The same year, in June, she appeared on the cover of Life magazine. Bowe's part is uncredited, as is her depiction of a swimmer in Million Dollar Mermaid (1952). Īs a screen debutante, Bowe appeared in Lovely To Look At (1952) with Kathryn Grayson and Red Skelton. Her early experience as an entertainer included performing as a singer and dancer in amateur musicals.Įarly in her career, she used the name Laura Bowe. She was trained in dramatic acting by Benno Schneider. When his production plans stalled, she obtained a contract with Columbia Pictures. In 1952, a court approved her seven-year contract with film agent Charles K. I guess they were afraid of me.' Acting career īowe moved to Hollywood in 1950. She once said, 'Of all the auditions and interviews I have had with casting men, directors, and producers, not one ever made a pass at me. She was never asked by photographers to pose for cheesecake pictures as were many a pin-up girl. She always modeled high fashion rather than lingerie or bathing suits. Modeling for magazines such as Eye, Tempo, and Blightly, she eventually made the transition from model to actress in television.īowe's look was at times likened to both Marilyn Monroe and Grace Kelly. Her modeling agency was contacted by a high-fashion photographer, Christa, who suggested she pose for national and fashion magazine portraits. She was 5'5' tall and had blue-green eyes. Having done modeling work in the past, Bowe secured work in Los Angeles as a model, appearing in several pin-up portraits by artist Gil Elvgren. The minute my mother and I saw California palm trees and the sun, we really liked it and we decided we could stay here for awhile.' Washington state is beautiful from June to September, but after that it's overcast, everyday practically. 'Kinda gloomy, dark skies, unless it's summertime. 'Washington is very much like London,' Bowe reflected in an interview. In 1951, Bowe traveled with her mother to Los Angeles, California, to see her brother Sidney off to the military during the Korean War. Along with Mary Ellen Nichols, she was a runner-up to the contest winner, Linda Peterson. In May 1951, Bowe competed in a contest to choose the queen of the sixth annual Home Show and Building Exposition.

She was crowned Miss Tacoma and Miss Montana in 1950. īowe briefly attended Tacoma Community College before moving to Los Angeles. In 1951, she was one of six finalists in competition for queen of the Home Show and Building Exposition in Los Angeles, California. The same year, Bowe won the 'Miss Tacoma' beauty contest. She attended Stadium High School in Tacoma, Washington, where she was active in theater and dance, and graduated in 1950. Īs a teenager, she worked as a model in Seattle. The family moved to Tacoma, Washington, when Bowe was a child. She had an older sister, Claire (maternal grandmother of actor Taran Killam), and a brother, Sidney. Bowe's father was a building contractor and her mother was a dress designer. Bowe was born Rose Marie Bowe on September 17, 1932, in Butte, Montana, the youngest child of Dennis and Ruby Bowe.

Elizabeth stack