the platinum blond bombshell of 1950s musical motion pictures groomed as a studio glamour girl to substitute for the more famous but often unreliable Marilyn Monroe, Sheree North was also a favorite of younger audiences for her continuing television roles as Lou Grant's sultry girlfriend on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and Kramer's mother Babs on "Seinfeld."

Born Dawn Bethel in Los Angeles on Jan. 17, 1933, North danced as a youngster with USO shows during World War II. She later sanded floors and parked cars to pay for ballet lessons. After abandoning thoughts of becoming a ballerina, she