Elizabeth MacRae was an actress best known for her performance in “Gomer Pyle, USMC” as Lou-Ann Poovie, Gomer’s girlfriend.
- Died: May 27, 2024 (Who else died on May 27?)
- Details of death: Died in Fayetteville, North Carolina at the age of 88.
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Elizabeth MacRae’s legacy
Though Lou-Ann Poovie, the beautiful nightclub singer and shopgirl on “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” was MacRae’s signature role, she worked widely on TV and in movies in the 1950s through ‘80s. She appeared on four episodes of “Gunsmoke” as April, Festus Haggen’s girlfriend, and she played recurring roles on “Days of Our Lives” and “Search for Tomorrow.” Her many guest appearances included “Surfside 6,” “The Untouchables,” “General Hospital,” “Route 66,” “I Dream of Jeannie,” “Kojak,” and “Rhoda.” She even appeared on an episode of “The Andy Griffith Show,” which spawned “Gomer Pyle, USMC” as a spinoff.
MacRae’s most prominent movie role came in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation,” in which she played Meredith. Her other films included “Love in a Goldfish Bowl,” “Everything’s Ducky,” “For Love or Money,” and “The Incredible Mr. Limpet,” in which she had a voice role as a fish.
In later years, MacRae worked as a substance abuse counselor. Having returned to her home state of North Carolina, she often revisited Mount Airy for its annual Mayberry Days celebration paying tribute to “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Notable quote
“She was my alter-ego, and she lives inside me still. I loved playing Lou-Ann Poovie.” —from a 2021 interview for City View
Tributes to Elizabeth MacRae
Full obituary: The Hollywood Reporter
