Debra Paget Biography
Debra Paget is an American actress and entertainer who was born and brought up in Denver, Colorado, United States of America. She is widely known for her roles in The Indian Tomb as Seetha, The Ten Commandments as Lilia, Broken Arrow as Sonseeahray, and in Princess of the Nile as Princess Shalimar/Taura.
10 Quick Facts About Debra Paget
- Name: Debralee Griffin
- Age: 90 Years (As of 2023)
- Birthday: 19 August
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Height: 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m)
- Nationality: American
- Occupation: Actress and Entertainer
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Salary: Under Review
- Net worth: $10 Million
Debra Paget Age
Paget is 90 years old as of 2023, she was born on 19 August 1933, in Denver, Colorado, United States. She celebrates her birthday on 19 August every year and her birth sign is Leo.
Debra Paget Height
Paget stands at a height of 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m). Her body measurements are 33-24-35 inches.
Debra Paget Weight
Paget Weighs 52 kg (115 lbs). She has blue eyes and dark brown hair.
Debra Paget Early Life and Education
Paget’s mother enrolled her in dance and drama classes. In Los Angles, she studied at Hollywood Professional School. At 14, she was enrolled in Fox Studio School. Debra Paget got her first professional acting job at eight, while her stage debut was in Shakespeare’s ‘Merry Wives of Windsor’ in 1946.
Debra Paget Family, Parents
Paget was born to her parents Margaret Allen (née Gibson) and Frank Henry Griffin in Denver. Her father Frank, was a painter while her mother Margaret, was an actress on stage. In the 1930s, the family migrated from Denver to Los Angeles, California, in order to be close to the developing film industry.
Debra Paget Siblings
Paget spent her childhood with her three siblings, two sisters named Marcia (Teala Loring) and Leslie (Lisa Gaye), and a brother named Frank (Ruell Shayne). Marcia was an actress who appeared in over 30 films during the 1940s, and Leslie was an actress, and dancer.
Debra Paget Husband
Paget was married to David Street actor and singer on January 14, 1958. Later they divorced on April 11. 1958. She was also married to Budd Boettichier (the director)on March 27, 1960, but they divorced On August 24.1961.
Later Debra got married to Ling-Chieh Kung, a wealthy Chinese-American oil industry executive on April 19, 1962. They had a son together, Gregory Kung, who is her only child. They separated in 1980, after her third marriage, she retired from acting.
Debra Paget Children
Paget and her ex-husband Ling-Chieh Kung have one child together, a son named Gregory Kung.
Debra Paget Salary
Details about Paget’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much she makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
Debra Paget Net Worth
Paget has an estimated net worth of $10 million dollars as of 2023. This includes her assets, money and income. Her primary source of income is her career as an actress and entertainer. Through her various sources of income, Debra has been able to accumulate a good fortune but prefers to lead a modest lifestyle.
Debra Paget Measurement and Facts
Here are some interesting facts and body measurements you should know about Debra Paget.
Debra Paget Wiki
- Full Names: Debralee Griffin
- Popular As: Debra
- Gender: Female
- Occupation / Profession: Actress and Entertainer
- Nationality: American
- Race / Ethnicity: Not Available
- Religion: Not Known
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
Debra Paget Birthday
- Age / How Old?: 90 years (2023)
- Zodiac Sign: Leo
- Date of Birth: 19 August 1933
- Place of Birth: Denver, Colorado, USA
- Birthday: 19 August
Debra Paget Body Measurements
- Body Measurements: 33-24-35 inches
- Height / How Tall?: 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 m)
- Weight: 52 kg (115 lbs)
- Eye Color: Blue
- Hair Color: Dark Brown
- Shoe Size: 8 (US)
- Dress Size: 4 (US)
- Breast Size: 33 inches
- Waist Size: 24 inches
- Hip Size: 35 inches
Debra Paget Family and Relationship
- Father (Dad): Frank Henry Griffin
- Mother: Margaret Allen (née Gibson)
- Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): Marcia (Teala Loring), Leslie (Lisa Gaye), and Frank (Ruell Shayne)
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Husband/Spouse: David Street (1958-1958), Budd Boetticher (1960-1961), Louis C. Kung (1964- 1980)
- Dating / Boyfriend: Single (it is either Dating/Girlfriend or Dating/Boyfriend Not both. Use Not Applicable if the personality is married)
- Children: Sons (Gregory Kung) Daughter(s) (None)
Debra Paget Net Worth and Salary
- Net Worth: $10 Million
- Salary: Under Review
- Source of Income: Actress and Entertainer
Debra Paget Career
At eight, while her stage debut was in 1946 in Shakespeare’s’ Merry Wives of Windsor is when paget got her first professional acting job. In 1948, she moved in film noir Cry in the City.’ 20th Century Fox was impressed with her performance and signed a long-term contract with her.
