Mikki Jamison was a popular actress in the 1960s, who appeared in many TV shows and movies. She played the wife of Kent McCord on the NBC cop show Adam-12, and also starred in Beach Ball and Ski Party. She left the showbiz industry after marrying a stockbroker and moving to Paris, but returned to acting in the 1970s with a role on Wonder Woman and The Sea Gypsies. She died in a car accident in 2013 at the age of 70. Here are some details about her life and death.
Early Life and Career
Mikki Jamison was born on November 13, 1942, in Spokane, Washington. She attended Lewis & Clark High School and then moved to Los Angeles, where she joined the Hollywood Studio Club, a dormitory for young actresses. She found work at the Pasadena Playhouse and in 1962, she was signed to an option by Warner Bros. and named the studio’s Hollywood Deb Star that year.
She made her TV debut in 1961 on Ripcord, and then guest-starred on several shows such as Hawaiian Eye, Maverick, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet (she reportedly dated Ricky Nelson), The Donna Reed Show, 77 Sunset Strip, Dennis the Menace, Hazel and My Favorite Martian. She also played Veronica in an unsold 1964 pilot for a live-action version of The Archies comic book.
Adam-12 and Other Roles
Mikki Jamison is best known for playing Jean Reed, the wife of Jim Reed (Kent McCord), on Adam-12, a police drama that ran for seven seasons from 1968 to 1975. She appeared in three episodes of the show, portraying the frustrations and challenges of being married to a young cop. She left the series after marrying John Olsen, a stockbroker, and moving to Paris
She also starred in two movies for American International Pictures in 1965: Beach Ball, a musical comedy about a rock band trying to save their beach club from foreclosure; and Ski Party, a spoof of beach party films set in a ski resort, where she played a ski bunny opposite Frankie Avalon.
She returned to acting in the 1970s with a role on Wonder Woman as Eve Leighton, a former Nazi spy who tries to redeem herself by helping Wonder Woman stop a plot to steal gold from Fort Knox. Her last acting job was in The Sea Gypsies (1978), an adventure film about a photojournalist who goes on a sailboat trip around the world with his two daughters and their friends.
Death and Legacy
Mikki Jamison died on June 10, 2013, in Chilco Idaho, USA. She was involved in a car accident that claimed her life at the age of 7. According to Facebook, she passed away peacefully with her family by her side.
She is survived by her mother, Milaine; husband John; sister Molly; son Jaimie; and grandchildren Cameron, Dylan, Mason and Ethan. She is remembered as a beautiful and talented actress who graced the screen with her charm and grace.
