Elaine Giftos (born January 24, 1945)[1] is a retired American model, actress, and dancer.
The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles P. Giftos,[1] she attended Pittsfield High School.[2]
While working as a fashion model in New York, Giftos was selected by the Clairol company as Miss Ultra Smooth in 1964. In this role, she traveled around the United States promoting the company's soothing lotion for shaving women's legs.[3] Her work as a photographer's model resulted in photographs of her being used in Ingenue, Redbook, and Seventeen magazines.[4]
Trained by George Balanchine as a member of the New York City Ballet, Giftos performed on Broadway in Leonard Sillman's New Faces of 1968 and Pousse-Café,[5] then moved to California to pursue a career in movies and television.
Giftos's first television appearance was in an episode of I Dream of Jeannie ("Jeannie the Matchmaker") as a dating-service clerk. Other shows in which she appeared were Bonanza; My Three Sons; The Interns; Ironside; Adam-12; The Streets of San Francisco; The Paul Lynde Show; Love, American Style; The Partridge Family in a recurring role as Reuben Kinkcaid's girlfriend Bonnie Kleinschmidt; Kolchak: The Night Stalker; The Bob Newhart Show; The Six Million Dollar Man; Otherworld; Barney Miller; Three's Company; Hawaii Five-O; Quincy, M.E.; Knight Rider; Magnum, P.I.; Murder, She Wrote; Tales of the Unexpected; War of the Worlds; Ally McBeal; Mars and Beyond and Family Law.[6]
Her movie credits include roles in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970); The Student Nurses (1970);[6] Gas-s-s-s (1970, as the female lead Cilla); No Drums, No Bugles (1972); Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) (1972); The Wrestler (1974); Paternity (1981); Angel (1984); and The Trouble with Dick (1987).
Giftos was married to writer/producer Herbert Wright until his death in 2005.
Since 1989, Giftos Wright has provided consulting services for feng shui under the name The Wright Way of Feng Shui.[7][8]
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | On a Clear Day You Can See Forever | Muriel | |
| The Student Nurses | Sharon | ||
| Gas-s-s-s | Cilia | ||
| 1972 | Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) | Mrs. Ross | |
| 1974 | The Wrestler | Debbie | |
| 1975 | The Secret Night Caller | Chloe | Television film |
| Ladies of the Corridor | Betsy Ames | ||
| 1977 | Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? | Arlene | |
| 1979 | Breaking Up Is Hard to Do | Tina Scapa | |
| 1981 | Paternity | Woman in Oak Room Bar | |
| The Time Crystal | Nefertiti | Television film | |
| 1982 | Games Mother Never Taught You | Unknown | |
| 1983 | Venice Medical | Gwen Marcus | |
| 1984 | Angel | Patricia Allen | |
| 1987 | The Trouble with Dick | Sheila | |
| 1989 | Another Time, Another Place | Winky Heinson | |
| 1995 | Body Chemistry IV: Full Exposure | Charlotte Sanders | Video |
| 2000 | Mars and Beyond | NASA Oversight Officer Gennifer Giani | Short film |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | I Dream of Jeannie | Laverne Sedelko | Episode: "Jeannie, the Matchmaker" |
| 1970 | Bonanza | Charity McGill / Charley | 2 episodes |
| 1970–1971 | The Interns | Bobbie Marsh | Main role |
| 1971 | Cade's County | Eleanor Jameson | Episode: "Safe Deposit" |
| Ironside | Stephie Parker | Episode: "Murder Impromptu" | |
| 1971–1973 | Love, American Style | Elizabeth / Gwen / Karen Smith / Susan | 4 episodes |
| 1972 | My Three Sons | Jewel Marsenick | Episode: "Lonesome Katie" |
