Show business

Early in her career, Priest worked as a singer and actress on local television stations, including WTTG in Washington, D.C.^[9] In the late 1950s, she acted in stage productions, including Bus Stop and The Tender Trap.^[10]

Priest replaced actress Beverley Owen on the television sitcom The Munsters; Owen departed the series after the first 13 episodes in order to get married. Marilyn's character was a running gag, as she was a beautiful blonde treated as the ugly member of a family composed of a Frankenstein's monster for an uncle, a vampire for an aunt, a vampire for a grandfather, and a werewolf for a cousin.^[11][12]

The studio replaced Priest with Debbie Watson (12 years Priest's junior) in the role of Marilyn Munster in the 1966 feature Munster, Go Home! (1966) instead of Priest, as Watson was under contract to the studio, which had plans to make her a film star.^{[citation needed]}

After the series ended, Priest appeared on episodes of television programs such as Bewitched, Perry Mason, Death Valley Days and The Mary Tyler Moore Show, in which she played Sue Ann Nivens's unappreciated younger sister.

Priest's film roles included Looking for Love (1964) with Connie Francis, Easy Come, Easy Go (1967) with Elvis Presley, the horror film The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971) with Bruce Dern and Some Call It Loving (1973) starring Zalman King.

After acting

Priest retired from acting in the 1980s, but continues to attend some of the nostalgia conventions and Munsters revivals around the country.

She had previously restored and sold homes in Idaho, where she has lived for over two decades, before retiring.^[3]