Beverley Owen, best-known for her portrayal of "ugly" cousin Marilyn Munster on Season 1 of The Munsters (1964), died Thursday, February 21, her daughter confirmed.
She was 81.
The pert, pretty starlet had a brief career, appearing on As the World Turns (1961-1964), on a handful of TV series that included Wagon Train (1963), and in the film Bullet for a Badman (1964) before making a splash as Marilyn.
Her character was as lovely as she was (though Marilyn was a blonde), but her ghoulish family pitied her for her unfortunate looks.
Owen had been a typist for Captain Kangaroo in 1955 before going into acting, but she was never fully under the craft's spell. She bolted from The Munsters after 13 episodes for a reason rarely heard today — marriage. She wed Jon Stone (1931-1997), director of Sesame Street (1973-1997), but they ultimately divorced and she later received her Master's in Early American History.
She was replaced by Pat Priest (b. 1936) on the show.
Owen is survived by two children.
