Carolyn Jones: Movies & Box Office

Carolyn Sue Jones was an American actress of television and film born on April 28, 1930 in Amarillo, Texas. Her initiation into film began in the early 1950s, achieving recognition by the end of the decade. Her yearning for acting started after severe asthma prevented her from outdoor activities and she began reading fan magazines of Hollywood during her childhood. She earned her first role in The Turning Point (1952) and continued with several films and TV series including The Big Heat (1953), House of Wax (1953), Dragnet, State Trooper, City Detective, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. By 1959, she had worked side on side with Elvis Presley in King Creole and Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas in Last Train from Gun Hill.

In 1964, her career took a major turn as she started playing the role of the gothic character Morticia Addams in the black and white television series The Addams Family, which brought her high success as a comedian. She was active until the early 1980s, making an appearance in Tobe Hooper's movie Eaten Alive (1976) and in the soap opera Capitol. Despite suffering from colon cancer, she continued to work until her death on August 3, 1983 at the age of 53. Her career ended after first season of Capitol, but she donated her outfit from The Addams Family to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.