Dolly Martin | |
---|---|
Playboy centerfold appearance | |
May 1966 | |
Preceded by | Karla Conway |
Succeeded by | Kelly Burke |
Personal details | |
Born | Dolly Read 13 September 1944 Bristol, England [1] |
Dolly Martin (born Dolly Read; 13 September 1944 [1] ) is an English pinup model and actress. She is best remembered for her appearance in Playboy magazine and as the lead character in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls . She sometimes is credited as Margaret Read, Dolly Read Martin or Dolly Martin. [2]
Read's first onscreen appearance was in the 1963 film The Kiss of the Vampire , followed by a role in the British TV series Dixon of Dock Green later that year. [2] In May 1966, she was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month. [3] She posed for the magazine again in 1970. She also worked as a Playboy Bunny at the Playboy Clubs in Chicago, London and New York City.
After appearing in the low-budget erotic film That Tender Touch in 1969, she landed the lead role of the sexy but naive rock-and-roll singer Kelly MacNamara in Russ Meyer's comedy Beyond the Valley of the Dolls the following year. [2]
Throughout the 1970s, Read appeared on television with guest-starring roles in shows such as Charlie's Angels , Fantasy Island and Vega$ . She was a frequent panelist on the game show Match Game . [2]
In 2006, Read, along with other cast members, provided commentary and was interviewed for the release of a special edition DVD of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. [4]
Read was born in Bristol, England. [1] In 1971, Read married American comedian Dick Martin. They divorced in 1974 [5] and were remarried in 1978. She was a stepmother to his two sons, Richard Martin and actor Cary Martin. Dick Martin died on 24 May 2008. [6]
Russell Albion Meyer was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that featured campy humor, sly satire and large-breasted women, such as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!. Meyer often named Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) as his definitive work.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American satirical musical melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, and David Gurian. The film was directed by Russ Meyer and screenwritten by Roger Ebert from a story by Ebert and Meyer.
Barbi Benton is an American retired model, actress, television personality, and singer. She appeared in Playboy magazine, as a regular on the comedy series Hee Haw, and recorded several moderately successful albums in the 1970s. After the birth of her first child in 1986, Benton retired from show business.
Edwina Beth Williams 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.
Cynthia Jeanette Myers was an American model, actress, and Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for the December 1968 issue.
Eve Meyer was an American pin-up model, motion picture actress, and film producer. Much of her work was done in conjunction with sexploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer, to whom she was married from 1952 to 1969. She was killed in the Tenerife airport disaster in 1977.
Susan Lynn Bernard was an American author, actress, model and businesswoman from Los Angeles, California. She was the daughter of photographer Bruno Bernard.
Debra Jensen is an American model. She was Playboy magazine's Playmate of the Month for its January 1978 issue. Her centerfold was photographed by Phillip Dixon. Jensen was also on the cover of the March, 1978 issue of Playboy magazine. After her time as a Playboy model, she began modeling for Coppertone. More recently, Jensen has appeared on a couple of episodes of the reality TV series The Girls Next Door.
Thomas Richard Martin was an American comedian and director. He was known for his role as the co-host of the sketch comedy program Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In from 1968 to 1973.
Phyllis Ann Davis was an American actress who appeared primarily on television. She co-starred on the 1978–1981 dramatic detective series Vega$ as Beatrice Travis, office manager, and girl Friday for the show's main character, Las Vegas private detective Dan Tanna, played by Robert Urich.