Merrie Spaeth (born August 23, 1948) is an American political and public relations and communications consultant, and former film actress.
Spaeth is the daughter of Dr.
Philip G.
Spaeth and Marcia Ryan Spaeth.
She attended Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In 1970, Spaeth graduated with honors from Smith College and later earned an MBA from Columbia Business School where she graduated cum laude.
In 1984, she married "Tex" Lezar, who was at the time a counselor to the Attorney General.
Together they have three children.
At the age of 15, Spaeth was cast to play Marian "Gil" Gilbert in The World of Henry Orient (1964).
Between 1970 and 1978, Spaeth wrote for numerous print publications and was a reporter for several local television stations.
Additionally, Spaeth was a speechwriter for William S.
Paley, founder and chairman of CBS.
In 1978 Spaeth hosted and produced a nightly television show in Columbus, Ohio, for Warner-Amex Cable.
In 1979, Spaeth was a producer for 20/20 where she produced segments on Liberace, gifted children and motorcycle gangs.
In the early 1980s, Spaeth was accepted to the White House Fellows program where she was assigned to work under FBI Director William Webster as his special assistant, after which she worked for two years as director of public affairs for the Federal Trade Commission.
In 1983, she became director of media relations at the White House for President Ronald Reagan.
After moving to Dallas with her husband, Spaeth founded Spaeth Communications in 1987.
In the 1990s, Spaeth taught BLC (business leadership center) seminar classes at the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business.