Lee Meriwether

The first Miss America (1955) to pursue acting as a vocation, Lee Meriwether is best recalled as Betty Jones, the daughter-in-law and assistant to private investigator "Barnaby Jones" (CBS, 1973-1980). In 1996, she joined the venerable ABC daytime drama "All My Children" replacing the retiring Mary Fickett in the role of earth mother Ruth Brent Martin. Meriwether, who studied acting with Lee Strasberg, has been a regular or recurring character on nine previous TV series, including a stint as a women's editor on NBC's "Today" as well as playing Lily Munster on the syndicated "The Munsters Today" (1988-1990). She is also recalled by cultists as one of the actresses who played Catwoman in the 60s incarnation of "Batman" (ABC) and its 1966 feature.