Saundra Edwards (March 12, 1938 - June 2, 2017), was an American actress and model.

Career

Edwards was ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

'' magazine's Playmate of the Month for the March 1957 issue. Her

centerfold The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched magazines (as opp ...

was photographed by

Peter Gowland Peter Andrew Gowland (April 3, 1916 – March 17, 2010) was a famous American glamour photographer and actor. He was known for designing and building his own studio equipment and was active professionally for six decades with his business par ...

. In addition to her modeling career for ''Playboy'' and other men's magazines, Edwards, who is part

Cherokee The Cherokee (; chr, ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ, translit=Aniyvwiyaʔi or Anigiduwagi, or chr, ᏣᎳᎩ, links=no, translit=Tsalagi) are one of the indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, t ...

, was a

showgirl A showgirl is a female dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show intended to showcase the performer's physical attributes, typically by way of revealing clothing, toplessness, or nudity. History Showgirls date back to the late 180 ...

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 ...

. Her acting credits — she was a contract player at

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

— include a few films like ''

The Crowded Sky ''The Crowded Sky'' is a 1960 Technicolor drama film distributed by Warner Bros., produced by Michael Garrison (producer), Michael Garrison, directed by Joseph Pevney

'' (1960), '' Parrish'' (1961), ''

A Fever in the Blood ''A Fever in the Blood'' is a 1961 American courtroom drama, produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. The film features a roster of the studio's television contract players, often miscast according to the film's producer and screenwriter Roy ...

'' (1961), and many television roles in programs such as ''

Sugarfoot ''Sugarfoot'' is an American Western television series that aired for 69 episodes on ABC from 1957-1961 on Tuesday nights on a "shared" slot basis – rotating with ''Cheyenne'' (first season); ''Cheyenne'' and ''Bronco'' (second season); and ...

'', '' Hawaiian Eye'', ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...

'', and ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

'' (in the ''Maverick'' episode "Holiday at Hollow Rock" with

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...

in 1958). In 1958 Edwards appeared as Vardis Coll on ''Cheyenne'' in the episode titled "Dead to Rights." Also in 1958 Edwards appeared in the ''Cheyenne'' episode titled "White Warrior" as Lois Whitton opposite

Clint Walker Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/Warner Bros. western series ''Cheyenne'' from 1955 to 1963. Early life Clint Walker was born Norman Eugene Wal ...

and guest Star

Michael Landon Michael Landon (born Eugene Maurice Orowitz; October 31, 1936 – July 1, 1991) was an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Little Joe Cartwright in ''Bonanza'' (1959–1973), Charles Ingalls in ''Little House on the Pr ...

, in the ending credits her name is spelled as Sandra Edwards. In 1960 Edwards appeared as Jane Emmett on ''Cheyenne'' in the episode titled "Alibi for the Scalped Man."

Personal life

Having been previously married, aged 16, to Lorin Kopp, her business manager, with whom she had a daughter, Camille, born in 1956 (a son, Steven, was born in 1959), Edwards married actor

Tom Gilson Tom Gilson (New York City; January 6, 1934 – Van Nuys, California; October 6, 1962) was an American actor in TV and occasional films from the 1950s. Biography Born in New York City, the tall, powerfully built Gilson played roles in TV western ...

on December 8, 1961, and had a son named Thomas S. Gilson Jr., who was born the same day. She separated from Gilson in August 1962 when he became abusive, after which she moved in with her sister and brother-in-law. On October 6, 1962, Edwards killed Gilson with a shotgun blast through the heart when he broke into the house where she was staying. A

coroner A coroner is a government or judicial official who is empowered to conduct or order an inquest into Manner of death, the manner or cause of death, and to investigate or confirm the identity of an unknown person who has been found dead within th ...

's jury later ruled the shooting as

justifiable homicide The concept of justifiable homicide in criminal law is a defense to culpable homicide (criminal or negligent homicide). Generally, there is a burden of production of exculpatory evidence in the legal defense of justification. In most countri ...

. The scandal, however, abruptly ended her acting career.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Saundra 1938 births Living people American film actresses Actresses from Los Angeles 1950s Playboy Playmates Warner Bros. contract players 20th-century American actresses American television actresses American people of Cherokee descent 21st-century American women