Biography
Of Norwegian descent, and a distant relative of Marilyn Monroe, Maxwell played spoiled Ellie Corbett in Blue Hawaii, whom Elvis' character eventually tames by spanking her on the beach. She also appeared in Blue Denim (1959), Take Her, She's Mine (1963, which starred James Stewart), and Shotgun Wedding (also 1963; Maxwell's cinematic swan song, co-written by infamous filmmaker Edward D. Wood, Jr.). In addition to this she appeared in several television shows, including The Twilight Zone (1961) and 77 Sunset Strip (1963).
At age 16, Maxwell married 24-year-old Paul W. Rapp, an assistant director. They had a very public divorce and custody battle over their son Brian three years after, with Maxwell winning. She later married Ervin M. Roeder, a successful attorney who was 21 years her senior, on February 15, 1970 in Los Angeles.
In 1981, shortly after their separation, Maxwell and her husband were gunned down and killed in the lobby of their Beverly Hills condo during a possible botched robbery. She was 39 years old.
Read more about this topic: Jenny Maxwell
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