Elinor Donahue is famous for her role on the popular TV show “Father Knows Best,” but her career didn’t stop there. She continued to work on screen and in other areas after the show ended.
Now at 86 years old, Elinor Donahue recently appeared as a guest on the soap opera “The Young and the Restless.”
On “Father Knows Best,” Elinor Donahue played Betty ‘Princess’ Anderson, a key character in the show about a happy middle-class family in the Midwest.
The show began as a radio program in 1949 and aired every Thursday until 1954. After that, CBS brought it to TV, keeping only Robert Young, who played the father, Jim Anderson.
During her six years on the popular show, which was among the top ten TV shows in America, Elinor also appeared on “Crossroads” and “The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.” Her busy schedule was so demanding that she admitted she didn’t have time to watch her own show.
Elinor Donahue, who was born in Tacoma in 1937, worked hard on “Father Knows Best.” By the time she got home at night, she would have dinner and then prepare for the next day’s lines. This busy schedule meant she never had time to watch the show.
As a teenager, Elinor’s acting career took off, and she became the main provider for her family. She appeared in movies like *Love is Better than Ever* with Elizabeth Taylor and *Girls Town*.
Since Elinor was still a child, she needed an adult with her on set. With her father not around and her mother working full-time, her mom Doris had to quit her job to be with her.
After “Father Knows Best,” Elinor appeared on other popular shows such as “The Andy Griffith Show,” “Dr. Kildare,” “Star Trek,” and “Mork & Mindy.”
Elinor Donahue, now 86, has appeared in over 70 TV shows and movies like *Winter Wonderland* and *Pretty Woman*.
At 19, she married her first husband, hoping it would make her feel like a grown-up. She admitted to Emmy TV Legends that she felt like a teenager at that age, saying, “I was like a 13-year-old 19.” She felt she hadn’t grown up properly and thought that marriage and having a baby would help her mature.
The person she married was Richard Smith, a sound man from “Father Knows Best.” Elinor decided to marry him because she thought it was her chance to become an adult.
Elinor Donahue shared a funny story about how she got engaged. She said that after a movie date, her first husband, Richard Smith, whispered in her ear, “I love you and I’d like to marry you.” She laughed and replied, “Okay.”
Elinor had her first son, Brian, with Richard. They were married for six years before divorcing in 1961.
In 1962, she married TV producer Harry Ackerman, who was 20 years older than her. They had three sons together and were happily married for almost 30 years until he passed away in 1991.
The following year, Elinor married her third husband, Lou Genevrino, a contractor. She has been retired from acting for the past decade.
Despite never planning to be on screen, Elinor Donahue has had a remarkable and successful career. She has appeared in more than 70 TV shows and movies like *Winter Wonderland* and *Pretty Woman*. Her role as Betty Anderson on *Father Knows Best* made her a household name, and she has continued to impress audiences with her work in shows like *The Andy Griffith Show*, *Star Trek*, and *Mork & Mindy*.
Share this with all the *Father Knows Best* fans you know to celebrate her impressive achievements and enduring impact on television!
Tia Mowry shared a simple reason why she and her twin sister Tamera aren’t as close as they used to be, saying, “No hard feelings.”
Tia Mowry explained that when siblings grow up and start their own families, it’s normal for them to take on new roles and responsibilities in life. She mentioned this in an interview with People on Monday, after talking about their relationship earlier this month.
The “Sister, Sister” star recognized that Tamera has her own family, so it’s “normal” and “very natural” for them to focus on their own lives and families.
Tia Mowry said, “There’s a lot of love between us. We have a strong bond that will never go away.” She added that she and her sister have always been inspirational women, and that won’t change.
Tia, 46, emphasized that this situation is just a part of life. She explained, “People are starting their own families, and that’s okay.” She also mentioned, “There are no hard feelings.”
The star of “Tia Mowry: My Next Act” made news two weeks ago when she shared that she was having a hard time with “being alone” and not feeling “close” to Tamera during her divorce from Hardrict.
In a preview for her upcoming reality TV show, she said, “There are times when I wish my sister and I were still close and I could call her, but that’s just not where we are right now.”
After fans reacted strongly to her comments, the actress explained what she meant in an interview with Us Weekly.
Tia explained, “What I meant was that as we grow up, we start our own families, and their children need us. We take on new roles and responsibilities in our lives, and that’s what I was talking about.”
Tia, who is dealing with her divorce from Cory Hardrict, said she was finding it hard to handle this “transition” and wished her sister could be there to support her.
She added, “Sometimes you just want a hug and wish someone was as available as they used to be, but that’s not how life is.”
Tia said that no matter what people are saying, she and Tamera have a “beautiful connection” and love each other “very much.”
Tamera, who has kids Aden, 11, and Ariah, 9, with her husband Adam Housley, has not yet commented on her sister’s remarks.
The twin sisters became famous on the show “Sister, Sister,” which aired from 1994 to 1999. They also worked on several Disney shows and movies before moving into reality TV with “Tia & Tamera.”
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