Jennifer Welles

Jennifer Welles was born and raised in northern New Jersey, the youngest of two daughters of a German aircraft designer and his wife who had fled when the Nazi Party rose to power. Her father left the family for another woman when Welles was nine and she never saw him again. She was raised by her very protective mother, who became a seamstress in a factory, working long hours and often leaving Welles at home alone, since her older sister had married at a young age and moved away. Welles quit high school and became a dancer in dinner theater and traveling theater troupes during the early 1950's. She soon went to Las Vegas and danced in opening acts for comedians such as Jack Benny and the comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. She soon returned to the east coast and studied drama for a short time under Sanford Meisner. She continued dancing in stage productions and by the end of the 1960's, she had married professional musician Manny Duran and became involved in acting in mostly low