Melinda Plowman
Plowman in 1951
Born	Melinda Ann Plowman (1941-05-13)May 13, 1941 (age 84) Abilene, Texas, U.S.
Other names	Melinda Ann Casey Melinda Casey
Occupation(s)	Actress, assistant director
Years active	1949 − 1996
Spouses	Philip Casey Robert Ballew
Children	2

Melinda Ann Plowman (born May 13, 1941), also known asMelinda Ann Casey andMelinda Casey, is an American actress and associate director. She began her acting career at age 6 and appeared in feature films and television episodes through the 1960s. In the 1970s, she became a member of theDirectors Guild of America and worked as an associate director through the 1990s.

Melinda Ann Plowman was born on May 13, 1941, inAbilene, Texas.^[1] Her parents, Homer Lee Plowman and Lura Frances Slaughter, had met and married in Abilene in 1934.^[2] She has one younger sister.^[3] Her second birthday party, hosted by her mother and grandmother, was reported in theAbilene Reporter-News.^[4]

The family moved toLos Angeles in 1942.^[5] Plowman was enrolled in a dance school at age 3.^[5] She was "discovered" at the age of 6 through the dancing school and was cast in a bit part in the 1949 filmLittle Women.^[5]

Plowman acted in Hollywood films in the 1950s but primarily worked in television.^[6] She appeared in sevenNBC Matinee Theater episodes, as well as episodes ofFord Theatre,The Loretta Young Show, andThe George Burns and Gracie Allen Show.^[5] She was one of the original Mouseketeers onThe Mickey Mouse Club.^[7][8][9]

Her parents preferred to maintain her status as a freelance actor rather than a studio contract player.^[3] Her mother accompanied her on the set.^[3] When she wasn't working, Plowman attended a public elementary school and, later,San Marino High School inSan Marino, California.^[5] During film shoots, she had a private tutor on the set.^[3][5]

Plowman landed her first leading role at the age of 25 in the 1966 horror filmBilly the Kid Versus Dracula.^[6]

In the 1970s, she joined theDirectors Guild of America, listing herself as an associate director under the name Melinda Ann Casey.^[10] She continued working on film crews through the 1990s.

Plowman married Phil Casey, a talent manager, inLas Vegas in August 1967.^[11] They had one son.^[2] Plowman later married Robert Ballew, with whom she has a daughter.^[2] In 1971, her parents moved back toFort Worth.^[2] She lives inVictoria, British Columbia.^[2]

• Boggs, Johnny D. (2013).Billy the Kid on Film, 1911-2012. McFarland.ISBN 9781476603353.
• Bowles, Jerry G. (1976).Forever Hold Your Banner High!: The Story of the Mickey Mouse Club and what Happened to the Mouseketeers. Doubleday.ISBN 9780385116220.
• Terrace, Vincent (2014).Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). McFarland.ISBN 9780786486410.
• Woolery, George W. (1985).Children's Television, Part II: The First Thirty-five Years, 1946-1981. Scarecrow Press.ISBN 9780810816510.

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMelinda Plowman.

• Melinda Plowman atIMDb
• Melinda Plowman at theTCM Movie Database

• 1941 births
• Living people
• American film actresses
• American television actresses
• Actresses from Texas
• People from Abilene, Texas
• 20th-century American actresses

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