- Born
- Died
- Height1.78 m
- Bess Myerson was born on July 16, 1924 in The Bronx, New York, USA. She was an actress, known for The Jackie Gleason Show (1952), The Philco Television Playhouse (1948) and Frasier (1993). She was married to Arnold M. Grant and Allan Wayne. She died on December 14, 2014 in Santa Monica, California, USA.
- SpousesArnold M. Grant(May 1, 1962 - January 1967) (divorced)Allan Wayne(October 19, 1946 - 1958) (divorced, 1 child)
- In 1988, she was arrested in Pennsylvania for shoplifting $44 worth of merchandise from a drug store. She was fined. At the time, she was facing bribery and conspiracy charges after hiring a judge's daughter, presumably to influence a favorable outcome for Myerson's lover in his divorce case. The scandal became known as the "Bess Mess".
- She entered the Miss America pageant in 1945, the first year it offered a scholarship, intending to pursue a career as a symphony conductor. As of 2024, she remains the only Jewish Miss America.
- Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald Ford, and Jimmy Carter appointed her to various conferences and commissions over the years.
- She served as New York City's Commissioner of Consumer Affairs from 1969-1973, and was responsible for passing the best consumer protection legislation in the U.S. at that time.
- Ovarian cancer survivor.
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