Kaye Elhardt (August 28, 1935 – September 1, 2004) was an American actress with dozens of television appearances in a career spanning from 1956 to 1977. She was known for her many roles in Warner Brothers (WB) television series, including 77 Sunset Strip, Hawaiian Eye, Surfside 6, Maverick, Bourbon Street Beat, Colt .45, and Bronco, but also did multiple episodes of Perry Mason and My Three Sons.

Early life

Kaye Valerie Elhardt was born in Los Angeles, the only child of Leonard Elhardt, a salesman and real estate developer from Minnesota, and Faye Fenusz Elhardt from Wyoming. During the summer of 1951 she took part in a city-sponsored youth chorus program. She studied dramatics at Marymount College in Westwood, California.

Early career

During her junior year she appeared in her first professional stage role for the musical High Button Shoes. Her first starring stage role came as she entered her senior year, when she played "Laurey Williams" in Green Grow the Lilacs. The production included some original songs by Rod McKuen. Elhardt performed six songs, and was judged by the Los Angeles Times reviewer "A winsome and spirited young actress", who "displayed dramatic talent and a voice of appealing caliber". Elhardt's professional voice coach was Harold Hurlbut. Her screen career began with bit parts on television, starting with West Point during December 1956. She did episodes of three shows, then had the female lead in another musical, New England Summer in August 1957. She again received high marks for this production from the Los Angeles Times: "Kaye Elhardt, possessor of a lovely lyric voice... not only sings with taste and charm, but she is an unusually talented actress".

Career

Elhardt played Peaches in the 1958 ABC comedy Love That Jill. She also made more than 40 appearances on television series. Among her three guest appearances on Perry Mason with Raymond Burr, she played defendant Ginny Talbot in the 1962 episode, "The Case of the Borrowed Baby." She was featured on Family Affair; Highway Patrol with Broderick Crawford; Wagon Train with Ward Bond; Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges; seven different roles in 77 Sunset Strip with Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.; Bourbon Street Beat with Andrew Duggan, Richard Long, and Van Williams; Bat Masterson with Gene Barry; My Three Sons with Fred MacMurray; The Tab Hunter Show with Tab Hunter; Surfside Six with Troy Donahue and Van Williams; Hawaiian Eye with Robert Conrad; Bronco; Yancy Derringer with Jock Mahoney; Colt .45; Philip Marlowe with Philip Carey; and more than a score of others.

Personal life

All through college and most of her acting career, Elhardt lived with her parents in the Kentner Canyon area, north of Sunset Boulevard in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Her family had real estate interests in Shasta County, California and Elhardt appears to have become a realtor after show business. Elhardt married George A. Cariker in Los Angeles on April 20, 1975. They were divorced six months later.

Stage performances

Filmography