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Elaine Giftos

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Elaine Giftos
Giftos with Mike Farrell, 1970
Born1942 or 1943 (age 81–82)
EducationPittsfield High School
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
  • model
Years active1969–2001
Known forNew York City Ballet
The Partridge Family
The Interns
Love, American Style
Spouse
(m. 1973; died 2005)
Websiteelainegiftoswright.com

Elaine Giftos (born 1942/1943)[1] is a retired American model, actress, and dancer.

Early life

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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]

Career

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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' 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; 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).

Personal life

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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

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1970 On a Clear Day You Can See Forever Muriel Comedy drama fantasy film
The Student Nurses Sharon Drama film
Gas! -Or- It Became Necessary to Destroy the world in Order to Save It. Cilla Comedy drama science fiction film
1972 No Drums, No Bugles War film
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) Mrs. Ross
1974 The Wrestler Debbie Action crime film
1981 Paternity Woman in Oak Room Bar Comedy romance film
1984 Angel Patricia Allen Action crime thriller film
1987 The Trouble with Dick Sheila Comedy science fiction film
1989 Another Time, Another Place Winky Heinson
1995 Body Chemistry IV: Full Exposure Charlotte Sanders Thriller film
2000 Mars and Beyond NASA Oversight Officer Gennifer Gianni Short science fiction film

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1969 I Dream of Jeannie Laverne Sedelko Episode: "Jeannie, the Matchmaker"
1970 Bonanza Charley (uncredited)
Charity McGill
Episode: "The Trouble with Amy"
Episode: "The Lady and the Mark"
1970-1971 The Interns Bobbe Marsh 24 episodes
1971 Cade's County Eleanor Jameson Episode: "Safe Deposit"
Ironside Stephie Parker Episode: "Murder Impromptu"
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 Jepsen 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"
1973 The Paul Lynde Show Judy Murdock Episode: "Is This Trip Necessary?"
1971-1973 Love, American Style Susan
Elizabeth
Karen Smith
Gwen
(segment "Love and the Second Time")
(segment "Love and the Awakening
(segment "Love and the Family Hour"
(segment "Love and the Single Husband"
1972-1973 The Partridge Family Bonnie Kleinschmidt Episode: "Home Is Where the Heart Was"
Episode: "Bedknobs and Drumsticks"
Episode: "Reuben Kincaid Lives"
Episode: "Double Trouble"
1973 Chase Gloria Episode: "The Garbage Man"
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 The Secret Night Caller Chloe TV film
1973-1975 Marcus Welby, M.D. Melanie Gates
Doris
Episode: "The Problem with Charlie"
Episode: "Save the Last Dance for Me"
1975 Ladies of the Corridor Betsy Ames TV film
Cannon Margaret Hatt Episode: "To Still the Voice"
1977 Stonestreet: Who Killed the Centerfold Model? Arlene TV film
1978 The Six Million Dollar Man Emily Episode: "Date with Danger: Part 1"
Episode: "Date with Danger: Part 2"
1979 Breaking Up Is Hard to Do Tina Scapa TV film
Quincy, M.E. Loxie Adams Episode: "Hot Ice"
1980 Barney Miller Laura Kiergo Episode: "Vanished: Part 1"
Episode: "Vanished: Part 2"
1976-1980 Hawaii Five-O Janice Lockman

Lily Kalima
Anne Chernus
Episode: "The Last of the Great Paperhangers"
Episode: "The Friends of Joey Kalima"
Episode: "Clash of Shadows"
1981 Number 96 Hildy Episode: "Father's Day"
Through the Magic Pyramid Nefertiti TV film
1982 Games Mother Never Taught You TV film
1980-1982 Three's Company Darlene
Randy
Episode: "A Hundred Dollars a What?"
Episode: "An Affair to Forget"
1982 Magnum, P.I. Ginger Leah Grant Episode: "Mixed Doubles"
1983 Venice Medical Gwen Marcus TV film
Matt Houston Nikki Sheffield Episode: "The Centerfold Murders"
1982-1984 Trapper John, M.D. Katie Miller Episode: "Ladies in Waiting"
Episode: "Special Delivery"
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
Episode: "The Connection"
Episode: "Family Affair"
1998 Ally McBeal Nancy Foote Episode: "Forbidden Fruits"
2001 Family Law US Attorney Annette Hodge Episode: "Liar's Club: Part 1"

References

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  1. ^ a b "First Holroyd School Graduates". The Berkshire Eagle. Massachusetts, Pittsfield. June 14, 1960. p. 5. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ "Bagpipers To Play in 'Brigadoon'". The Berkshire Eagle. Massachusetts, Pittsfield. April 25, 1960. p. 6. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ Merrill, Judith (October 26, 1964). "Smoothly Legging It to Success". The San Francisco Examiner. California, San Francisco. p. 32. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ Woo, William F. (November 1, 1964). "Beautiful Legs Can Take a Girl Far". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. p. 117. Retrieved November 1, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ "Elaine Giftos". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 2, 2018. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Elaine Giftos". TVGuide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  7. ^ Way2FengShui.com
  8. ^ LinkedIn profile
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