| Adam-12 | Kathy Stephens | Episode: "Lost and Found" | |
| Temperatures Rising | Nina | Episode: "The Muscle and the Medic" | |
| The Streets of San Francisco | Irene Jespen | Episode: "Timelock" | |
| The Bob Newhart Show | Cynthia Fremont | Episode: "Anything Happen While I Was Gone?" | |
| Banyon | Verna | Episode: "The Lady Killer" | |
| Cool Million | Kahadija Messadi | Episode: "The Million Dollar Misunderstanding" | |
| 1972–1973 | The Partridge Family | Bonnie Kleinschmidt | 4 episodes |
| 1973 | The Paul Lynde Show | Judy Murdock | Episode: "Is This Trip Necessary?" |
| Chase | Gloria | Episode: "The Garbage Man" | |
| 1973–1975 | Marcus Welby, M.D. | Doris / Melanie Gates | 2 episodes |
| 1974 | The New Perry Mason | Shelby Danton | Episode: "The Case of the Tortured Titan" |
| Kolchak: The Night Stalker | Nurse Janis Eisen | Episode: "The Energy Eater" | |
| 1975 | Cannon | Margaret Hatt | Episode: "To Still the Voice" |
| 1976–1980 | Hawaii Five-O | Anne Chernus / Lily Kalima / Janice Lockman | 3 episodes |
| 1978 | The Six Million Dollar Man | Emily | 2 episodes |
| 1979 | Quincy, M.E. | Loxie Adams | Episode: "Hot Ice" |
| 1980 | Barney Miller | Laura Kiergo | 2 episodes |
| 1980–1982 | Three's Company | Randy Buckley / Darlene | |
| 1981 | Number 96 | Hildy | Episode: "Father's Day" |
| 1982 | Magnum, P.I. | Ginger Leah Grant | Episode: "Mixed Doubles" |
| 1982–1984 | Trapper John, M.D. | Kate Miller | 2 episodes |
| 1983 | Matt Houston | Nikki Sheffield | Episode: "The Centerfold Murders" |
| 1985 | Knight Rider | Debra Sands | Episode: "Custom Made Killer" |
| Murder, She Wrote | Lonnie Valerian | Episode: "Broadway Malady" | |
| Otherworld | Belisama | Episode: "I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar" | |
| Tales of the Unexpected | Grace | Episode: "In the Cards" | |
| 1986 | Blacke's Magic | Agent Joanna Kelsey | Episode: "Last Flight from Moscow" |
| 1987 | What a Country! | Danny the Bartender | Episode: "The Road from Morocco" |
| 1989 | War of the Worlds | Q'Tara | Episode: "The Angel of Death" |
| 1989-1990 | Dragnet | Joan Randall / Martha Lester | 2 episodes |
| 1998 | Ally McBeal | Nancy Foote | Episode: "Forbidden Fruits" |
| 2001 | Family Law | US Attorney Annette Hodge | Episode: "Liar's Club, Part 1" |
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "First Holroyd School Graduates". Newspapers.com. The Berkshire Eagle (June 14, 1960). Retrieved on November 1, 2018.
- ↑ "Bagpipers To Play in 'Brigadoon'". Newspapers.com. The Berkshire Eagle (April 25, 1960). Retrieved on November 1, 2018.
- ↑ Merrill, Judith (October 26, 1964). "Smoothly Legging It to Success". Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved on November 1, 2018.
- ↑ Woo, William (November 1, 1964). "Beautiful Legs Can Take a Girl Far". Newspapers.com. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved on November 1, 2018.
- ↑ "Elaine Giftos". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved on November 2, 2018.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Elaine Giftos". TVGuide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved on Jauary 14, 2019.
- ↑ "The Wright Way of Feng Shui". Way2FengShui.com.
- ↑ "LinkedIn profile". Facebook.
External links[]
- Official website (archived)
- Elaine Giftos at Wikipedia
- Elaine Giftos at the Internet Movie Database
- The Wright Way of Feng Shui Facebook page
- Elaine Giftos at AllMovie
- Elaine Giftos at Rotten
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