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Biography for Meredith MacRae
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| First Name: | Meredith | | Middle Name: | | | Last Name: | MacRae | | Nickname: | | |
Birth Date:
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May 30, 1945 |
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Death Date:
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July 14, 2000 |
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Briefly
American actress best known for her roles in two long-lasting family sitcoms from the 1960s: "Petticoat Junction", and "My Three Sons." |
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Meredith Lynn Mac Rae was born in Houston, Texas on May 30, 1944 on an Army base where her father, Gordon Mac Rae, was stationed. Gordon Mac Rae was a singer and movie idol of the 50s (Roger & Hammerstein�s Oklahoma and Carousel), and her mother, Sheila Mac Rae, is an actress/comedienne and author.
At an early age Meredith started her own acting career and was in her fathers (Gordon MacRae) film "By The Light Of The Silvery Moon", she also starred in two long-lasting family sitcoms: "Petticoat Junction�, and �My Three Sons�. She guest starred in many other television shows including Fantasy Island, Magnum P. I., The Rockford Files, Webster (the highest rated episode ever), she also appeared in several movies and had a singing career.
When Ms. MacRae was ten, her fathers alcoholism lead to her parents divorced. She was devastated and that experience led her on a crusade to educate the public about the disease. She was very proud of her show, "A Second Chance: Surviving Alcoholism", a project she wrote, co-produced, and hosted. She was honorary chairperson of the National Council on Alcoholism and spoke to groups all over the country about being "the adult child of an alcoholic."
She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in English. In 1964 she married Richard Berger, former president of MGM. They divorced four years later. In 1969 Meredith married actor Greg Mullavey (�Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman�, �Forever Fernwood�, �Number 96�, and �Bob, Carol, Ted, and Alice�.) Greg and Meredith divorced in 1992 but remained friends. They had one daughter, Allison, born in 1974. Allison studied film production at Chapman University and now has her own company.
In 1995 Meredith married Phillip M. Neal, Chairman and CEO of Avery-Dennison.
Eventually Meredith became a television producer and writer. She created and hosted "BORN FAMOUS", a series of specials in which she interviewed children of famous parents. She also made several PBS specials tackling womens issues, medical problems, and the aging of America. Her style and tough investigative questions as the host of �Mid-Morning Los Angeles�, won her an Emmy. She also received the Angel Award as producer of the most outstanding documentary of the year, a Vesta Award for Excellence in Journalism and, a Bronze Halo Award from the Motion picture Broadcast Council.
Her good business head led her to form her own corporation, Allison Lee, Inc., named after her daughter. She was one of the founding members of Women in Film and took charge of the creation, selection and administration of student grants.
In 1999, Meredith was diagnosed with brain cancer and died a year later at the youthful age of 56.
At the end she asked them to have her ashes spread over the ocean so she could �swim with her whales, dolphins and fishies�. |
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