Wikipedia

Mara Corday

Mara Cordayis an American retiredshowgirl,model,actress,PlayboyPlaymateand 1950scult figure.

Mara Corday
Publicity still forMan Without a Star(1955)
Born
Santa Monica, California,U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • showgirl
  • model
Years active1948–1990
Known for
Height5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Spouse
​
​
(m.1957; died 1974)​
[1]
Children3
Websitehttp:// Maracorday

Early life

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Corday was born inSanta Monica, California.Wanting a career in films, she came toHollywoodwhile still in her teens and found work as ashowgirlat theEarl Carroll TheatreonSunset Boulevard.[2]Her physical beauty brought jobs as a photographer'smodelthat led to a bit part as a showgirl in the 1951 filmTwo Tickets to Broadway.[citation needed]

Dancing

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One of Corday's first professional jobs was as a dancer in theEarl Carroll Revuein Hollywood.[3]Accompanied by her mother, Corday auditioned when she was 15 years old. During the 2½ years that she was in the show, she advanced "from showgirl to actress in the sketches".[4]This was also when she adopted the stage name Mara Corday, because it made her seem more exotic. The name Mara came from a bongo player who called her Marita when Corday was working as an usher at theMayan Theater;the name Corday was lifted from a bottle of perfume.[5]

Film

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Corday inThe Giant Claw(1957)

Corday signed withUniversal-International Pictures(UI) as a contract player, where she was given small roles in variousB-moviesand television series. In 1954, while on the set ofPlaygirl,she met actor and future husbandRichard Long.[6]

Her acting roles were small until 1955, when she was cast oppositeJohn AgarandLeo G. Carrollin the successfulscience-fictionfilmTarantula,[7][8]which hasClint Eastwoodin a very brief role as ajet fighterpilot. She had two other co-starring roles in the genre,The Black ScorpionandThe Giant Claw(both 1957), as well as in a number ofWestern films,includingMan Without a Star,A Day of FuryandRaw Edge.Film criticLeonard Maltinsaid Corday had "more acting ability than she was permitted to exhibit".[citation needed]

From left to right, Corday,Kathleen Hughes,Myrna Hansen,andAllison HayesinSo This Is Paris(1955)

A few years after her husband's death in 1974, Corday's old friend Eastwood offered her a chance to return to films with a role in his 1977 filmThe Gauntlet.She also had a brief but significant role inSudden Impact(1983), where she played the waitress who dumped sugar into the coffee of Det.Harry Callahanin that film's iconic "Go ahead, make my day"sequence.[9]She acted with Eastwood again in his 1989 filmPink Cadillac,as well as in her last film, 1990'sThe Rookie.

Modeling

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Corday appeared as apinup girlin numerous men's magazines during the 1950s and was thePlaymateof the October 1958 issue ofPlayboy,along with modelPat Sheehan.[10][11][12]

Television

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In 1956, Corday had a recurring role in theABCtelevision seriesCombat Sergeant.[13]From 1959 to early 1961, Corday worked exclusively doing guest spots on various television series, such asPeter Gunnin the episode, “Keep Smiling”. She also guest starred withSteve McQueeninWanted: Dead or Alivein April 1960.

Personal life

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Following the 1955 death ofSuzan Ball,the first wife of actorRichard Long,Corday began dating Long, and they married in 1957. Through Long's sister Barbara, Corday was a sister-in-law of actorMarshall Thompson.[citation needed]

In the early 1960s, Corday gave up her career to devote herself to raising a family. Widowed in 1974, she had three children with Long, during their 17-year marriage: Valerie, Carey and Gregory.[3]

Corday has also been a lifelong friend of actor Clint Eastwood, whom she met while working forUniversal Pictures.[9]

Partial filmography

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See also

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References

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  1. ^http:// westernclippings /interview/maracorday_interview.shtml[bare URL]
  2. ^Weaver, Tom (April 2017). "The Sci-Fi Stalwarts: Mara Corday".Classic Images(502): 73.
  3. ^abHenniger, Paul (February 1, 1976)."Undaunted, Mara Corday returns to TV".The Journal News.Ohio, Hamilton. The Journal News. p. 25.RetrievedMarch 2,2016– viaNewspapers.
  4. ^Thomas, Bob (October 6, 1954)."Dreams Help Mara Corday Make Decisions on Career".Corpus Christi Caller-Times.Texas, Corpus Christi. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. p. 25.RetrievedMarch 2,2016– viaNewspapers.
  5. ^Weaver, Tom (2004).It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the Sf and Horror Tradition.McFarland & Company.p. 67.ISBN9780786420698.
  6. ^Magers, Boyd; Fitzgerald, Michael G. (July 31, 2004).Westerns Women: Interviews With 50 Leading Ladies Of Movie And Television Westerns From The 1930s To The 1960s.McFarland & Company.pp. 62–.ISBN9780786420285.RetrievedMay 12,2012.
  7. ^Weaver, Tom; Brunas, John; Brunas, Michael (September 30, 2006).Interviews With B Science Fiction And Horror Movie Makers: Writers, Producers, Directors, Actors, Moguls and Makeup.McFarland. pp. 2–.ISBN9780786428588.RetrievedMay 12,2012.
  8. ^Williams, Tony (November 1985). "Female Oppression in" Attack of the 50-Foot Woman "(L'oppression des femmes dans" Attack of the 50-Foot Woman ")".Science Fiction Studies.12(3): 264–273.JSTOR4239701.
  9. ^abO'Brien, Daniel (August 8, 1996).Clint Eastwood: film-maker.B.T. Batsford. p. 153.ISBN9780713478396.RetrievedMay 12,2012.
  10. ^Connors, Martin; Craddock, James, eds. (1996).VideoHound's golden movie retriever.Visible Ink Press.p. cxcviii.ISBN978-0787607807.
  11. ^Lisanti, Tom (2001).Fantasy Femmes of Sixties Cinema: Interviews with 20 Actresses from Biker, Beach, and Elvis Movies.McFarland & Company.p. 12.ISBN978-0786408689.
  12. ^Petersen, James R. (2005).Playboy Redheads.Chronicle Books.p. 16.ISBN978-0811848589.
  13. ^Terrace, Vincent (2009).Encyclopedia of television shows, 1925 through 2007.McFarland. p. 300.ISBN9780786433056.RetrievedMay 12,2012.
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