Meredith Lynn MacRae (May 30, 1944 – July 14, 2000)[1] was an American actress, singer and talk show host. She is known for her roles as Sally Morrison on My Three Sons (1963–1965) and as Billie Jo Bradley on Petticoat Junction (1966–1970).
MacRae was born in Houston, Texas, to parents Gordon and Sheila MacRae. Her father was stationed with the Army Air Corps in Houston at the time of her birth.[2] Both of her parents went on to be actors.[1] She is the sister of William Gordon MacRae, Robert Bruce MacRae, and Heather MacRae.
Career
My Three Sons
MacRae made her breakthrough appearance as Sally Anne Morrison Douglas on the ABC (later CBS) sitcom, My Three Sons. She played Mike's love interest for three seasons (1963–1965).[2] She asked to be written out of the show to further explore her career.
Petticoat Junction
In 1966, MacRae signed a contract with CBS to play Billie Jo Bradley on the sitcom Petticoat Junction, starring Bea Benaderet as her television mother and Edgar Buchanan as her television great uncle. Her television sisters were Betty Jo, played by Linda Kaye Henning, and Bobbie Jo, played by Lori Saunders.
MacRae was the third actress to portray Billie Jo. Jeannine Riley played the part in the show's first two years (1963–1965) and Gunilla Hutton in the third year (1965–1966). Both of these actresses played the role as a typical boy-crazy dumb blonde. However, by MacRae's debut on the series, Billie Jo's persona was that of a strong, independent woman who focused more on a singing career, a dream she later accomplishes.
At first, the producers' intent was for Billie Jo and Steve Elliott (portrayed by Mike Minor) to have a relationship and eventually marry. However, Minor and Henning were dating at the time and eventually got married. The producers decided to incorporate their marriage into the show. McRae would later state in a 1969 interview that this cost her screen time and from that moment on she was anxious for the show to end. She remained with the sitcom until its cancellation in 1970.[2]
In the 1980s, she hosted the talk show Mid-Morning Los Angeles, which ran for eight years. She was awarded a local Emmy Award in 1986 for her interviewing skills. Later, she created and hosted Born Famous, a PBS series on which she interviewed the offspring of celebrities.[2] She also co-hosted VTV: Value Television with Alex Trebek.
MacRae married Richard Berger, former president of MGM, in 1964, but they divorced four years later.[1] In 1969, she married fellow actor Greg Mullavey (famous for Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman) and had one child with him before divorcing in 1987.[1] Her third and final marriage was in 1995 to Phillip M. Neal, chairman and CEO of Avery-Dennison at the time of their marriage.[1]
Death
In January 1999, MacRae began to experience vertigo and short-term memory loss. She was evaluated and her symptoms were initially thought to be due to perimenopause. She returned to her doctor complaining of severe headaches. She was told the headaches were most likely due to muscle spasms and was encouraged to do cervical spine stretching. She obtained a second opinion and was diagnosed with brain cancer, which had already progressed to stage four. Emergency surgery was performed to remove the tumor and decrease the pressure in MacRae's head. During the operation, she suffered cardiac arrest, but was resuscitated. Though her cancer was terminal, MacRae agreed to be part of an experimental cancer drug program. However, she experienced an allergic reaction to the medication that caused swelling in her brain, with two more surgeries being performed to relieve the pressure. Her imbalance resulted in a fall that caused her to suffer a fracture to her hip.[1][2]
On July 14, 2000, MacRae died at her Manhattan Beach home at age 56 from complications of brain cancer.[2] Per her wishes, her body was cremated, and her ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California.[1]
↑ Laake, Deborah; MacRae, Meredith (1994). Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon Woman's Intimate Diary of Marriage and Beyond. Dove Entertainment Inc. ISBN978-0787103330.
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