Edwina Beth Williams (born July 9, 1942)[1] is an American television and film actress who is best known for her acting work in the films of Russ Meyer, to whom she was married from 1970 to 1975.
Edy Williams | |
|---|---|
 Williams at the 62nd Academy Awards, 1990 | |
| Born | Edwina Beth Williams July 9, 1942 Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Occupation(s) | Actress and model |
| Years active | 1962–1995 |
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (170 cm) |
| Spouse | |
Early years
editWilliams was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and raised in Southern California. She began her career as a model and beauty pageant contestant. After winning several local pageants, she was signed as a contract player by 20th Century Fox.[2]
Career
editThroughout the 1960s, Williams appeared in several television series and films including roles in The Beverly Hillbillies, The Twilight Zone, Batman, Adam-12, Lost in Space, The Naked Kiss, and the Sonny & Cher film, Good Times (1967). In 1970, she appeared as Ashley St. Ives in Russ Meyer's first mainstream film, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, followed by his second mainstream film, The Seven Minutes (1971). Meyer and Williams married in 1970, shortly after the release of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls.
In March 1973, she was photographed for Playboy in a full color photo spread by then-husband Russ Meyer.[3] After her divorce from Meyer in 1977, Williams continued acting, mainly appearing in films, many of which involved nudity.
In 1982, she appeared on an episode of The People's Court as a defendant in a case titled "The Star Who Wouldn't Pay". She was sued for payment for publicity work the plaintiff had done for her. She counter-sued for half of the retainer she'd paid him.[4] After this, she was sporadically active in films during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Since the 1970s, she has traditionally appeared at both the Academy Awards and the Cannes Film Festival in revealing and flamboyant outfits.[5]
TV and filmography
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | The Twilight Zone | Chorus Girl | Episode: "The Dummy" |
| 1963 | For Love or Money | Edy | |
| 1964 | Man's Favorite Sport? | Second Girl | |
| 1964 | The Brass Bottle | Slave Girl | |
| 1964 | A House Is Not a Home | Call Girl | |
| 1964 | The Naked Kiss | Hatrack | Alternative title: The Iron Kiss |
| 1965 | Harlow | Mail Room Girl | |
| 1966 | Run for Your Life | Watusi Dancer | Episode: "Carnival Ends at Midnight" |
| 1966 | Nevada Smith | Saloon Girl | |
| 1966 | Paradise, Hawaiian Style | Brunette girl | |
| 1966 | Batman | Hostess/Rae | 3 episodes (37, 49 and 50) |
| 1966 | Beverly Hillbillies | Bank Employee | Season 4, Episode 28 "Jethro's Pad" |
| 1967 | Good Times | Mordicus' Girl | Alternative title: Sonny & Chér in Good Times |
| 1967 | Lost in Space | Non | Episode: "Two Weeks in Space" |
| 1968 | I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew | Marilyn | |
| 1968 | The Secret Life of an American Wife | Susie Steinberg | |
| 1969 | Where It's At | Phyllis Horrigan | |
| 1970 | Beyond the Valley of the Dolls | Ashley St. Ives | |
| 1971 | The Seven Minutes | Faye Osborn | |
| 1973 | Adam-12 | Tammy Warren | Episode: "Venice Division" |
| 1975 | Dr. Minx | Dr. Carol Evans | |
| 1977 | The Happy Hooker Goes to Washington | Professor Simmons | |
| 1979 | An Almost Perfect Affair | Herself | Uncredited |
| 1980 | Willie & Phil | Ashley | Alternative title: Paul Mazurksy's Willie & Phil |
| 1983 | Chained Heat | Paula | |
| 1984 | Hollywood Hot Tubs | Desiree | |
| 1984 | Bad Manners | Mrs. Slatt | Alternative title: Growing Pains |
| 1985 | Hellhole | Vera | |
| 1987 | Mankillers | Sgt. Roberts | Alternative title: 12 Wild Women |
| 1987 | Sledge Hammer! | Dream Girl | Episode: "They Call Me Mr. Trunk" |
| 1988 | Rented Lips | Heather Darling |
1988 "Nudity Required" |
| 1989 | Dr. Alien | Buckmeister | Alternative titles: I Was a Teenage Sex Maniac I Was a Teenage Sex Mutant |
| 1991 | Bad Girls from Mars | Emanuelle |
References
edit- ^ Lisanti, Tom (2015). Glamour Girls of Sixties Hollywood: Seventy-Five Profiles. McFarland. p. 232. ISBN 978-1-4766-1241-6.
- ^ "Edy Williams Official Website Biography". Archived from the original on November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
- ^ Meyer, Russ (March 1973). Playboy. Vol. 20, no. 3. U.S.: Playboy Enterprises, Inc. pp. 135–41.
{{cite news}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Edy Williams. The People's Court, "The Star Who Wouldn't Pay" (Internet). U.S.: In2TV. Archived from the original on February 19, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2007.
- ^ Erickson, Hal. "Edy Williams Biography". AllMovie. Retrieved December 28, 2007.
External links
edit
- Official site Archived December 22, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
- Edy Williams at IMDb