Sandra Giles, born Lelia Bernice Giles, (July 24, 1932 – December 25, 2016) was an American actress and model. She was best known for her film debut role in '' Daddy-O'' in 1958, as well numerous other film roles, including ''

It Happened at the World's Fair ''It Happened at the World's Fair'' is a 1963 American musical film starring Elvis Presley as a crop-dusting pilot. It was filmed in Seattle, Washington, site of the Century 21 Exposition. The governor of Washington at the time, Albert Rosellin ...

'', opposite

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 ...

, in 1963.

Biography

Giles was raised in

Hooker, Oklahoma Hooker is a city in Texas County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,918. It is located approximately 20 miles northeast of Guymon on US Route 54 highway. Toponymy The city name honors local cattle fo ...

, but moved to Los Angeles with her mother, who had recently divorced. (Other sources say that she came from San Antonio, Texas, or that she was "born in Oklahoma and brought up in San Antonio, Tex.") Later described by ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' and other critics as a " blond bombshell", Giles was discovered by a press agent while working at

Canter's Canter's Deli is a Jewish-style delicatessen, opened in 1931 in Boyle Heights, and later moved to the Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California, Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, near the border of West Hollywood, where it is now. It ha ...

delicatessen Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a retail establishment that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessen originated in Germany (original: ) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the m ...

, which began her career as an actress and model. She later studied dramatics at

Los Angeles City College Los Angeles City College (LACC) is a public community college in East Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. A part of the Los Angeles Community College District, it is located on Vermont Avenue south of Santa Monica Boulevard on the former campu ...

. Giles made her film debut in 1958's '' Daddy-O'', starring alongside

Dick Contino Richard Joseph "Dick" Contino (January 17, 1930 – April 19, 2017) was an American accordionist and singer. Early life Contino was born in Fresno, California. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Contino, and he attended Fresno High School. H ...

. In the film, her character, Jana Ryan, beat Contino's character in a

drag race Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

. She went on to appear in three more films in 1958 along – ''

The Matchmaker ''The Matchmaker'' is a 1954 play by Thornton Wilder, a rewritten version of his 1938 play ''The Merchant of Yonkers''. History The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce ''A Day Well Spent'' had been exte ...

'', '' A Lust to Kill'', and '' Lost, Lonely and Vicious''
in which she showed herself quite the dancer
Also in 1958, Giles made a memorable arrival at the

film premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its first ...

of ''

Teacher's Pet Teacher's pet is a person that has an advantageous position compared to other students, where the teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or v ...

'', starring

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

, by arriving in a furry pink Cadillac convertible. Her appearance brought her career considerable publicity, including a two–page article and spread in '' Life Magazine'', titled "The Blond From Hooker – How to Become a Movie Star", in which she was photographed in a

bubble bath A bubble bath is a filled bathtub with a layer of surfactant foam on the surface of the water and consequently also the surfactant product used to produce the foam or soap. Less commonly, aerated or carbonated baths are called ''bubble baths''. ...

. Her other film roles included

Black Spurs ''Black Spurs'' is a 1965 American Western film directed by R. G. Springsteen and written by Steve Fisher. The film stars Rory Calhoun, Linda Darnell (in her final film role), Terry Moore, Scott Brady, Lon Chaney Jr., Richard Arlen and Bruc ...

in 1965, ''

Flareup A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...

'' in 1969, and ''

Black Gunn ''Black Gunn'' is a 1972 American neo-noir crime thriller film, directed by Robert Hartford-Davis and starring Jim Brown, Martin Landau, Brenda Sykes, Herbert Jefferson Jr. and Luciana Paluzzi. Baseball pitcher Vida Blue appears in a supporting ...

'' in 1972, as well as television credits ranging from '' Columbo'' to ''

Land of the Giants ''Land of the Giants'' is a one-hour American science fiction television series that aired on ABC for two seasons, beginning on September 22, 1968 and ending on March 22, 1970. The show was created and produced by Irwin Allen. ''Land of the Gi ...

''.

Personal life

She dated tennis player

Bobby Riggs Robert Larimore Riggs (February 25, 1918 – October 25, 1995) was an American tennis champion who was the World No. 1 amateur in 1939 and World No. 1 professional in 1946 and 1947. He played his first professional tennis match on December ...

during the 1970s and appeared with him in a guest spot on ''

The Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televisi ...

''. She was close friends with fellow actresses

Vikki Dougan Vikki Dougan (born Edith Tooker, January 1, 1929) is an American former model and actress. Early Years Dougan was born in Brooklyn. Her mother was a librarian and her father was an insurance salesman. Her father left the family when Dougan was ...

, Pat Sheehan,

Juli Reding Esther Fay Reding Hutner (November 28, 1935 – September 16, 2021), better known as Juli Reding, was an American actress and model, best known for her role in the Bert I. Gordon horror film, '' Tormented'' (1960). Early life Esther Fay ...

, Sondra Scott, and

Cathy Crosby Cathy Lee Crosby (born December 2, 1944) is an American actress and former professional tennis player. She achieved TV and film success in the 1980s and was a co-host of the television series ''That's Incredible!'' Early life Crosby was born in ...

. She was married two times and had a daughter, singer Sandra Piller.

Death

Giles died in Los Angeles from complications of

bullous pemphigoid Bullous pemphigoid (type of pemphigoid) is an autoimmune pruritic skin disease which typically occurs in people aged over 60, that may involve the formation of blisters ( bullae) in the space between the epidermal and dermal skin layers. It i ...

, an autoimmune disease affecting the skin, on December 25, 2016, at the age of 84.

Filmography

Films

*1958: '' Lost, Lonely and Vicious'' as Darlene *1958: '' Daddy-O'' as Jana Ryan *1958: ''

'' as Older Beauty *1959: '' A Lust to Kill'' as Belle *1963: ''

'' as Lily *1965: ''

'' as Sadie's girl *1967: ''Border Lust'' *1969: ''

'' as Nikki *1972: ''

'' as Prostitute *1973: '' The Mad Bomber'' as Checkout Girl

Television

*1978: ''

Are You in the House Alone? ''Are You in the House Alone?'' is a 1978 American made-for-television horror film directed by Walter Grauman and starring Kathleen Beller, Blythe Danner, and Dennis Quaid. The film is based on the 1976 novel of the same name written by Richar ...

'' as Hostess *1979: '' Crisis in Mid-Air'' as Darlene *1981: ''

Crazy Times "Crazy Times" is a song recorded and performed by Jars of Clay. The song was a writing collaboration between the band members Dan Haseltine and Stephen Mason with songwriters Mark Hudson and Greg Wells. It was the first single from their secon ...

'' as Esther *1990: ''Columbo: Murder in Malibu'' as Sixth Woman

References

External links

*
Sandra Giles
at Find a Grave {{DEFAULTSORT:Giles, Sandra 1932 births 2016 deaths American film actresses American television actresses American stage actresses Female models from California Actresses from Los Angeles People from Texas County, Oklahoma Female models from Oklahoma Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 21st-century American women