'Girls! Girls! Girls!' Actress Laurel Goodwin Dead at 79

Laurel Goodwin also appeared in the rejected first pilot made for Star Trek, titled The Cage

Published on March 7, 2022 10:30 PM

Laurel Goodwin, the actress known for playing opposite Elvis Presley in the 1962 film Girls! Girls! Girls!, has died. She was 79.

Goodwin — who also appeared in the rejected first pilot made for Star Trek, titled The Cage — died on Feb. 25, according to an obituary posted by her family. A cause of death was not disclosed.

The former child model was born in Wichita, Kansas, on Aug. 11, 1942, but later relocated to San Diego during World War II and eventually to San Francisco with her family. After graduating from Lowell High School, she pursued her passion for acting by studying drama at San Francisco State University.

Goodwin later signed a contract with Paramount Pictures at the age of 19. Her first major film was the 1962 musical comedy Girls! Girls! Girls!, in which she starred alongside the King of Rock and Roll. She went on to appear in other movies such as Papa's Delicate Condition, Stage to Thunder Rock, Law of the Lawless, and The Glory Guys.

Aside from her film success, Goodwin also appeared in many roles on television. She played Yeoman J. M. Colt in the 1964 rejected Star Trek pilot episode The Cage, from which scenes were later incorporated into the episode The Menagerie.

According to IMDb, her other notable TV credits included The Hero, The Partners, The Beverly Hillbillies, Get Smart, The Virginian and Run Buddy Run, among others.

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Goodwin was also involved behind the scenes with her husband, Walter Wood. In 1983, the couple produced Stroker Ace, starring Burt Reynolds and Loni Anderson.

After retiring from acting in 1971, Goodwin pursued a career in home nursing and later took care of her husband when he became ill until his death, according to StarTrek.com.

During her 2016 interview with the website, Goodwin reflected on her life and career.

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"You really are everything that you've ever done in your life," she explained. "Even if you mess it up terribly in the end, or mess it up in the beginning, if you mix it all up and you've done some good stuff in between, it's a good life. I've had adventure, and a wonderful life, in so many ways, that people would give their right arm for."

Goodwin is survived by her sister, Maureen Scott.