Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Montgomery Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery (April 15, 1933 – May 18, 1995) was an American film, stage, and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is best remembered for her leading role as Samantha Stephens on the television series "Bewitched". The daughter of actor Robert Montgomery, she began her career in the 1950s with a role on her father's television series "Robert Montgomery Presents", and won a Theater World Award for her 1956 Broadway debut in the production "Late Love". In the 1960s, she became known for her role as Samantha Stephens on the ABC sitcom "Bewitched". Her work
Samantha Akkineni revealed that Menon played a "crucial part in moulding her as an actress", teaching her how to remain natural and comfortable in front of the screen, even if she had no dialogues in a scene. In the film, Samantha played the lead character "Jessie", a Malayali Saint Thomas Christian girl living in Hyderabad, with whom the male protagonist, played by Naga Chaitanya, falls in love. Upon release of the film, Samantha received very positive reviews for her portrayal, with the film itself garnering much critical acclaim. Critics at Sify praised Samantha as a "scene-stealer" and her beauty as "alluring", adding,