Kipp Hamilton


Kipp Hamilton was an American actress, singer and model. She was the younger sister of producer Joe Hamilton and the sister-in-law of Carol Burnett.

Early life and family

She was born in Los Angeles, California, the youngest of six children. One of her older brothers was producer and actor Joe Hamilton, who later married comedian Carol Burnett.

Career

Hamilton made her film debut in a supporting role in the RKO Radio Pictures drama On Our Very Own. In March 1953, she was named "Miss Optometry" by the New York State Association of Optometrists. In mid-1955, Hamilton signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox. Shortly after signing with Fox, Hamilton was named a "Deb Star of 1955". That same year, Hamilton was cast in her first major role in the drama Good Morning, Miss Dove, playing Jincey Baker.
The following year, Hamilton asked to be released from her contract with Fox. Throughout the remainder of the 1950s, Hamilton appeared in guest roles on Perry Mason, Meet McGraw, Richard Diamond, Private Detective, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, The Texan and 77 Sunset Strip. In 1959, Hamilton appeared in a supporting role in Never So Few.
Later that same year, she signed with Hecht Hill Lancaster and was cast in the Western The Unforgiven. She also had a nightclub act that she performed at Lou Black's Living Room, a club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In November 1963, Hamilton began touring in the road production of the musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. She remained with the production until mid-1964. In 1965, she returned to television with the guest-starring role on the Bewitched episode "Pleasure O'Reilly" as the title character. The following year, Henry G. Saperstein cast Hamilton in what was her final film role, a singer in The War of the Gargantuas, a Japanese Kaiju movie. Billed as a "special guest star", Hamilton performs the song "The Words Get Stuck in My Throat", which later was covered by Devo. Hamilton's final onscreen role was in a 1967 episode of The Virginian.

Personal life

In 1958, Hamilton dated and later became engaged to film mogul Adolph Zukor's son Eugene, an executive at Paramount Pictures. Hamilton called off the engagement in March 1959 while she was filming The Unforgiven in Durango, Mexico.
In February 1962, Hamilton married director Dave Geisel whom she had met on the set of The Garry Moore Show which her brother Joe produced. They had a daughter, Marie, in 1963 and separated the following year. They were divorced in June 1965. Geisel died in 1969.

Later years and death

After retiring from acting, Hamilton married Beverly Hills lawyer Donald Thorman Rosenfeld in February 1968. They had a daughter, Dana, in October 1968. She continued to act in regional theater until her death from breast cancer on January 29, 1981, aged 46. She is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1955-1957The 20th Century Fox HourSusie Hagget
Christina Bradley		Episodes: "Christopher Bean"
"The Marriage Broker"
1958Perry MasonElaine BartonEpisode: ""
1958Mickey Spillane's Mike HammerKatie O'DonnellEpisode: ""
1958Meet McGrawHelen MaddonEpisode: "The Setup"
1958Richard Diamond, Private DetectiveYvette GreenerEpisode: "One Foot in the Grave"
1959The LineupEpisode: "The Murdered Blonde Case"
195977 Sunset StripLiliEpisode: "Vacation with Pay"
1959The Life and Legend of Wyatt EarpMiss DoreenEpisode: "Dodge Is Civilized"
1959-1960The TexanSteve5 episodes
1960RawhideShezoeEpisode: "Incident of the Dancing Death"
1961Westinghouse PlayhouseSylvia MorrowEpisode: "I Seen the Saw"
1965BewitchedPriscilla "Pleasure" O'ReillyEpisode: "Pleasure O'Reilly"
1965The Man from U.N.C.L.E.Lavinia BrownEpisode: "The Girls of Nazarone Affair"
1965Burke's LawSilkieEpisode: "Steam Heat"
1965The Wild Wild WestCluny OrmontEpisode: ""
1965The Smothers Brothers ShowDanielleEpisode: "Boys Will Be Playboys"
1966My Three SonsMaxineEpisode: "Call Her Max"
1967Family AffairMegEpisode: "Fancy Free"
1967The Pruitts of SouthamptonGretaEpisode: "Goddess of Love"
1967DragnetJana AltmanEpisode: "The Bank Jobs"
1967The VirginianGloriaEpisode: "The Fortress",