| Phyllis Davis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Phyllis Ann Davis |
| Born: | July 17, 1940 |
| Birth Hometown: | Port Arthur, Texas |
| Died: | September 27, 2013 |
| Place of death: | Henderson, Nevada |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years active: | 1966-1995 |
Phyllis Ann Davis (July 17, 1940 – September 27, 2013) was an American actress who appeared primarily on television. She co-starred on the 1978-1981 dramatic detective series Vega$ as Beatrice Travis, office manager and girl Friday for the show's main character, Las Vegas private detective Dan Tanna, who was portrayed by Robert Urich.
Early life[]
Phyllis Ann Davis was born in Nederland, Texas, but considered Port Arthur, Texas, her hometown. Growing up, Davis and her family lived in her parents’ mortuary business, in their home on the second floor. Davis recalled that when a funeral service was being held, the Davis children had to be very quiet on the second floor. After graduating in 1958 from Nederland High School, Davis attended Lamar University. After working as a secretary, and as a flight attendant for Continental Airlines, she moved to Los Angeles in 1965. While in Los Angeles, Davis attended acting classes at the Pasadena Playhouse.
Career[]
Davis's feature films include The Big Bounce (1969), Russ Meyer's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970), Sweet Sugar (1972), Terminal Island (1973), The Day of the Dolphin (1973), The Choirboys (1977), The Wild Women of Chastity Gulch (1982) and Guns (1990).
Davis appeared in guest roles on the prime-time series Love, American Style (1969) for five seasons. She also appeared in television series such as Knight Rider; she acted out the role of the villainous Tanya Walker in its pilot installment, "Knight of the Phoenix." Davis also had guest roles in Magnum, P.I., The Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and The Wild Wild West and was a regular performer in the vignettes in Love, American Style. She was in an episode of Adam-12 titled "You Blew It" in 1969. She was also a Match Game panelist on occasion and, during her tenure on ABC's Vega$, appeared on a Battle of the Network Stars special.
Phyllis Davis had appeared on an episode of The Price is Right in 1975 with host Dennis James, on the nighttime version, for which this series had aired in syndication and she was a dark haired brunette woman, and after her appearance on The Price is Right, the nighttime version which Dennis James has hosted, for which this show that had aired from 1972 to 1980, she had gained more fame as she was well known as a co-star on the ABC prime-time series Vega$ from 1978 to 1981, alongside star Robert Urich. Davis's character, Beatrice Travis, worked for Dan Tanna, a Las Vegas-based private investigator played by Urich. Her role was working as Tanna's smart secretary and girl Friday in the crime drama. She was a blonde haired woman when she had appeared on the 1978-1981, TV series Vega$, which aired on ABC.
Later years[]
Davis was never married, she had been single, but she had a long-term relationship with actor-singer Dean Martin during the 1970s, and a relationship with Hall of Fame racehorse jockey Laffit Pincay Jr. during the mid 1980s.
Davis died of cancer on September 27, 2013, in Henderson, Nevada, where she had made her home. She was 73 years of age when she passed away.