She Stars in Her Breakthrough Role as Gidget in 1965
At just 19, she scored the lead role in ABC’s 1965 sitcom *Gidget*, playing a breezy California teen juggling surf culture and high school drama. Though the show ran only a single season, it thrust her into the national spotlight and cemented her status as a teen TV star — while simultaneously locking her into a wholesome image she’d spend years trying to shed.
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