In 1950 when she got her first prominent role in the western’ Broken Arrow,’ which was a huge success, she was just out of college. It was also her first 20th Century Fox movie. She received top billing from Fox for her performance in the 1954 adventure film Princess of the Nile.’
Although the film at the box office was not a huge success, Debra’s fan mail started flooding. She was tested for the lead role in’ Sheena: The Jungle Queen’ 1953 but was not selected for it. However, in 1956 she worked alongside Elvis Presley in’ Love Me Tender’.
Presley was smitten by her beauty, and she later claimed he wanted to marry her. Debra played Lilia’s role in the epic religious drama film’ The Ten Commandments’ 1956, for which she never auditioned.
She was asked to report to Paramount directly to start filming. Her last work with Fox was’ The River’s Edge’ in the 1957 film noir adventure. She made two films with Paramount before going to Germany. Her energetic dance scenes in’ The Indian Tomb’ 1959 became very popular and will always be remembered for them.
She also worked in the same year in’ The Tiger of Eschnapur,’ which was also a huge success. Debra appeared in the historical drama Cleopatra’s Daughter 1960 and the epic adventure Rome 1585 1961, both shot in Italy. Her last film The Haunted Palace belonged to the genre of horror and it was released in 1963.
She appeared on television shows throughout her career. Her most notable work was the show The Rawhide between 1960 and 1962. Also, she participated in radio plays for Family Theater in the 1950s. Paget hosted her own show “An Interlude with Debra Paget” in the early 1990s.
Debra Paget Indian Tomb
Paget did the snake dance scene in The Indian Tomb (1959). Which is a 1959 German-French-Italian adventure drama film, produced by Artur Brauner.
Debra Paget Rawhide
Paget appeared as Laura Ashley in the episode “Incident of the Garden of Eden” on CBS’s Western series, Rawhide in 1960. She returned to Rawhide(an American Western TV series starring Eric Fleming and Clint Eastwood)to play the part of Azuela in the episode “Hostage Child” along with James Coburn in 1962. The series was produced and directed by Charles Marquis Warren.
Debra Paget On Elvis
Debra Paget was Elvis Presley’s first leading lady in films, co-starring with him in Love Me Tender “1956”.
While Love Me Tender was Elvis’ first film, it was Paget’s 20th picture, although she was only 17 months older than the 21-year-old Presley. (Debra began her motion picture career at the age of 15. Her big break came in 1950, when she appeared opposite James Stewart in ‘Broken Arrow’.)
Paget: ‘Although I usually don’t form an opinion of a person until I have met them’, ‘frankly I looked forward to my first meeting with Elvis Presley with mixed emotions. I’d heard and read a lot about this new young singing sensation from Tennessee – and most of it was not complimentary’. ‘The first thing I recall was the way he greeted us. When Mr. Berle introduced us, Elvis grabbed my hand firmly and said, ‘I’m glad to meet you, Miss Paget’.
Then he shook my mother’s hand with equal vigor, excused himself, and a couple of minutes later came back with a chair for her. We were together for only a couple of hours but sometimes you can learn more about a person in a short span of time than in weeks of seeing one another constantly. I felt I did. From the very beginning, Elvis impressed me as a pleasant, sincere, obliging young man’.
