Debra Paget at Brian's Drive-In Theater

biography

Born Debralee Griffin in Denver, Colorado, on August 19, 1933, stunning actress Debra Paget was schooled in New York, studying dance and drama. Before her 15th birthday, she was signed to a 20th Century-Fox contract in early 1948. The studio gave Paget a small role in Cry of the City (1948; with Victor Mature, Richard Conte, and Shelley Winters), and just two years later she was a featured performer in the western Broken Arrow (1950; with James Stewart and Jeff Chandler). While at Fox, Paget was often cast with leading man Jeffrey Hunter. They co-starred in several films together, including Belles on Their Toes (1952) and Princess of the Nile (1954).

Cheesecake shots of Debra Paget

After scores of westerns and costume dramas, Paget left Fox in 1955 and freelanced for a variety of studios. The death of the studio system harmed Paget's career, and in the late 1950s, Paget headed to Germany to star in the films The Indian Tomb and Tiger of Bengal. She also acted in a few Italian-made films in the early 1960s. In 1962 Paget agreed to star in two horror films for American International Pictures: Tales of Terror (1962; with Vincent Price) and The Haunted Palace (1963; with Vincent Price). After the release of The Haunted Palace, Paget married and retired from the screen.

the films of debra paget

Bird of Paradise (1951)

With Louis Jourdan in Bird of Paradise, a remake of the 1932 film starring Joel McCrea and Dolores del Rio

Fourteen Hours (1951)

From Fourteen Hours with Jeffrey Hunter

The Gambler from Natchez (1954)

LEFT: Promotional photo from the 20th Century Fox adventure The Gambler from Natchez. RIGHT: With Kevin McCarthy

Princess of the Nile (1954)

LEFT: Paget in the campy costume drama Princess of the Nile. RIGHT: With Jeffrey Hunter

Love Me Tender (1956)

James Drury, Elvis Presley, Debra Paget, and Richard Egan

With James Drury, Elvis Presley, and Richard Egan in Love Me Tender, Presley's first film

The River's Edge (1957)

Anthony Quinn, Debra Paget, and Ray Milland

With Anthony Quinn and Ray Milland in the crime drama The River's Edge

Omar Khayyam (1957)

From Paramount's Omar Khayyam. LEFT: Paget as Sharain. CENTER and RIGHT: With Cornel Wilde as Omar Khayyam

Why Must I Die? (1960)

As the murderous Dottie Manson in American International's Why Must I Die?

Tales of Terror (1962)

With Basil Rathbone in Roger Corman's Poe-inspired Tales of Terror, released by AIP

The Haunted Palace (1963)

With Vincent Price in American International's The Haunted Palace, Paget's last film appearance

debra paget today

Paget's first husband was singer David Street, whom she married and divorced in 1958 after a marriage of less than three months. (Street was the ex-husband of actress Mary Beth Hughes.) She then married director Budd Boetticher in 1960, but that union lasted just three weeks. In 1962, Paget decided to leave Hollywood and retire to Texas following her marriage to millionaire Ling Kung, and the couple later welcomed a son. Although the couple divorced in 1980, Paget has never returned to the screen but gave it some consideration following her divorce. Now a born-again Christian, she has been seen on some Trinity Broadcasting Network programs.

Debra Paget was not the only actor in the family. Her sisters Lisa Gaye and Teala Loring (1922–2007) had careers in films and television. Gaye is best known for her role on the syndicated TV series How to Marry a Millionaire, when she replaced Lori Nelson after she left the series. Loring had roles in a number of 1940s films. And her brother Frank Griffin acted in films in the 1950s (such as Teen-Age Crime Wave) before becoming a makeup artist.

