Mary Wickes

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Mary Wickes (born June 13, 1910 in St. Louis , Missouri , † October 22, 1995 in Los Angeles , California ; actually Mary Isabelle Wickenhauser ) was an American actress .

Life

Mary's great-grandparents are native Germans who emigrated to the USA. Mary's parents - Frank A. Wickenhauser (1880-1943) and Mary Isabella Shannon Wickenhauser (1887-1965) were born in St. Louis City. Growing up in the US state of Missouri, Mary Wickes first attended Washington University in St. Louis after graduating from high school . In addition, she played as an actress for theater and radio productions. She also worked for Orson Welles ' Mercury Theater of the Air . From Welles she also got her first film role in the short film Too Much Johnson with Joseph Cotten in 1938 .

In 1934 Mary Wickes made her Broadway debut in the comedy The Farmer Takes a Wife . There she played in 27 different productions over the course of her acting career, including as Miss Preen in the comedy The Man who came to Dinner by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman . She was so successful in this role that she was hired in 1941 for the film version of the same name with Bette Davis and Monty Woolley . In 1972 she played the grumpy nurse one last time in a television remake alongside Orson Welles.

In her film career spanning almost 60 years, Mary Wickes played small but distinctive roles in well over 50 films. She often embodied good-natured, maternal and courageous nurses, nuns and teachers with a rough shell and a touch of sarcasm.

She played a nurse alongside Bette Davis in the drama Journey from the Past , alongside Frank Sinatra in the musical Higher and Higher , alongside her long-time friend and neighbor Lucille Ball in the comedy I love Lucy , alongside Bing Crosby in the Christmas musical White Christmas , alongside the comedian Duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Who done it? and Great guys in action (the duo's last film), alongside Doris Day and Jack Lemmon in the comedy Not with me, gentlemen! , alongside Glenn Ford in the Western Cimarron , alongside Roger Moore and Angie Dickinson in Jenseits des Ruwenzori , alongside Meryl Streep and Shirley MacLaine in the biting satire Greetings from Hollywood (based on the novel by Carrie Fisher ) and as a robust nun alongside Whoopi Goldberg in the comedies Sister Act - A Heavenly Career and Sister Act 2 - On Divine Mission . She had her last film appearance in 1994 alongside Winona Ryder in the remake of George Cukors Betty and her sisters .

In addition, Mary Wickes played numerous guest roles in television series such as M * A * S * H , Bonanza , Columbo and Mord ist her Hobby . From 1963 to 1964 she starred alongside Jeffrey Hunter in the Western series Temple Houston . Between 1987 and 1991 Mary Wickes played the housekeeper Marie Gillespie in the usual flippant and amiable manner in the series A blessed team about a Catholic priest and hobby criminalist based on the crime novels by Ralph McInerny .

Her last job in the film was as a spokeswoman for a Disney character: in The Hunchback of Notre Dame , she gave the gargoyle Laverne her smoky voice. However, she did not live to see the film released in theaters. Mary Wickes died of cancer on October 22, 1995 in Los Angeles.

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Mary Wickes  - collection of images
personal data
SURNAME Wickes, Mary
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Wickenhauser, Mary Isabelle (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH June 13, 1910
PLACE OF BIRTH St. Louis , Missouri , United States
DATE OF DEATH October 22, 1995
Place of death Los Angeles , California , United States