Elizabeth Ward Gracen (born Elizabeth Grace Ward, April 3, 1961) is an American actress and beauty pageant contestant who won the title of Miss America in 1982.
Early life and education
Elizabeth Grace Ward was born on April 3, 1961, in Ozark,
Arkansas, the daughter of Patricia Hampe, a nurse, and Jimmy Young Ward, a poultry worker. She was raised in Booneville, Arkansas. The family later moved to Russellville, Arkansas, where Ward dated University of Arkansas trainer Mike Walker and graduated from Russellville High School in 1979.
She was a junior accounting major at Arkansas Tech University at the time she entered the Miss America contest.
[Thomas DeBlack. "A Century Forward: The Centennial History of Arkansas Tech University." Walsworth Publishing Company. 2016.] Instead of returning to Arkansas Tech, she used her Miss America scholarship money to study acting at HB Studios in New York City.
Career
Pageants and modeling
Gracen won the titles of
Miss Arkansas in 1981 and
Miss America in 1982. After her yearlong work as Miss America, she enrolled in acting classes then relocated to
California to pursue a film and television career.
Gracen posed nude for Playboy magazine's May 1992 issue.
Acting
Gracen made her professional feature film debut in
Three for the Road with
Charlie Sheen. Her film credits also include a featured role in
Marked for Death, opposite
Steven Seagal,
Pass The Ammo with
Tim Curry, and the CBS feature
83 Hours Till Dawn with
Peter Strauss and
Robert Urich. Gracen starred in
Lower Level and
Discretion Assured with Michael York.
On television, Gracen has appeared in Shelley Duvall's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Sidney Sheldon's The Sands of Time, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk. She also appeared with a starring role in the series Extreme for NBC and the syndicated series Renegade and Queen of Swords.
Gracen's best-known acting role has been as the recurring character Amanda, a 1,200-year-old immortal, in the series and its spin-off series .
In December 1999,
Directing, producing, and writing
In 2012, Gracen formed Flapper Films.
In 2014, she starred in
Coherence, a sci-fi indie thriller.
In January 2016, Gracen established Flapper Press and self-published
Shalilly, a young adult fantasy novel.
Gracen made her directorial debut with a documentary film short film, "The Damn Deal", about three young from Arkansas who compete in female impersonator beauty pageants.
Personal life
Marriages and family
Gracen married Jon Birmingham in 1982, and they divorced in 1984.
In 1989, while filming , she met actor Brendan Hughes, and they married soon after.
Gracen married Adam Murphy, and they have a daughter.
Affair with Bill Clinton
According to Gracen, some time in 1983, she had a
one-night stand with future President
Bill Clinton when he was Governor of Arkansas.
She was married at the time,
as was he.
In 1992, rumors swirled that Gracen had had an affair with Clinton.
After her claim, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, who was investigating Clinton in the Paula Jones lawsuit, issued a subpoena to have her testify to her claim in court.
Filmography
-
Three for the Road (1987) Nadine
-
Pass the Ammo (1988) Christie Lynn
-
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1989)
-
Lisa (1989) Mary
-
The Death of the Incredible Hulk (1990) Jasmin
-
Marked for Death (1990) Melissa
-
The Flash (1990 TV Series) 1 episode - Celia Wayne
-
83 Hours 'Til Dawn (1990) Maria Ranfield
-
(1991) Alice
-
Lower Level (1992) Hillary
-
The Sands of Time (1992)
-
Final Mission (1993) Caitlin Cole
-
Time Trax episode 7 (1993) Sydney
-
Discretion Assured (1993) Miranda
-
(1992–1998) Amanda
-
(1992–1997) Rikki Yeager
-
Murder, She Wrote (1994) Michelle Scarlotti
-
The Expert (1995) Liz Pierce
-
Extreme (1995) Callie Manners
-
Kounterfeit (1996) Bridgette
-
(1998–1999) Amanda
-
Queen of Swords "Counterfeit Queen" (2000) Carlotta
-
Charmed "Bite Me" (2002) Vampire Queen
-
Interceptor Force 2 (2002) Adriana Sikes
-
(2012) Lt. Jennifer Carter (voice)
-
Coherence (2013) Beth
External links
