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Debra Paget was an
established star of adventure films and historical epics, like The Ten
Commandments, when she starred opposite Elvis in his debut film, Love
Me Tender, in 1956. She was born Debralee Griffin, in Denver, Colorado,
to a mother who was determined to see her children's names in lights.
Debra's brother and two sisters all became actors. At the age of 15, Debra
made her film debut in Cry of The City (1948). She worked steadily,
mostly in supporting roles, for the next five years, until she and her mom
decided Debra was ready for more glamorous adult roles, and began to pitch
the idea to the movie execs. In 1954, she was cast in the starring role in
Princess of the Nile, the first of many costume roles. While not exactly
a critical success, it can't be a coincidence that this same year, Debra was
topped only by Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable on Twentieth-Century-Fox's
fan mail list! Two years later, Debra appeared in one of the all-time great
epics (and her own personal favorite of her films), The Ten Commandments.
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