Hans Across the Border", part 1 & 2) (1968) *'' The Virginian'' ("Girl on the Glass Mountain") (1966) *''

The Wild Wild West ''The Wild Wild West'' is an American Western, espionage, and science fiction television series that ran on the CBS television network for four seasons from September 17, 1965, to April 11, 1969. Two satirical comedy television film sequels w ...

'' ("The Night of the Whirring Death"; 1966) *''

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

'' ("Robbie and the Chorus Girl"; 1965) *''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

'' ("

Number 12 Looks Just Like You "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" is an episode of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It is set in a dystopian future in which everyone, upon reaching adulthood, has their body surgically altered into one of a set of p ...

"; 1964) *'' The Fugitive'' ("Come Watch Me Die"; 1964) *''

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. It ...

'' ("Molly Kincaid Story"; 1963) *''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television Private investigator#PIs in fiction, private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith (actor), Roger Smith, Richard Long (actor), Richard Long (fr ...

'' ("Reunion at Balboa"; 1963) *''

'' ("The Steerer"; 1962) *''

Surfside 6 ''Surfside 6'' is an ABC television series which aired from 1960 to 1962. The show centered on a Miami Beach detective agency set on a houseboat and featured Troy Donahue as Sandy Winfield II; Van Williams as Kenny Madison (a character recycled ...

'' ("Prescription for Panic"; 1961) *'' Lawman'' ("Jailbreak";1962)

Personal life

Austin married Charles W. Britt in Santa Clara, California on October 27, 1963; they had one child, a son, Beau C. Britt (born June 17, 1964). Austin and Britt divorced later that year. She married, secondly, to Guy Franklin McElwaine (a Hollywood press agent) in Los Angeles on July 17, 1965. They divorced in June 1967. She married Leopold S. Wyler in Los Angeles on January 9, 1974.

References

External links

* * * * *
Fansite profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Austin, Pamela 1941 births Living people Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska American television actresses American film actresses 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women