Actress. Born Ruby Joyce Wilbar, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, the eldest of six children, born to Gladys Marie Webb and William Robert Wilbar. She attended a modeling school in Ohio, after which she won a national contest for "Young Model of The Year" in which Jerry Lewis was a judge. He subsequently cast her in small roles in his films, “It's Only Money” (1962) and “The Nutty Professor (1963). She guest starred in numerous television series including, "Family Affair," "Gidget," "Mannix," "Gunsmoke," "Ben Casey," and "Star Trek," before making a mark as Elvis Presley's girlfriend in the film, "Paradise Hawaiian Style" (1966). Other credits included roles in "Good Morning, World" which ran from 1967 to 1968, "Return to Peyton Place” from 1972 to 1973, "The Doberman Gang" (1972), "When She Was Bad" (1979), "The Devil And Max Devlin" (1981), and "Baby M" (1988). She went back to school, eventually earning a degree in Chemical Dependencies Counseling, after which she worked for nearly a decade as a a staff counselor at a shelter for battered women and their children. In November 2000 she was a featured guest at the Asheville, North Carolina Film Festival. She died in Los Angeles at the age of 62 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
Actress. Born Ruby Joyce Wilbar, in Middlesboro, Kentucky, the eldest of six children, born to Gladys Marie Webb and William Robert Wilbar. She attended a modeling school in Ohio, after which she won a national contest for "Young Model of The Year" in which Jerry Lewis was a judge. He subsequently cast her in small roles in his films, “It's Only Money” (1962) and “The Nutty Professor (1963). She guest starred in numerous television series including, "Family Affair," "Gidget," "Mannix," "Gunsmoke," "Ben Casey," and "Star Trek," before making a mark as Elvis Presley's girlfriend in the film, "Paradise Hawaiian Style" (1966). Other credits included roles in "Good Morning, World" which ran from 1967 to 1968, "Return to Peyton Place” from 1972 to 1973, "The Doberman Gang" (1972), "When She Was Bad" (1979), "The Devil And Max Devlin" (1981), and "Baby M" (1988). She went back to school, eventually earning a degree in Chemical Dependencies Counseling, after which she worked for nearly a decade as a a staff counselor at a shelter for battered women and their children. In November 2000 she was a featured guest at the Asheville, North Carolina Film Festival. She died in Los Angeles at the age of 62 after a battle with ovarian cancer.
Bio by: Find a Grave
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