Sandra Giles

Sandra Giles, born Lelia Bernice Giles, (July 24, 1932 – December 25, 2016) was an American actress and model. She was best known for her film debut role in Daddy-O in 1958, as well numerous other film roles, including It Happened at the World's Fair, opposite Elvis Presley, in 1963.[1]

Giles was raised in Hooker, Oklahoma, but moved to Los Angeles with her mother, who had recently divorced.[1] (Other sources say that she came from San Antonio, Texas,[2][3] or that she was "born in Oklahoma and brought up in San Antonio, Tex.")[4] Later described by The Hollywood Reporter and other critics as a "blond bombshell", Giles was discovered by a press agent while working at Canter's delicatessen, which began her career as an actress and model.[1] She later studied dramatics at Los Angeles City College.[3]

Giles made her film debut in 1958's Daddy-O, starring alongside Dick Contino. In the film, her character, Jana Ryan, beat Contino's character in a drag race.[1] She went on to appear in three more films in 1958 along – The Matchmaker, A Lust to Kill, and Lost, Lonely and Vicious, in which she showed herself quite the dancer.[1] Also in 1958, Giles made a memorable arrival at the film premiere of Teacher's Pet, starring Clark Gable, by arriving in a furry pink Cadillac convertible.[1] Her appearance brought her career considerable publicity, including a two–page article and spread in Life Magazine, titled "The Blond From Hooker – How to Become a Movie Star", in which she was photographed in a bubble bath.[1]

Her other film roles included Black Spurs in 1965, Flareup in 1969, and Black Gunn in 1972, as well as television credits ranging from Columbo to Land of the Giants.[1]

She dated tennis player Bobby Riggs during the 1970s and appeared with him in a guest spot on The Odd Couple.[1]

Sandra Giles died in Los Angeles from complications of bullous pemphigoid, an autoimmune disease affecting the skin, on December 25, 2016, at the age of 84. She was survived by her daughter, singer Sandra Piller (the widow of Michael Piller, co-creator of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager), and grandchildren, including Shawn Piller and Brent Piller.[1]