Donna Douglas, Elly May Clampett of the ‘Beverly Hillbilly’ Dies at 82 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Donna Douglas, most know for her role as Elly May Clampett on the TV sitcom the ‘Beverly Hillbilly’s,’ has passed away at the age of 82 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Douglas passed away from pancreatic cancer surrounded by family and friends. She is survived by a son, Danny Bourgeois; a brother, Emmett R. Smith Jr.; two granddaughters; a grandson and two great-grandchildren. Although she played other roles, Donna Douglas will always be known as Elly May, the original Daisey Duke. She played Elly May on the Beverly Hillbilly’s from 1962 to 1971.

Donna Douglass was born Doris Smith in Pride, Louisiana in September 1932, and graduated from Redemptorist High School in Baton Rouge. She was crowned Miss New Orleans and Miss Baton Rouge in beauty contests. Unlike many Hollywood stars who resent their claim to fame and being typecast, Donna Douglas never did, she relished it.

“Today the role of Elly May has been a beautiful opportunity, a wonderful little door opener for me to share my heart with others, whether speaking in churches, ladies conferences, youth groups, schools, conventions, and various civic organizations, or one on one,” her website bio said. “Amazing what God can do with a life, if given the opportunity!”

The Beverly Hillbillies – Elly’s First Date, 11/21/62

Donna Douglas, who played the shapely, blue-eyed daughter of the suddenly wealthy mountaineer Jed Clampett on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” the wildly popular television sitcom of a half-century ago, died on Thursday in Baton Rouge, La.

Ms. Douglas, who lived in the Baton Rouge suburb of Zachary, had pancreatic cancer and died in a hospital, her niece Charlene Smith said. Though other sources listed her as 81, Ms. Smith said her aunt was 82.

Ms. Douglas appeared in various movie and television roles before and after “The Beverly Hillbillies,” which ran on CBS for nine seasons. But she was destined to be forever remembered as Elly May Clampett, the lovely ingénue of the Ozarks.

She was chosen for the part from among hundreds of actresses, and in her view it was her small-town Southern upbringing that had made her a natural for the part. During her audition, she was asked to milk a goat.

“I had milked cows before,” she told The Associated Press in 2009. “I figured they were equipped the same, so I just went on over and did it.”

“The Beverly Hillbillies” burst upon the scene on the evening of Sept. 26, 1962. “In tonight’s fun-filled premiere, Buddy Ebsen stars as the head of a proud hillbilly clan that discovers an oil well at home that leads to a new home in Hollywood!” a CBS print advertisement proclaimed. Other cast members included Irene Ryan as the flinty matriarch Granny and Max Baer Jr., as the bumpkin cousin Jethro Bodine.