Debra Paget Movies and TV Shows
- 1948 – Cry of the City as Teena Riconti
- 1949 – Mother Is a Freshman as Linda
- 1949 – It Happens Every Spring as Alice
- 1949 – House of Strangers as Maria Domenico
- 1950 – Broken Arrow as Sonseeahray
- 1950 – Fourteen Hours as Ruth
- 1951 – Bird of Paradise as Kalua
- 1951 – Anne of the Indies as Molly LaRochelle
- 1952 – Belles on Their Toes as Martha Gilbreth
- 1952 – Les Misérables as Cosette
- 1952 – Stars and Stripes Forever as Lily Becker
- 1954 – Prince Valiant as Ilene
- 1954 – Princess of the Nile as Princess Shalimar/Taura
- 1954 – Demetrius and the Gladiators as Lucia
- 1954 – The Gambler from Natchez as Melanie Barbee
- 1955 – White Feather as Appearing Day
- 1955 – Seven Angry Menas as Elizabeth Clark
- 1956 – The Last Hunt as Indian girl
- 1956 – The Ten Commandments as Lilia
- 1956 – Love Me Tender as Cathy Reno
- 1957 – The River’s Edge as Margaret Cameron
- 1957 – Omar Khayyam as Sharain
- 1958 – From the Earth to the Moon as Virginia Nicholl
- 1959 – The Tiger of Eschnapur as Seetha
- 1959 – The Indian Tomb as Seetha
- 1960 – Cleopatra’s Daughter as Shila
- 1960 – Why Must I Die? as Dottie Manson
- 1961 – Most Dangerous Man Alive (shot in 1958) as Linda Marlow
- 1961 – Rome 1585 as Esmeralda
- 1962 – Tales of Terror as Helene Valdemar
- 1963 – The Haunted Palace as Ann Ward
Debra Paget Legacy
Debra’s legacy is that of a talented actress and dancer who made a significant impact on the entertainment industry during the 1950s. Her beauty and talent made her a popular leading lady in Hollywood, and she became known for her performances in films like “Broken Arrow,” “The Ten Commandments,” and “Love Me Tender.”
Debra’s work helped to define the Hollywood glamour of the era, and her performances continue to be celebrated by fans of classic cinema. Her portrayal of Native American women in “Broken Arrow” and “The Indian Tomb” (1959) has been particularly noted for challenging stereotypes of Indigenous peoples in Hollywood films.
In addition to her work in film, Debra was also a talented dancer and made significant contributions to the dance scenes in films like “The Princess and the Pirate” and “Belles on Their Toes.”
Debra Paget Hobbies and interests
Although information on Debra’s personal life and hobbies is limited, it is known that she had a passion for dance and was a skilled dancer from a young age. Paget began taking ballet lessons as a child and continued to dance throughout her career, both onscreen and off.
In addition to dance, Debra was also interested in fashion and had a unique sense of style that made her a fashion icon of the 1950s. Her onscreen costumes were often lavish and glamorous, and her personal fashion choices were known to be daring and avant-garde for the time.
Debra was also known to be a private person, and little is known about her hobbies and interests outside of her work as an actress and dancer. However, it is clear that her talent and dedication to her craft were central to her life and career.
Debra Paget Accomplishments
- Film career: Debra starred in over 30 films throughout her career, including her breakthrough role in “Broken Arrow” (1950) opposite James Stewart. She also appeared in “The Ten Commandments” (1956) and “Love Me Tender” (1956) with Elvis Presley.
- Dancing career: Debra was a talented dancer and performed in several films, including “The Princess and the Pirate” (1944) and “Belles on Their Toes” (1952).
- Television appearances: Debra also made several television appearances throughout her career, including guest roles on popular shows such as “Rawhide,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “77 Sunset Strip.”
- Awards and honors: Debra received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Bird of Paradise” (1951). She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Humanitarian work: Debra has been involved in several charitable organizations throughout her life, including the March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society.
Debra Paget Quotes
Frequently Asked Questions About Debra Paget
Debra is an accomplished actress and entertainer who gained extensive recognition for her roles in the films The Indian Tomb (1959) and The Ten Commandments (1956).
Debra is an American national born on 19th August 1933, in Denver, Colorado.
Debra stands at a height of 5 feet 2 inches (1.57 meters).
No, Debra has been married three times, but she is currently single. First, she got married to David Street, in 1958, Budd Boettichier in 1960, and lastly to Ling-Chieh Kung in 1962. She has only one kid, which is from her third marriage.
Debra has an approximate net worth of $10 million. This amount has been accrued from her leading roles in the entertainment industry.
Details about Debra’s salary are not yet disclosed. However, information about how much she makes will be updated as soon as it is available.
Because of security reasons, Debra has not shared her precise location of residence. We will update this information if we get the location and images of her house.
Debra is alive and in good health. There have been no reports of her being sick or having any health-related issues.
Debra is still an active participant in the creative entertainment industry, she is a cast member of The Haunted Palace.
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