Born as Marlene Wasden on August 15, 1935 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Abby Dalton found opportunities as an actress beginning in 1957, working in a number of less than spectacular films as well as TV appearances. Her first significant break came when she was tapped to play
Joey Bishop's wife on
The Joey Bishop Show, a comedy series which ran from 1961-65. Following that stint, she continued to appear in various shows in guest shots as supporting cast. Her next large part came in the prime time soap opera
Falcon Crest, in which she played Julia Cumson, a role which ran from 1981-86.
While never being the lead, she has constructed a respectable career as a supporting actress in a career spanning more than four decades. She has been in episodes of many of the more popular series on TV. She was a regular on early editions of Hollywood Squares, a semi-regular spot on The Match Game, and also had a role on The Young and the Restless. Her work continued until 1999, though she still remains active in volunteer work.
Abby Dalton has been married twice. Her first marriage was to Jack Smith in 1960, the marriage producing 3 children. One of her children, Kathleen Kinmont Smith, followed in her mother's footsteps and became an actress. Kathleen was formerly married to Lorenzo Lamas, a major player on Falcon Crest. Following a divorce to Lamas in 1993, she remarried to Jere Burns.
Abby Dalton's second marriage was to Joe Moudragon.
In her career, she was nominated for an Emmy Award in 1961 for her work in Hennessy, a series starring Jackie Cooper.
Partial Filmography
Falcon Crest - Julia Cumson (1981-1986)
Hennesey - Lt. Martha Hale, USN
The Hollywood Squares (1966) Regular (1967-1970)
The Joey Bishop Show (1961) - Ellie Barnes
The Jonathan Winters Show - Herself
TV Credits - Recurring Role(3)
Falcon Crest - Julia Cumson
The Hollywood Squares (1966) - Herself
The New Hollywood Squares - Herself
Sources:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0198231/bio
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0198231/awards
http://www.tv.com/abby-dalton/person/6832/appearances.html