Pat Priest
Patricia Ann Priest Hansing is a former actress and currently owns an antique store with her sister in Boise, Idaho. She is best known for her role as Marilyn on the television show “The Munsters.” She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Priest was born on August 15, 1936, in Bountiful, Utah, to Ivy and Roy Priest. The family moved to Washington, D. C. when her mother was appointed U. S. Treasurer by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Pat was in high school at the time. On the east coast she won a number of pageants, including queen at the President’s Cup Regatta, queen of the Norfolk Azalea Pageant, queen of the Winchester/Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival. She was selected as one of the Capitol’s “Ten Most Beautiful Women.”
Priest married White House Navy Aide Lieutenant Commander Pierce Andrew Jensen on August 20, 1955. When he was stationed in California, Priest pursued acting. She appeared in many commercials for Rice Krispies, Purina Dog Food, and others. After the birth of her two sons, she debuted in the 1964 film “Looking for Love,” which starred Connie Francis, Johnny Carson, Danny Thomas, George Hamilton, and others. She had other roles in “The Jack Benny Program,” “Quick Before It Melts,” “Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea,” “My Favorite Martian,” “Death Valley Days,” “Perry Mason,” and “The Lucy Show.” Her big break came when the actress who played Marilyn Munster decided to leave the show and Priest was picked to replace her. She played the role for the run of the show.
In 1967 she co-starred with Elvis Presley in “Easy Come, Easy Go” and bought his Cadillac convertible when he offered to sell it to her at a good price. She also had a role in “The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant.” She continued to appear in television shows, such as “Run for Your Life,” “Ironside,” “The Red Skelton Hour,” “The Virginian,” “Bewitched,” and “Mission: Impossible.” Her last appearances were in the 1973 film “Some Call It Loving” and a 1976 episode of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” She made a cameo appearance in the 1995 movie “Here Come the Munsters.”
She and her first husband were divorced in 1968. She remarried Frederick Hansing in 1981 and they moved to Hailey, Idaho. She survived a bout with lymphoma in 2001. She now lives in Eagle, Idaho.
