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!
JUST IN : Steamy rumors for Sean Hannity dating Fellow Fox News Host – Here is the truth
It’s been a whiIe since we reported that Fox News host Sean Hannity was divorcing his wife Jill Rhodes, who he had been married to for over twenty years.
Now, steamy rumors have been swirling that he is dating “Fox & Friends” host Ainsley Earhardt, and while they won’t confirm it, they aren’t denying it either. Page Six reported that the rumors have spread Iike wildfire ever since Hannity, 58, and Earhardt, 43, were seen together during lockdown near his home on Long Island, New York. Both sources are single, which has only added fuel to the fire in terms of the rumors.
The rumors started because Sean lives on Long Island, and Ainsley rented a house in the Hamptons during the pandemic, one source said. Sean has a studio at his home, and Ainsley has been using his studio as her remote broadcast Iocation for ‘Fox & Friends.
They are 100 percent dating, a second source said, with a third adding, They have been quarantining together in Oyster Bay.
They have been seen together in the area. Both Hannity and Earhardt released statements through the same Fox News spokesperson in which they refused to confirm the rumors. I do not discuss my personal Iife in public, Hannity said, with Earhardt saying in her statement, “Right now I am focused on raising my daughter. As anyone at Fox News will tell you, Sean is a wonderful person and whomever he chooses to date will be extremely fortunate.
I am not dating anyone, she added in a follow-up statement. Earhardt divorced her husband, Clemson University quarterback Will Proctor, back in 2018.
Together, they are parents to a 4 year-old daughter named Hayden. Hannity had been married to Rhodes since 1993, and they are the parents of a son, Patrick, and a daughter, Merri Kelly. Though their divorced was onIy just confirmed, friends say they had actually been divorced for over a year. Sean and Jill are committed to working together for the best interests of their children. Amicable agreements were entered into over four years ago between Sean and Jill, Hannity and Rhodes said in a joint statement.
They maintain a close reIationship as parents to their children. Neither will have any further comments and ask for the sake of their children that their privacy be respected.
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