Who are Jack D Smith and Joe Mondragon? Here's where late actress Abby Dalton's ex-husbands are today
The effervescent actress, Abby Dalton, best known for her portrayals of Martha Hale in 'Hennesey', Julia Cumson in the hit '80s drama series 'Falcon Crest', and Ellie Barnes in 'The Joey Bishop Show' was confirmed dead. Dalton passed away on November 23 following a "long illness", her rep Sue Procko confirmed to Deadline. She is survived by three children Matthew David Smith, Kathleen Kimmont, and John, three grandchildren and a great-grandson.
Who was Abby Dalton married to?
Dalton married Jack D Smith 60 years ago. The two dated a while and then tied the knot on December 22, 1960, marking Dalton's first wedding. However, the marriage didn't stand the test of time. After being with each other for 12 years, the two ended their marriage by filing for divorce in 1972. Two of their children chose to follow Dalton's path and pursued a career in entertainment. Kathleen is known for her roles in 'Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers' and 'CIA Code Name: Alexa' while Matthew, an actor as well as writer, is known for 'Cyber Tracker' and 'Mrs. Sweeney' according to an outlet. Dalton was also married to Joe Mondragon later on but that marriage too didn't last. Mondragon died in 1987.
Born Gladys Marlene Wasden in August 1932 in Las Vegas, Abby Dalton began her career in 1957 in the Roger Corman movie 'Rock All Night'. She went ahead to feature in uncredited roles in 'Teenage Doll' and 'Carnival Rock' that same year. The following year, she featured in the movie 'The Saga of the Viking Women and Their Voyage to the Waters of the Great Sea Serpent', also directed by Corman. The other films she did that year also included 'Stakeout on Dope Street', 'Girls on the Loose', 'Cole Younger' and 'Gunfighter'. She also appeared on the small screen with shows like 'The Rifleman, 'Have Gun - Will Travel' and 'Jefferson Drum'.
1959 was the year that she landed one of her biggest roles, and began playing Martha Hale on 'Hennesey' alongside Jackie Cooper. She continued to appear on the show for all 95 episodes of the show, spread across three seasons. The show went off the air in 1962 and she shifted from one big role to another immediately and began portraying Ellie Barnes's character on 'The Joey Bishop Show' which went off-air in 1965.
She continued doing a number of movies and television shows for years later, some of her most renowned roles from that time being Calamity Jane in 'The Plainsman' (1966) and a guest appearance on 'The Danny Thomas Hour' (1967), 'My Three Sons' (1968), and 'Nanny and the Professor' (1970). Her guest-starring roles continued throughout the '70s, including 'Love American Style' and 'Barney Miller' in '74 and 'The Waltons' in '76. Dalton went on a long break in the late '70s but came back with a big bang as she landed 'Falcon Crest' in 1981 wherein she portrayed the role of Julia Cumson. She appeared in 98 episodes of the show that turned out to be a hit and aired between 1981 and 1986, making scattered appearances on the tube for the rest of the '80s.