Leslie Gaye Griffin (March 6, 1935 – July 14, 2016), better known as Lisa Gaye, was an American actress, and dancer.

Early years

Gaye was born in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

to Frank Henry Griffin, a painter, and Margaret Allen Griffin (née Gibson), an actress. The Griffin family moved from Denver to Los Angeles, California, in the 1930s to be close to the developing film industry. Her mother was determined that Gaye and her siblings make their careers in show business. Her siblings, Marcia ( Teala Loring), Debralee (

Debra Paget Debra Paget (born Debralee Griffin; August 19, 1933) is an American actress and entertainer. She is perhaps best known for her performances in Cecil B. DeMille's epic ''The Ten Commandments'' (1956) and in Elvis Presley's film debut, '' Love Me ...

), and Frank (Ruell Shayne), all entered the business as either cast or crew. She attended Hollywood's Professional School.

Career

Gaye made her first professional film appearance at the age of 7. At 17, she signed a seven-year contract with

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

and was enrolled in the studio's professional school for actors and actresses. She began her acting career with two uncredited cameos in 1953–54. Her first starring role was in '' Drums Across the River'' (1954). She appeared in 13 films between 1954 and 1967, including Ten Thousand Bedrooms (1957), Hawaiian Eye (1959) and

How to Marry a Millionaire ''How to Marry a Millionaire'' is a 1953 American screwball comedy film directed by Jean Negulesco and written and produced by Nunnally Johnson. The screenplay was based on the plays ''The Greeks Had a Word for It'' (1930) by Zoe Akins and ''L ...

(1957). On stage, Gaye acted in a production of ''Merry Wives of Windsor'' when she was 12 years old. In 1957, she made her stage adult debut in ''Darling, I'm Yours'' in San Francisco.

Television

Among Gaye's television appearances were three episodes of ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts ...

'' in 1956, 13 episodes of ''

The Bob Cummings Show ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959. The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for ...

'' as Colette Dubois, five episodes each of the ABC/

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American Film studio, film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, Califo ...

detective series, '' Hawaiian Eye'' and ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was on ...

'', two episodes of another ABC-WB series, ''

Bourbon Street Beat ''Bourbon Street Beat'' is a private detective television series that aired on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from October 5, 1959, to July 4, 1960, starring Richard Long (actor), Richard Long as Rex Randolph and Andrew Duggan as C ...

'', seven episodes of CBS's ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a cli ...

'', and eleven episodes of the

syndicated Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web syndication, ...

anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a di ...

, ''

Death Valley Days ''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the progra ...

'', along with several episodes of ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...

'' and an episode of '' Colt .45''. She appears in one episode of Zorro in the 1957 season (Episode 13, Constance). She appeared twice in Have Gun - Will Travel in 1957 as Helen in "Helen of Abajinian", and as Nancy in "Gun Shy" (along with Dan Blocker, Corey Allen and

Jeanette Nolan Jeanette Nolan (December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998) was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series '' The Virginian'' (1962–1971) and ''Dirty Sally'' (1974), and in films such as ''Macbeth'' ...

), and in the

Science Fiction Theatre ''Science Fiction Theatre'' was an American science fiction anthology television series that was produced by Ivan Tors and Maurice Ziv and originally aired in syndication. It premiered on April 9, 1955 and ended on April 6, 1957, with a total ...

episode "''Gravity Zero''" as Elisabeth. She made a single appearance in the 1959 episode "The Peace Offering" of the syndicated western series, ''

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

'', starring Grant Sullivan. Among her seven appearances on ''

'', Gaye played Rita Magovern who Mason exposed as the murderer of her husband Karl in the 1961 episode, "The Case of the Traveling Treasure." In 1964 she played as murderer Pamela Blair in "The Case of the Nautical Knot". Also in 1961, Gaye appeared as a Spanish woman tied up in a revolution against the United States in an episode of the Maverick TV Series titled State of Siege. She also appeared in several episodes of the ''

Bat Masterson Bartholemew William Barclay "Bat" Masterson (November 26, 1853 – October 25, 1921) was a U.S. Army scout, lawman, professional gambler, and journalist known for his exploits in the 19th and early 20th-century American Old West. He was born to ...

'' TV series. In two 1959 episodes; in "Sharpshooter", she played Laurie LaRue, the stage assistant and wife of stage sharpshooter, Danny Dowling. She also appeared in the 1959 episode "Buffalo Kill" as Susan. In the 1961 episode of ''

'', "The Fatal Garment", she portrayed Elena, a Mexican Cantina owner.

Personal life

Gaye was married in 1955 to Bently C. Ware; the marriage ended with his death in 1977; the couple had one daughter, Janelle. She died in Houston, Texas, on July 14, 2016.

Selected filmography

* '' The Glenn Miller Story'' (1954) - Bobbysoxer (uncredited) * '' Yankee Pasha'' (1954) - Harem Girl (uncredited) * '' Drums Across the River'' (1954) - Jennie * '' Magnificent Obsession'' (1954) - Switchboard Girl (uncredited) * '' Ain't Misbehavin''' (1955) - Chorine (uncredited) * ''

Rock Around the Clock "Rock Around the Clock" is a rock and roll song in the Twelve-bar blues, 12-bar blues format written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers (the latter being under the pseudonym "Jimmy De Knight") in 1952. The best-known and most successful ren ...

