Donna Douglas, who played the ditsy Elly May Clampett on "The Beverly Hillbillies," has died at the age of 81, according to a report by CBS affiliate WAFB-TV in Baton Rouge, La.
Douglas starred as the naive only daughter of oil-rich Clampett clan in the CBS sitcom that ran from 1962 to 1971. Buddy Ebsen played patriarch Jed Clampett, who moves the family from the Ozarks to Beverly Hills after stumbling into oil riches.
Douglas' Elly May was known for her love of all kinds of "critters," as well as for her shapely figure, form-fitting jeans and cascade of blond curls. She was a series regular through the run of the top-rated show, which was the first in a triptych of corny countrified sitcoms from creator Paul Henning that also included "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres."
Douglas was a Louisiana native who moved into acting after winning several beauty pageants in her home state. She was crowned Miss Baton Rouge and Miss New Orleans in 1957, according to WAFB.
© 2026 Thomson/Reuters. All rights reserved.