filmography

FILM
The Haunted Palace (1963) with Vincent Price, Lon Chaney Jr., Barboura Morris, and Bruno VeSota
Tales of Terror (1962) with Vincent Price, Joyce Jameson, Basil Rathbone, and Peter Lorre
The Mercenaries (1961)
Most Dangerous Man Alive (1961) with Elaine Stewart, Ron Randell, Anthony Caruso, Gregg Palmer, and Morris Ankrum
Cleopatra's Daughter (1960) with Robert Alda and Rosalba Neri
Why Must I Die? (1960) with Terry Moore
Journey to the Lost City (1959) with Luciana Paluzzi
The Indian Tomb (1959)
The Tiger of Eschnapur (1959)
From the Earth to the Moon (1958) with George Sanders and Joseph Cotten
Omar Khayyam (1957) with Cornel Wilde, John Derek, and Michael Rennie
The River's Edge (1957) with Anthony Quinn and Ray Milland
Love Me Tender (1956) with Elvis Presley, Richard Egan, Bruce Bennett, William Campbell, and Ken Clark
The Ten Commandments (1956) with Charlton Heston, Yvonne De Carlo, Mike Connors, Woody Strode, Vincent Price, and an all-star cast
The Last Hunt (1956) with Robert Taylor, Stewart Granger, Russ Tamblyn, and Constance Ford
Seven Angry Men (1955) with Jeffrey Hunter, Raymond Massey, John Lupton, Guy Williams, and James Best
White Feather (1955) with Jeffrey Hunter, Virginia Leith, Hugh O'Brian, and Robert Wagner
The Gambler from Natchez (1954) with Dale Robertson, Kevin McCarthy, and Woody Strode
Prince Valiant (1954) with Sterling Hayden, James Mason, Janet Leigh, and Robert Wagner
Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) with Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Richard Egan, and Ed Fury
Princess of the Nile (1954) with Jeffrey Hunter, Merry Anders, Lee Van Cleef, and Michael Rennie
Stars and Stripes Forever (1952) with Clifton Webb and Robert Wagner
Les Miserables (1952) with Michael Rennie, Merry Anders, and Cameron Mitchell
Belles on Their Toes (1952) with Jeffrey Hunter, Merry Anders, Myrna Loy, Martin Milner, and Barbara Bates
Anne of the Indies (1951) with Louis Jourdan and Jean Peters
Bird of Paradise (1951) with Jeff Chandler and Louis Jourdan
Fourteen Hours (1951) with Jeffrey Hunter, Richard Basehart, Barbara Bel Geddes, Agnes Moorehead, and Martin Gabel
Broken Arrow (1950) with Jeff Chandler and James Stewart
House of Strangers (1949) with Edward G. Robinson and Susan Hayward
Cry of the City (1948) with Shelley Winters and Victor Mature

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Wimbledon Hastings?, originally aired February 3, 1965
Burke's Law, episode Who Killed Eleanora Davis?, originally aired December 20, 1963
Rawhide, episode Hostage Child, originally aired March 9, 1962
Tales of Wells Fargo, episode Man of Another Breed, originally aired December 2, 1961
Rawhide, episode Incident in the Garden of Eden, originally aired June 17, 1960
The Millionaire, episode Millionaire Mara Robinson, originally aired April 26, 1960
Johnny Ringo, episode East Is East, originally aired January 7, 1960
The DuPont Show with June Allyson, episode No Place to Hide, originally aired December 21, 1959
The Man and the Challenge, episode Invisible Force, originally aired October 17, 1959
Riverboat , episode The Unwilling, originally aired October 11, 1959
Wagon Train, episode The Stagecoach Story, originally aired September 30, 1959
Cimarron City, episode The Beauty and the Sorrow, originally aired February 7, 1959
Wagon Train, episode The Marie Dupree Story, originally aired March 19, 1958
Climax!, episode Carnival at Midnight, originally aired January 3, 1957
Climax!, episode The Man Who Lost His Head, originally aired July 26, 1956
The 20th Century-Fox Hour, episode Gun in His Hand, originally aired April 4, 1956

debra paget links

Luis' Debra Paget Page
Check out Luis' Debra Paget page for dozens and dozens of Debra Paget photos.

Luis' Lisa Gaye Page
Luis' Lisa Gaye Page contains photos of Debra Paget's beautiful sister, actress Lisa Gaye.

debra paget trailers now showing

Watch the trailers for Debra Paget's 1956 drama Love Me Tender and 1958 sci-fi thriller From the Earth to the Moon

debra paget film now showing

Watch Debra Paget's 1951 thriller Fourteen Hours

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This page premiered February 7, 2003.
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Debra Paget

(b. August 19, 1933)