'' (1956) - Lisa Johns * '' Shake, Rattle & Rock!'' (1956) - June Fitzdingle * '' Ten Thousand Bedrooms'' (1957) - Ana Martelli * ''Sweethearts'' (1957) * ''

Night of Evil Night (also described as night time, unconventionally spelled as "nite") is the period of :wikt:ambient, ambient darkness from sunset to sunrise during each 24-hour day, when the Sun is below the horizon. The exact time when night begins and e ...

'' (1962) - Dixie Ann Dikes * ''La cara del terror'' (1962) - Norma Borden * '' Castle of Evil'' (1966) - Carrol Harris * '' The Violent Ones'' (1967) - Dolores

Other television credits

* ''

Annie Oakley Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey; August 13, 1860 – November 3, 1926) was an American sharpshooter who starred in Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. Oakley developed hunting skills as a child to provide for her impoverished family in western ...

'' (1956) - Vera Barker * ''

'' (1956) - Carol Rogers / Felicia Norris / Mary Brewster * ''

The Adventures of Jim Bowie ''The Adventures of Jim Bowie'' is an American Western television series that aired on ABC from 1956 to 1958. Its setting was the 1830s-era Louisiana Territory. The series was an adaptation of the book ''Tempered Blade'', by Monte Barrett. Syn ...

'' (1956-1957) - Maria Miro / Jeanne BrasseaurJim Bowie Ent. 1956 - Episode 'Trapline' * ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western (genre), Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was ...

'' (1957-1958) - Nancy Warren / Helen Abajinian * '' The Walter Winchell File'' (1958) - Doris Carter * ''

Tombstone Territory ''Tombstone Territory'' is an American Western series starring Pat Conway and Richard Eastham. The series' first two seasons aired on ABC from 1957 to 1959. The first season was sponsored by Bristol-Myers (consumer products) and the second se ...

'' (1958-1959) - Nancy Cooley / Miss Lizette * ''

'' (1958-1959) - Gwen Kirby * ''

'' (1958-1966) - Laraine Keely / Pamela Blair / Joyce Hadley / Alyssa Laban / Rita Magovern / Lola Bronson / Juror * ''

'' (1959) - Ann Barry / June Leeds / Philana / Louise Wiley / Blaze Green * ''

'' (1959-1961) - Elena / Susan Carver / Lori Dowling / Lori La Rue * '' Men Into Space'' (1960) - Joyce Lynn * '' Wanted: Dead or Alive'' (1960) - Susan Marno * ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian languages, Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized tribe, federally recognize ...

'' (1960) - Francie Scott / Jenny Beaumont * '' Rawhide'' (1960) - Odette Laurier * ''

'' (1960-1969) - Lisa Tracy / Lottie Deno / Mystic Maude / Rosie Winters / Gypsy / Faith Turner / Lena / Tacilia - Healing Woman / Delores / Raquel / Yvonne Benet * ''

'', The Desert Spa Caper (09/29/1961) - Janet Hubbell * '' Maverick'' (1961) - Soledad Lozaro * ''

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 ...

'' (1961) - Alma Mendez * ''

Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Western television series starring Dale Robertson that ran from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season, when it expanded to a ...

'' (1961) - Sunset / Michelle Bovarde * '' Laramie'' (1962) - Winona * ''

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 ...

'' (1966-1967) - Lana Benson / Lorelei * ''

The Time Tunnel ''The Time Tunnel'' is an American color science fiction TV series written around a theme of time travel adventure starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. The show was creator-producer Irwin Allen's third science-fiction television series and ...

'' (1967) - Ahza * ''

Get Smart ''Get Smart'' is an American comedy television series parodying the secret agent genre that had become widely popular in the first half of the 1960s, with the release of the '' James Bond'' films. It was created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry, ...

'' (1967) - Miss Smith * ''

I Dream of Jeannie ''I Dream of Jeannie'' is an American fantasy sitcom television series, created by Sidney Sheldon that starred Barbara Eden as a sultry, 2,000-year-old genie and Larry Hagman, as an astronaut with whom she falls in love and eventually marr ...

'' (1968) - Daisy Lou * ''

The Flying Nun ''The Flying Nun'' is an American sitcom about a community of nuns which included one who could fly when the wind caught her cornette. It was produced by Screen Gems for ABC based on the 1965 book '' The Fifteenth Pelican,'' written by Ter ...

'' (1969) - Rosita / Elena * ''

The Mod Squad ''The Mod Squad'' is an American crime drama series, originally broadcast for five seasons on ABC from September 24, 1968, to March 1, 1973. It starred Michael Cole as Peter "Pete" Cochran, Peggy Lipton as Julie Barnes, Clarence Williams III ...

'' (1970) - Yolanda (final appearance)

References

External links

*
The Private Life and Times of Lisa Gaye

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaye, Lisa 1935 births 2016 deaths Actresses from Los Angeles Actresses from Denver American female dancers American dancers American film actresses American television actresses People from Greater Los Angeles 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses Western (genre) film actresses 21st-century American women