Don Edmonds was born on September 1, 1937, in Kansas City, Missouri, a city known for its rich cultural heritage and vibrant entertainment scene. He arrived in Hollywood in the mid to late 1950s, a time of great change and transformation in the film industry. Edmonds began his acting career by studying with the renowned acting coach Estelle Harmon and performing in various California stage productions.
As he transitioned to television, Edmonds appeared in several live shows, including Playhouse 90, Studio One, and The Loretta Young Show. He often played the role of a goofy sidekick in beach party-type movies, such as Gidget Goes Hawaiian, Beach Ball, and Wild Wild Winter. Edmonds also made guest appearances on popular TV shows like Hunter, Green Acres, Combat!, Petticoat Junction, The Munsters, Gidget, and Father Knows Best.
In the 1970s, Edmonds made his directorial debut with the soft-core features Wild Honey and Tender Loving Care. He achieved cult status with the Nazisploitation classic Ilsa: She Wolf of the SS and its sequel Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks. After Ilsa, Edmonds directed the gritty urban action film Bare Knuckles, the slasher horror entry Terror on Tour, the action-comedy Tomcat Angels, and the pilot of the TV series Silk Stalkings.
As the vice president of production at Producers Sales Organization, Edmonds was responsible for greenlighting and producing films like Short Circuit, 8 Million Ways to Die, and The Clan of the Cave Bear. He also produced, co-produced, or executive produced a number of other films, including Larceny, Fast Money, True Romance, Skeeter, and The Night Stalker.
In his later years, Edmonds attended screenings of his 1970s drive-in flicks and appeared as a guest at film conventions across the country. He died on May 30, 2009, at the age of 71, after a battle with liver cancer.
