Deborah Shelton
Encyclopedia
Deborah 'Debbie' Shelton (born November 21, 1948) is an American
beauty queen and actress who held the Miss USA
title and appeared on Dallas
for three seasons.
pageant to spite her then boyfriend. She won the title and represented Virginia
in the Miss USA 1970
pageant held in Miami, Florida
in May 1970.
At the pageant, Shelton won the Miss Pixable award and was subsequently crowned Miss USA
1970. She was crowned by former titleholder Wendy Dascomb
, also of Virginia; this was the first time that a state had won the Miss USA title back to back.
Shelton then went on to the Miss Universe
contest in Miami, Florida
in July where she placed first runner-up to Marisol Malaret
of Puerto Rico
. She described competing at Miss Universe as "perhaps her greatest experience".
During her reign Shelton travelled across the United States and internationally, including visits to Japan
, Spain
, Portugal
, Brazil
and Puerto Rico
.
For winning Miss USA she received $5,000 in cash, a $5,000 mink coat and made another $5,000 from personal appearances.
and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia
. She graduated from Norview High School
and attended Old Dominion University
. She was a junior studying art at the time she won the Miss USA title.
Prior to winning her first pageant title, Shelton was enrolled in a pre-medical. After college she moved to New York City
where she studied acting, modeled, and appeared on television commercials.
In March 1974, she appeared on the cover of Playboy
Magazine. She later starred in the 1984 film Body Double
and made frequent guest appearances on television
shows such as Fantasy Island
, The A-Team
, T. J. Hooker
, The Fall Guy
, Cheers
, The Love Boat
, Riptide
, and Get a Life
. In 2008 she was cast to play a rich housewife in the American TV series Nip/Tuck
.
Her most notable television performance is the role of Mandy Winger, one of J. R. Ewing's more memorable mistresses in Dallas
. After the character left the show, an outpouring of fan mail convinced the producers to bring the character back. Shelton appeared in the series from 1984 to 1987. She also had a role on The Yellow Rose
, a "critically acclaimed flop".
In 1991
and 1992
, Shelton returned to the Miss USA stage, offering commentary during the pageant.
, an Israeli music producer, and they later had a daughter Tamara. Shelton collaborated on his music. One of their songs "Magdelena" appeared on a Julio Iglesias
album. She has since divorced her second husband.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
beauty queen and actress who held the Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
title and appeared on Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
for three seasons.
Pageants
In 1970 Shelton competed in the Miss Virginia USAMiss Virginia USA
The Miss Virginia USA competition is the pageant that selects the representative for the state of Virginia in the Miss USA pageant.Virginia has been only moderately successful in terms of number of semi-finalists, they have had two Miss USAs. They are one of only three states to have had two Miss...
pageant to spite her then boyfriend. She won the title and represented Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
in the Miss USA 1970
Miss USA 1970
Miss USA 1970, the 19th Miss USA pageant, was televised live by CBS from Miami Beach, Florida on May 16, 1970.The pageant was won by Deborah Shelton of Virginia, who was crowned by outgoing titleholder Wendy Dascomb, also of Virginia – the first time in Miss USA history that a state won back...
pageant held in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in May 1970.
At the pageant, Shelton won the Miss Pixable award and was subsequently crowned Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
1970. She was crowned by former titleholder Wendy Dascomb
Wendy Dascomb
Wendy Dascomb is a pageant titleholder from Metairie, Louisiana, who held the Miss USA 1969 title.In 1969 Dascomb, a resident of Danville, Virginia, and freshman at Stratford College, reluctantly competed in the Miss Piedmont pageant at the urging of college faculty. She won then advanced to the...
, also of Virginia; this was the first time that a state had won the Miss USA title back to back.
Shelton then went on to the Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
contest in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
in July where she placed first runner-up to Marisol Malaret
Marisol Malaret
Marisol Malaret Contreras was the very first Puerto Rican woman to be crowned Miss Universe.-Biography:She started to work from an early age due to the death of her father and chronic illness of her mother...
of Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. She described competing at Miss Universe as "perhaps her greatest experience".
