Elizabeth Gracen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Elizabeth Gracen
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Gracen in 2016
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| Born |
Elizabeth Grace Ward
April 3, 1961 Ozark, Arkansas, U.S.
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| Alma mater | HB Studios |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Title | Miss Arkansas 1981 Miss America 1982 |
| Predecessor | Susan Powell |
| Successor | Debra Maffett |
| Spouse(s) |
Jon Birmingham
(m. 1982; div. 1984)Brendan Hughes
(m. 1989; div. 1994)
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| Children | 1 |
Elizabeth Ward Gracen (born Elizabeth Grace Ward, April 3, 1961) is an American actress. She is also known for winning the Miss America beauty pageant in 1982.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Elizabeth Grace Ward was born on April 3, 1961. Her hometown was Ozark, Arkansas. Her mother, Patricia Hampe, was a nurse. Her father, Jimmy Young Ward, worked with poultry.
Elizabeth grew up in Booneville, Arkansas. Later, her family moved to Russellville, Arkansas. She graduated from Russellville High School in 1979.
Before becoming Miss America, she studied accounting at Arkansas Tech University. After winning the pageant, she used her scholarship money. She chose to study acting at HB Studios in New York City.
Career Highlights
Pageants and Modeling
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Elizabeth Gracen won two important titles. First, she became Miss Arkansas in 1981. Then, she won the national title of Miss America in 1982.
After her year as Miss America, she took acting classes. She then moved to California. Her goal was to start a career in movies and TV shows.
Acting Roles
Gracen's first movie role was in Three For The Road. She acted alongside Charlie Sheen in this film. She also appeared in Marked for Death with Steven Seagal. Other movie roles include Pass The Ammo and 83 Hours Till Dawn. She starred in Lower Level and Discretion Assured.
On television, Gracen was in several shows. These include Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and The Sands of Time. She also appeared in The Death of the Incredible Hulk.
She had starring roles in the series Extreme for NBC. She also appeared in the syndicated shows Renegade and Queen of Swords.
Her most famous acting part was as Amanda. Amanda was a 1,200-year-old immortal character. Gracen played Amanda in Highlander: The Series and its spin-off, Highlander: The Raven.
After 2002, Gracen took a break from acting. She started doing voiceover work for Blue Hours Productions. This company brought back the classic radio show Suspense. In 2012, she voiced a character in the animated movie War of the Worlds: Goliath.
Directing, Producing, and Writing
In 2012, Elizabeth Gracen started her own company, Flapper Films. Two years later, in 2014, she starred in Coherence. This was a science fiction thriller movie.
In January 2016, Gracen created Flapper Press. Through this company, she published her own book. It was a young adult fantasy novel called Shalilly.
Personal Life
Marriages and Family
Elizabeth Gracen has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Jon Birmingham in 1982. They divorced in 1984.
In 1989, she met actor Brendan Hughes while filming. They got married soon after. Their marriage ended in 1994.
Gracen is currently married to Adam Murphy. They have one daughter together.
Filmography
- Three for the Road (1987) as Nadine
- Pass the Ammo (1988) as Christie Lynn
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1989)
- Lisa (1989) as Mary
- The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990) as Jasmin
- Marked for Death (1990) as Melissa
- The Flash (1990 TV Series) 1 episode - Celia Wayne
- 83 Hours 'Til Dawn (1990) as Maria Ranfield
- Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (1991) as Alice
- Lower Level (1992) as Hillary
- The Sands of Time (1992)
- Final Mission (1993) as Caitlin Cole
- Time Trax episode 7 (1993) as Sydney
- Discretion Assured (1993) as Miranda
- Highlander: The Series (1992 – 1998) as Amanda
- Renegade: The Series (1992 - 1997) as Rikki Yeager
- Murder, She Wrote (1994) as Michelle Scarlotti
- The Expert (1995) as Liz Pierce
- Extreme (1995) as Callie Manners
- Kounterfeit (1996) as Bridgette
- Highlander: The Raven (1998 – 1999) as Amanda
- Queen of Swords "Counterfeit Queen" (2000) as Carlotta
- Charmed "Bite Me" (2002) as Vampire Queen
- Interceptor Force 2 (2002) as Adriana Sikes
- War of the Worlds: Goliath (2012) as Lt. Jennifer Carter (voice)
- Coherence (2013) as Beth
Images for kids
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Gracen in 2016
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Gracen as Miss America 1982
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Gracen, speaking about writing at TusCon 43 in Tucson, Arizona (2016)
See also
In Spanish: Elizabeth Gracen para niños
