Laurel Lea Schaefer (born May 21, 1949) was Miss America 1972. A native of

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from

Ohio University Ohio University is a public research university in Athens, Ohio. The first university chartered by an Act of Congress and the first to be chartered in Ohio, the university was chartered in 1787 by the Congress of the Confederation and subse ...

in June 1971. Three months later, she won the Miss America pageant. She parlayed her theatre arts and music degree into a stage career. Her training afforded her opportunities as a leading lady to actors such as

Howard Keel Harold Clifford Keel (April 13, 1919November 7, 2004), known professionally as Howard Keel, was an American actor and singer, known for his rich bass-baritone singing voice. He starred in a number of MGM musicals in the 1950s and in the CBS te ...

, John Davidson,

Peter Marshall Peter Marshall may refer to: Entertainment * Peter Marshall (entertainer) (born 1926), American game show host of ''The Hollywood Squares'', 1966–1981 * Peter Marshall (author, born 1939) (1939–1972), British novelist whose works include ''T ...

Ed Ames Ed Ames (born Edmund Dantes Urick; July 9, 1927), who also recorded as Eddie Ames, is an American singer and actor. He is known for playing Mingo in the television series ''Daniel Boone'', and for his pop hits of the mid-to-late 1960s including " ...

Joe Namath Joseph William Namath (; ; born May 31, 1943) is a former American football quarterback who played in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL) for 13 seasons, primarily with the New York Jets. He played college fo ...

Giorgio Tozzi Giorgio Tozzi (January 8, 1923 – May 30, 2011) was an American operatic bass. He was a mainstay for many years with the Metropolitan Opera, and sang principal bass roles in nearly every major opera house worldwide. Career Tozzi was born Georg ...

and

Gordon MacRae Albert Gordon MacRae (March 12, 1921 – January 24, 1986) was an American actor, singer and radio/television host who appeared in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals '' Oklahoma!'' (1955) and ''Carousel'' (1956) and who p ...

. She performed in productions of such musicals and plays as ''The Music Man'', ''The Sound of Music'', ''Camelot'', ''South Pacific'', ''Showboat'', ''My Fair Lady'', ''Oklahoma'', ''Hello Dolly'', ''Carousel'', ''The King and I'', ''Guys and Dolls'', ''Anything Goes'', ''Under the Yum-Yum Tree'', ''Star-Spangled Girl'' and ''Plaza Suite''. Schaefer's television work includes a recurring role on ''Falcon Crest'' and guest starring roles on ''Matlock'', ''L.A. Law'', ''Quantum Leap'', ''Love Boat'', ''Three's Company'' and ''Rockford Files''. She also played in TV commercials, including for Campbell's soup. Schaefer's vocal career included performing the American national anthem at the inaugural concert for President Richard Nixon, headlining the Miss America USO tour to Vietnam and Thailand, entertaining on cruises with a one-woman show and singing in the "Capturing the Heart of Gershwin" anniversary concert. Schaefer has been a commercial casting director, talent scout and owner of Creative Casting Services. In 1974, she established Schaefer Consultants, a personal imaging and entertainment career consultancy. She is a published author, keynote speaker, corporate spokesperson, infomercial host and media presenter. Schaefer's awards include the American Academy of Achievement's Gold Plate Award, Ohio University's Outstanding Alumni Award, the Tom Dooley Humanitarian Award, New Jersey and Ohio's Woman of the Year Awards, the Ohio Governor's Award, the Bexley Alumni Association-Significant Achievement Award, a President's Award for Leadership from Zonta International and a listing in Who's Who.

Marriages

Schaefer married John Lurie in 1973; they were divorced in 1977. She married Michael Bozoukoff in 2015.

References

External links

* Miss America winners 1950 births Living people People from Bexley, Ohio Ohio University alumni Miss America Preliminary Swimsuit winners Miss America 1970s delegates 20th-century American people Women casting directors {{US-pageant-bio-stub