Auburn-haired and green-eyed, Jacqueline Beer, a convent-educated beauty, succeeded Christiane Martel as Miss France in 1954. She went on to compete for the Miss Universe title in Long Beach, California, although she did not win. Instead, she received a two-year Paramount studio contract as a consolation prize.
Despite her reluctance to pursue a career in Hollywood, Jacqueline Beer did appear in several films, including Screaming Eagles (1956) and Pillow Talk (1959),where she played stereotypical French characters. Her role in The Prize (1963) saw her as the mistress of a chemistry laureate.
However, Jacqueline Beer found greater success on television, landing several guest roles in popular shows such as Maverick (1957),Bronco (1958),The Rogues (1964),The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (1964),and Daniel Boone (1964). Her most notable role was as switchboard operator Suzanne Fabray, also known as "Frenchy", in the classic Warner Brothers series 77 Sunset Strip (1958),starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr.
Before her marriage to Thor Heyerdahl in 1991, Jacqueline Beer was previously married to Jean Antoine Garcia Roady, an accountant and/or French instructor. The couple lived on the Canary Islands and collaborated on archaeological projects, particularly in Peru and Azov, Russia.
Following Heyerdahl's death in 2002, Jacqueline Beer continued his work as director of the Thor Heyerdahl Research Centre in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and as chair of the Thor Heyerdahl Institute in Larvik, Norway. In 2020, the institute merged with The Museums of Vestfold.
