# Pat Priest (actress)
**Pat Priest** (born Patricia Ann Priest, August 15, 1936, in Bountiful, Utah) is a retired American actress best known as the second actress to play Marilyn Munster on the CBS sitcom *The Munsters* (1964–1966), taking over the role from [Beverley Owen](https://www.edgepedia.org/beverley-owen) midway through the first season and playing it until the series ended.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) • [2](https://parade.com/entertainment/62-years-ago-the-munsters-quietly-replaced-marilyn-after-just-13-episodes-and-never-explained-why)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | August 15, 1936, Bountiful, Utah; birth name Patricia Ann Priest[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) |
| Signature role | Marilyn Munster on *The Munsters* (CBS, 1964–66); joined after episode 13, played 57 episodes[2](https://parade.com/entertainment/62-years-ago-the-munsters-quietly-replaced-marilyn-after-just-13-episodes-and-never-explained-why) |
| Feature films | Dina Bishop in *Easy Come, Easy Go* (1967) with Elvis Presley; Linda in *The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant* (1971); Nurse in *Some Call It Loving* (1973)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/120847-Pat-Priest) |
| Family | Mother Ivy Baker Priest, United States Treasurer 1953–1961 under Eisenhower[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) |
| Later life | Retired from acting in the 1980s; lived in Idaho for over 20 years; antique dealer in Boise as of July 2010[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) |
| Surviving cast | One of two surviving original *Munsters* cast members, along with Butch Patrick[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/stories/the-only-surviving-stars-of-the-munsters-tv-series/) |
## Early life and family
Priest was born in Bountiful, Utah, and as a young girl her family moved there from [Salt Lake City](https://www.edgepedia.org/salt-lake-city).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) Her mother, Ivy Baker Priest, was a government official who served as United States Treasurer under President Dwight D. Eisenhower from 1953 to 1961, and later as California Treasurer while [Ronald Reagan](https://www.edgepedia.org/ronald-reagan) was governor from 1966 to 1974.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) During her mother's Washington, D.C. years, Priest lived a débutante's life, won a local beauty contest, and was named one of the Capitol's "Ten Most Beautiful Women."[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) Her mother also wrote, directed, and produced road shows for the Mormon church, giving Priest early exposure to entertainment work.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/)
She moved to Los Angeles to pursue commercials, modeling, and community theater.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/)
## The Munsters
In 1964, while Priest was in the [San Francisco Bay](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-bay) area, she received a call from Hollywood as a possible replacement for Beverley Owen, the original Marilyn Munster, who was leaving the series to marry writer and producer Jon Stone.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) • [2](https://parade.com/entertainment/62-years-ago-the-munsters-quietly-replaced-marilyn-after-just-13-episodes-and-never-explained-why) The casting moved quickly: Priest tested for the part on a Wednesday, was offered the job on Thursday, and went to work the following Monday.[5](https://www.kivitv.com/eagle/an-eagle-woman-remembers-her-time-in-the-munster-family) Owen's final appearance was the season 1 episode "Family Portrait" on December 17, 1964; Priest first appeared the following week in "Grandpa Leaves Home," and the switch was never explained on the show.[2](https://parade.com/entertainment/62-years-ago-the-munsters-quietly-replaced-marilyn-after-just-13-episodes-and-never-explained-why) "Beverley Owen did the first 13 episodes, and I did the remaining 57," Priest later said, adding that she has never met or spoken with Owen.[6](https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/16948/interviews-tv-stars-paul-michael-glaser-tracey-gold-pat-priest?page=0%2C1)
Marilyn was the only human-looking member of the household, the running joke being that she was the "ugly" one next to her green-skinned family.[2](https://parade.com/entertainment/62-years-ago-the-munsters-quietly-replaced-marilyn-after-just-13-episodes-and-never-explained-why) Priest described the part as small: "I usually didn't have a lot of lines and I just accepted that. On a positive note, I could learn my three or four lines on the freeway on my way to the studio!"[7](https://www.boomermagazine.com/pat-priest/) She recalled an intimidating first day with [Yvonne De Carlo](https://www.edgepedia.org/yvonne-de-carlo) ([Lily Munster](https://www.edgepedia.org/lily-munster)), who warned her not to upstage her; the two later got along well and often had lunch together.[7](https://www.boomermagazine.com/pat-priest/)
