Debra Paget facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Debra Paget
Paget in 1958
Born	Debralee Griffin (1933-08-19) August 19, 1933 (age 91) Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1948–1965
Spouse(s)	David Street ​ ​ (m. 1958; div. 1958)​ Budd Boetticher ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1961)​ Louis Ling-Chieh Kung ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1980)​
Children	1
Relatives	Lisa Gaye (sister) Teala Loring (sister)

Debra Paget (born Debralee Griffin on August 19, 1933) is an American actress who is now retired. She is famous for her roles in big movies like The Ten Commandments (1956) and Love Me Tender (1956). In Love Me Tender, she acted alongside Elvis Presley in his first movie. She also performed a memorable snake dance in the film The Indian Tomb (1959).

Early Life of Debra Paget

Debra Paget was born in Denver, Colorado. She was one of five children. Her mother, Margaret Allen, was a former actress. Her father, Frank Henry Griffin, was a painter.

In the 1930s, her family moved to Los Angeles, California. They wanted to be closer to the growing film industry. When Debra was 11, she went to the Hollywood Professional School. Her mother wanted Debra and her siblings to work in show business. Three of Debra's siblings also became actors.

Debra got her first job at age 8. By age 13, she acted in a play called The Merry Wives of Windsor. This play was written by Shakespeare.

Debra Paget's Acting Career

Starting at 20th Century-Fox

Paget in the trailer for Cry of the City (1948)

Debra Paget's first important movie role was in Cry of the City (1948). This was a film noir, a type of movie with a dark and serious mood. She played Teena Riconti, the girlfriend of a tough guy. Debra was only 14 years old at the time.

The studio, 20th Century Fox, liked her acting. They signed her to a long-term contract. She had small parts in other movies the next year. These included Mother Is a Freshman (1949) and House of Strangers (1949).

Breakthrough with Broken Arrow

Paget's first big movie for Fox was Broken Arrow (1950). She starred with James Stewart. Debra was 16 and played Sonseeahray, a Native American maiden. Her character fell in love with Stewart's character.

From 1950 to 1956, she acted in six radio plays. These were for a show called Family Theater. She also performed in four episodes of the Lux Radio Theatre. Here, she acted with famous stars like Burt Lancaster and Tyrone Power.

Paget had a big role in Fourteen Hours (1951). She worked again with the director of Broken Arrow, Delmer Daves. She also reunited with actor Jeff Chandler in Bird of Paradise (1951).

She played a main female role in Anne of the Indies (1951). She was also a top-billed actress in Belles on Their Toes (1952). In Les Misérables (1952), she played the character Cosette.

Paget was the love interest for Robert Wagner in Stars and Stripes Forever (1952). She also appeared with him in Prince Valiant (1954).

Starring in Princess of the Nile

Fox finally gave Paget the main role in Princess of the Nile (1954). This was an adventure movie where she starred with Jeffrey Hunter. The movie was not a huge hit. However, Debra Paget received a lot of fan mail. Only Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable received more at the studio.

Paget had a strong supporting role in Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954). This was a very successful movie. She also played a Native American character in White Feather (1955).

The Ten Commandments and Love Me Tender

Paramount Pictures borrowed Debra Paget for the movie The Ten Commandments (1956). This was a huge biblical movie directed by Cecil B. DeMille. She played Lilia, the water girl. She had to wear brown contact lenses to cover her blue eyes for the role. She said the lenses were difficult to wear because the bright lights made them hot.

The Ten Commandments was a massive success. Paget also starred in Love Me Tender (1956) with Elvis Presley. Debra Paget and Richard Egan were listed above Elvis Presley in the credits. But Elvis's new fame as a rock 'n' roll singer made the movie very popular.

The River's Edge (1957) was her last movie for 20th Century Fox.

Later Films and TV Work

After leaving Fox, Paget's career slowed down. She acted in Omar Khayyam (1957) and From the Earth to the Moon (1958). This last film was based on a famous science fiction book by Jules Verne. Debra was also a talented dancer and singer. She performed in nightclubs in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 1958, she went to Germany to star in two adventure films. These were The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb (1959).

Paget also appeared in many television shows. She was in the Western series Riverboat (1959) and Rawhide (1960, 1962). She also acted in Johnny Ringo (1960).

Her last two movies were for director Roger Corman at American International Pictures. These were Tales of Terror (1963) and The Haunted Palace (1963). Her final acting role was in a TV show called Burke's Law in 1965. She retired from acting after getting married.

Life After Acting

After retiring, Debra Paget became a born-again Christian. She hosted her own TV show called An Interlude with Debra Paget. This show was on the Trinity Broadcasting Network (TBN) in the early 1990s. She also appeared as a guest on other TBN programs.

In 1987, Debra Paget received the Golden Boot Award. This award honors actors, writers, and directors who have helped keep the Western tradition alive in movies and TV.

Debra Paget's Personal Life

While filming Love Me Tender (1956), Elvis Presley was very interested in Debra Paget. In 1997, she said that he had asked her to marry him.

Debra Paget married actor and singer David Street on January 14, 1958. However, they divorced quickly, on April 11, 1958.

On March 27, 1960, she married director Budd Boetticher in Mexico. They separated after only 22 days. Their divorce was final in 1961.

Paget left the entertainment industry in 1964. She married Louis Ling-Chieh Kung on April 19, 1962. He was a Chinese-American oil executive. His family was very famous. His maternal aunts included Soong Mei-ling, who was the First Lady of the Republic of China. Debra and Louis had one son named Gregory Teh-chi Kung. Their marriage ended in divorce in 1980.

Filmography

Feature Films

Radio Plays Broadcast

Family Theater

• November 29, 1950 - "The Clown" – Debra Paget, Stephen Dunn
• January 23, 1952 - "The Thinking Machine" – Donald O'Connor, Debra Paget
• February 11, 1953 - "The Indispensable Man" – Lisa Gaye, Robert Stack, Debra Paget
• December 9, 1953 - "The Legend of High Chin Bob" – Debra Paget, Walter Brennan
• July 27, 1955 - "Fairy Tale" – Debra Paget, Jack Haley
• November 7, 1956 - "Integrity" – Debra Paget, Cesar Romero

Lux Radio Theatre

• January 22, 1951 - "Broken Arrow" – Burt Lancaster, Debra Paget
• September 22, 1952 -"I'll Never Forget You" – Tyrone Power, Debra Paget, Michael Pate
• December 22, 1952 - "Les Misérables" – Ronald Colman, Debra Paget, Robert Newton
• April 20, 1953 - "Deadline USA" – Dan Dailey, Debra Paget, William Conrad

Stars over Hollywood

• February 21, 1953 - "The Wonderful Miss Prinn" – Debra Paget

Images for kids

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  Paget in 1958

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  Paget in the trailer for Cry of the City (1948)

See also

In Spanish: Debra Paget para niños