( CNN ) Donna Douglas , who played voluptuous tomboy daughter Elly May Clampett on the 1960s TV series `` The Beverly Hillbillies , '' has died . She was 81 . Baton Rouge , Louisiana , TV station WAFB , a CNN affiliate , reported that Douglas died Friday morning . Douglas lived in Zachary , Louisiana . Her assistant , Jeffrey Dalrymple , confirmed her passing to CNN . Douglas spent nine years as Elly May , one of the main characters of the hugely popular `` Beverly Hillbillies . '' The series concerned a poor Ozark family who stumbled upon an oil fortune and then moved to the Southern California bastion of wealth , where their rural ways often clashed with the local swells -- particularly Margaret Drysdale , the wife of the man who ran the bank where the Clampetts kept their money . The other characters were Elly May 's subtly wise father , Jed Clampett ( Buddy Ebsen ) ; her feisty grandmother Daisy ( Irene Ryan ) ; and her cousin Jethro Bodine ( Max Baer Jr. ) , forever chasing women and fame . In some ways , Douglas -- who was born Dorothy Smith -- was a natural for the role . She was from a small town , Pride , Louisiana , and was a genuine tomboy . Her official website says she spent her childhood `` climbing trees , swinging on vines ( and ) playing football , basketball , and softball with her older brother and all her boy cousins . '' She also loved animals , a character trait she indulged on the show . A beauty queen , she moved to New York in the late '50s and attracted attention as a model and for her appearances as Perry Como 's `` Letters Girl . '' She had some small roles in films and bigger ones on TV series , including a memorable `` Twilight Zone '' episode , `` Eye of the Beholder . '' But it was `` The Beverly Hillbillies '' that made her a star . At its peak in the early '60s , the show was the most popular on television , drawing stratospheric ratings seldom equaled by episodic television , despite criticism from reviewers who disliked its broad humor . In fact , a number of 1964 episodes still rank among the most-watched TV shows ( non-Super Bowl division ) of all time . However , Douglas found it hard to break away from Elly May . Her only starring movie role was in `` Frankie and Johnny , '' a 1966 Elvis Presley vehicle . She and the King did become friendly , bonding over a shared interest in spiritual subjects , according to a website dedicated to Presley 's female co-stars . Douglas worked sporadically after `` Hillbillies '' was canceled in 1971 , with the Internet Movie Database listing roles in `` Night Gallery , '' `` Love , American Style '' and `` Adam-12 , '' among others . But she mainly devoted herself to singing and personal appearances . However , she never regretted her claim to fame . `` Today the role of Elly May has been a beautiful opportunity , a wonderful little door opener for me to share my heart with others , whether speaking in churches , ladies conferences , youth groups , schools , conventions , and various civic organizations , or one on one , '' her website bio said . `` Amazing what God can do with a life , if given the opportunity ! '' Douglas was married twice and is survived by a son , Danny Bourgeois . People we lost : 2014 . CNN 's Chandler Friedman contributed to this story .
Donna Douglas played Elly May Clampett for nine years . The show was a hit in its day, and it spawned two sequels that ran from 1966 to 1968. She never minded being identified with Elly May .