When [Universal Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/universal-pictures) made the 1966 feature film *Munster, Go Home!*, Priest was replaced by contract player [Debbie Watson](https://www.edgepedia.org/debbie-watson). "I was devastated not to be in the film," she said in a 2020 interview. "I was 29 and my contract was up for renewal, so I think they wanted a younger actress and didn't want to pay me more."[7](https://www.boomermagazine.com/pat-priest/) She said cast members [Fred Gwynne](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-gwynne) (Herman) and Al Lewis (Grandpa) "went to bat for me."[7](https://www.boomermagazine.com/pat-priest/)
## Later career
After *The Munsters* ended in 1966, Priest guest-starred in series including *Bewitched*, *Perry Mason*, *Mannix*, *Mission: Impossible*, *The Virginian*, and *The Mary Tyler Moore Show*, and appeared in the 1965 show *Marineland Carnival with The Munsters TV Cast Members* as Marilyn.[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/pat-priest/) Her feature-film roles were few: Dina Bishop in the [Elvis Presley](https://www.edgepedia.org/elvis-presley) musical comedy *Easy Come, Easy Go* (1967), Linda in *The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant* (1971), and a nurse in *Some Call It Loving* (1973).[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/120847-Pat-Priest) • [8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/pat-priest/) She also auditioned for the role of Mary Ann Summers on *Gilligan's Island*, which went to [Dawn Wells](https://www.edgepedia.org/dawn-wells).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/)
Priest retired from acting in the 1980s but continued to attend nostalgic conventions and Munsters revivals.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) She returned briefly for reunion projects, appearing as herself in the Fox TV movie *Here Come the Munsters* (1995) alongside surviving original cast members Yvonne De Carlo, Al Lewis, and [Butch Patrick](https://www.edgepedia.org/butch-patrick), and in documentaries including *Yvonne DeCarlo: Gilded Lily* (1999–2000) and *Al Lewis: Forever Granpa* (2000–01).[8](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/pat-priest/) • [9](https://www.sidewalkstv.com/interview-pat-priest-the-munsters/)
## Personal life
Priest married Pierce Andrew Jensen Jr. on August 20, 1955; the marriage ended in divorce on March 4, 1967, and produced two sons, Pierce and Lance Jensen.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) She married Frederick Hansing on December 5, 1981; he died in November 2023.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) She has lived in Idaho for over 20 years, and as of July 2010 ran an antique shop in Boise with her sister; she had recently completed maintenance treatments for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and was in remission.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/) She lives in the Eagle area near Boise.[5](https://www.kivitv.com/eagle/an-eagle-woman-remembers-her-time-in-the-munster-family)
## Legacy
*The Munsters* ran only two seasons, from 1964 to 1966, but became one of America's most iconic sitcoms through syndication.[10](https://www.looper.com/414158/what-the-cast-of-the-munsters-did-after-the-show-ended/) Of the original principal cast, only Priest and Butch Patrick survive.[4](https://www.slashfilm.com/stories/the-only-surviving-stars-of-the-munsters-tv-series/) Later reimaginings of the series have echoed her version of Marilyn: a 2013 review of the pilot *Mockingbird Lane* noted that Marilyn "retains Pat Priest's 1960s style and mannerisms" as a nostalgic nod to the earlier show.[11](https://irishgothicjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/television-reviews2.pdf)
## References
1. [Pat Priest – Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0696330/bio/)
2. [62 Years Ago, 'The Munsters' Quietly Replaced Marilyn After Just 13 Episodes, Parade](https://parade.com/entertainment/62-years-ago-the-munsters-quietly-replaced-marilyn-after-just-13-episodes-and-never-explained-why)
3. [Pat Priest filmography, AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/120847-Pat-Priest)
4. [The Only Surviving Stars Of The Munsters TV Series, SlashFilm](https://www.slashfilm.com/stories/the-only-surviving-stars-of-the-munsters-tv-series/)
5. [An Eagle woman remembers her time in the Munster family, KIVI-TV](https://www.kivitv.com/eagle/an-eagle-woman-remembers-her-time-in-the-munster-family)
6. [Interviews: TV Stars Paul Michael Glaser, Tracey Gold, Pat Priest, HollywoodChicago.com](https://www.hollywoodchicago.com/news/16948/interviews-tv-stars-paul-michael-glaser-tracey-gold-pat-priest?page=0%2C1)
7. [Pat Priest's Munster Memories, Boomer Magazine](https://www.boomermagazine.com/pat-priest/)
8. [Pat Priest – Actress, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/pat-priest/)
9. [Interview: Pat Priest (The Munsters), Sidewalks Entertainment](https://www.sidewalkstv.com/interview-pat-priest-the-munsters/)
10. [What The Cast Of The Munsters Did After The Show Ended, Looper](https://www.looper.com/414158/what-the-cast-of-the-munsters-did-after-the-show-ended/)
11. [Television Reviews, The Irish Journal of Gothic and Horror Studies 12](https://irishgothicjournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/television-reviews2.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1940s to 1960s › Surnames N to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license