Meredith MacRae; ‘Petticoat Junction’ Star, Talk Show Host

Meredith MacRae, an award-winning television talk show host and actress whose credits included the role of Billie Jo on the long-running television series “Petticoat Junction,” died at her home in Manhattan Beach on Friday morning from brain cancer. She was 56.

Born in 1944 in Houston to show business parents, MacRae grew up in the San Fernando Valley. She started her acting and singing career with Doris Day and her father, movie idol Gordon MacRae, in the 1953 movie “By the Light of the Silvery Moon.” Her first television series was “My Three Sons,” in which she played the girlfriend of one of the boys.

During the 1980s, the UCLA graduate co-hosted “Mid-Morning L.A.” on KHJ-TV and won an L.A. Emmy for her profiles of newsmakers of the day. The show ran for eight years. Later, she created, wrote and hosted an interview series for cable television called “Born Famous,” which featured children of celebrities. She also co-produced a television special on surviving alcoholism, and lectured nationwide on her experiences as the child of an alcoholic father.

MacRae was active in community and charity events and was cited by former Los Angeles Mayor Thomas Bradley for her contributions. She championed women’s causes and was past president of the International Women’s Forum Southern California chapter.

In September, MacRae will posthumously receive the Tichi Award from Women in Film for a lifetime of distinguished service to the group. The award is named after the founder of the group, Tichi Wilkerson Kassel.

Most recently, MacRae recorded 24 books for Dove Audio and served as a guest interviewer of celebrities. She also had a best-selling beauty video, “The 15-Minute Acupressure Face-Lift.”

In addition to her husband, Phil Neal, she is survived by a daughter, Allison Mullavey; two stepsons, Brian and Kevin; her mother, Sheila MacRae; a sister, Heather, and two brothers, Bruce and Gar. Funeral arrangements are pending.