During her reign Shelton travelled across the United States and internationally, including visits to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
For winning Miss USA she received $5,000 in cash, a $5,000 mink coat and made another $5,000 from personal appearances.
Education and career
Shelton was born in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and grew up in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. She graduated from Norview High School
Norview High School
Norview High School is a public high school in central Norfolk, Virginia, Norview High School is one of the 5 local high schools that serve the city. It is home of the Dodson Scholars Program.-External links:**...
and attended Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University
Old Dominion University is a state university located in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools...
. She was a junior studying art at the time she won the Miss USA title.
Prior to winning her first pageant title, Shelton was enrolled in a pre-medical. After college she moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she studied acting, modeled, and appeared on television commercials.
In March 1974, she appeared on the cover of Playboy
Playboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
Magazine. She later starred in the 1984 film Body Double
Body Double
Body Double is a 1984 American thriller film directed by Brian De Palma starring Craig Wasson, Melanie Griffith, and Gregg Henry. The film is an homage to Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, Rear Window, and Dial M for Murder. The original musical score was composed by Pino Donaggio...
and made frequent guest appearances on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows such as Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, T. J. Hooker
T. J. Hooker
T.J. Hooker is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982 on ABC and ran on the network until May 4, 1985...
, The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
, Cheers
Cheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
, Riptide
Riptide (TV series)
Riptide is a TV detective series that ran on NBC from 1983 to 1986, starring Perry King, Joe Penny, and Thom Bray. Riptide was created by Frank Lupo and Stephen J. Cannell, and produced by Stephen J. Cannell Productions. The main theme was composed by Mike Post and Pete Carpenter...
, and Get a Life
Get a Life (TV series)
Get a Life is a television sitcom that was broadcast in the United States on the Fox Network from September 23, 1990, to March 8, 1992. The show starred Chris Elliott as a 30-year-old paperboy named Chris Peterson. Peterson lived in an apartment above his parents' garage...
. In 2008 she was cast to play a rich housewife in the American TV series Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck
Nip/Tuck is an American drama series created by Ryan Murphy, which aired on FX in the United States. The series focuses on McNamara/Troy, a plastic surgery practice, and follows its founders, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy...
.
Her most notable television performance is the role of Mandy Winger, one of J. R. Ewing's more memorable mistresses in Dallas
Dallas (TV series)
Dallas is an American serial drama/prime time soap opera that revolves around the Ewings, a wealthy Texas family in the oil and cattle-ranching industries. Throughout the series, Larry Hagman stars as greedy, scheming oil baron J. R. Ewing...
. After the character left the show, an outpouring of fan mail convinced the producers to bring the character back. Shelton appeared in the series from 1984 to 1987. She also had a role on The Yellow Rose
The Yellow Rose
The Yellow Rose is an American television series. It was broadcast on the NBC network during the 1983-1984 season. It was produced by Paul Freeman....
, a "critically acclaimed flop".
In 1991
Miss USA 1991
Miss USA 1991, the 40th Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on 22 February 1991.At the conclusion of the final competition, Kelli McCarty of Kansas was crowned by outgoing titleholder Carole Gist of Michigan...
and 1992
Miss USA 1992
Miss USA 1992, the 41st Miss USA pageant, was televised live from the Century II Convention Center in Wichita, Kansas on 7 February 1992.At the conclusion of the final competition, Shannon Marketic of California was crowned by outgoing titleholder Kelli McCarty of Kansas...
, Shelton returned to the Miss USA stage, offering commentary during the pageant.
Personal life
Shelton married Vici Castro, a Cuban exile (not related to Fidel Castro) in 1971, less than a month after passing on the Miss USA title. The couple had a son, Christopher, but the marriage ended within five years. In 1977 she married Shuki LevyShuki Levy
Shuki Levy is a music composer and television writer, director, and executive producer. Levy's best known work is soundtrack compositions for children's television programs of the 1980s, such as Inspector Gadget, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, M.A.S.K., Dinosaucers, Dragon Quest, He-Man and the...
, an Israeli music producer, and they later had a daughter Tamara. Shelton collaborated on his music. One of their songs "Magdelena" appeared on a Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias
Julio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
album. She has since divorced her second husband.