Mary Sinclair
Mary Sinclair | |
|---|---|
 Sinclair in an episode ofOne Step Beyond(1961) | |
| Born | Ella Dolores Cook November 15, 1922 |
| Died | November 5, 2000(aged 77) Phoenix, Arizona,U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Occupation(s) | Television, film and stage actress; painter; former Conover model |
| Years active | 1949–1987 |
| Known for | First dramatic actress to be given a long-term television acting contract |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2[1] |
| Relatives | Candice Bergen(goddaughter) |
Mary Sinclair(bornElla Delores Cook;November 15, 1922 – November 5, 2000) was an American television, film and stage actress and “a familiar face to television viewers in the 1950s”[2]as a performer in numerous plays produced and broadcast live during the early days of television. Sinclair was also a painter and had in her youth been a Conover model. Her husband, for a time, was Broadway producer and director,George Abbott.[3]
Early life and modelling[edit]
Sinclair was born Ella Delores Cook and raised inSan Diego, California.[4]As a young woman she began modelling inLos Angeles,and in 1944, she leftHollywoodforManhattan,where she modelled for the Conover agency and acted in summer stock. "I was the arty type," she recalled in a 1951 interview withThe New York Times."I wanted to go to New York and be a real actress.”[3][2]
Acting career[edit]
In New York City, she became friends with theater producerHal Princeand theater producer, playwright and directorGeorge Abbott,her senior by thirty-five years, whom she married in April 1946 and divorced in 1951.[3]And in the 1940s, she began to acquire experience as a freelance television actress, appearing on 36 programs in two years.[2]But it wasCBSboard chairmanWilliam S. Paleywho singled Sinclair out, in 1951, by giving her a seven-year contract withCBS,one of the first acting contracts granted by the network.[3]The New York Timesreported that she was the first dramatic actress "to enter video's incubator for hatching its own stars."[2][5]
Television[edit]
After acting on 36 TV programs in two years as a freelance, in 1951, Sinclair signed a long-term contract with CBS, becoming the first person to join what an article inThe New York Timestermed "video's incubator for hatching its own stars."[6]
"Ms. Sinclair usually played sweet, goody-goody characters on television. But not long after signing withCBS,she played quite different parts on three successive evenings: a vicious singer, a spiteful flapper and a libidinous shrew. "[2]"She was dazed by the number of men she had to kiss on-screen and said, 'I average two strangers a week.'"[2]
Sinclair starred in the live drama programs popular in the 1950s such asPlayhouse 90,Westinghouse Studio One,andTheU.S. Steel Hour.She had guest roles on early series includingThe Untouchables,Peter Gunn,andWoman with a Past.[3]And she starred in productions ofWuthering Heights,The Scarlet LetterandLittle Women;[citation needed]also on theSherlock Holmestelevision series with British actor,Ronald Howard.[citation needed]On November 14, 1950, Sinclair co-starred in "The Brush Off", an episode ofSuspense.[7]
She was nominated for aPrimetime Emmy Awardin 1951.[citation needed]In total, Sinclair played in more than one hundred and twenty television shows and films during her career.[citation needed]
Film[edit]
The one major motion picture that Mary Sinclair acted in wasArrowheadmade in 1953, starringCharlton Heston,Brian KeithandKaty Jurado,withJack Palanceas an Apache chief, in which she played Lela Wilson.Paramountwanted her to appear in other films but she explained that she preferred working in television and returned toNew York.[3]
A shift in focus to painting[edit]
In the 1960s, as her television career faded, although attending theActors StudioinManhattan,headed byLee Strasberg,[8]and appearing on the stage, Sinclair, in the main, retired from acting, and devoted most of her creative energies to painting. She studied with artistFleur Cowlesand specialized in oil canvases of flowers and animals, and portraits of friends.[2][3][9]
Sojourn in Europe and a return[edit]
After leaving the U.S. and living in Italy for a few years, in the 1970s she returned toLos Angeles,where she directed local theater productions. Later she moved toPhoenix, Arizonaand lived there until her death in 2000 at the age of seventy-seven.[9][3]
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Arrowhead | Lela Wilson | |
| 1974 | Alice Goodbody |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"OBITUARY: Madge Sinclair".Independent.co.uk.3 January 1996.
- ^abcdefgNew York Timesobit by Eric Page (November 13, 2000). "Mary Sinclair, 78, Television Actress of the 50s".
- ^abcdefghLos Angeles Timesobit. "Mary Sinclair: Model and 1950s Television Actress". November 9, 2000.
- ^San Diego, California birth records for 1922
- ^MoviefoneArchived2012-04-04 at theWayback Machine
- ^Adams, Val (April 8, 1951)."A TV Star is born".The New York Times.p. 107.RetrievedMarch 18,2023.
- ^"Air Attractions".The Boston Globe.November 14, 1950. p. 19.RetrievedApril 30,2021– viaNewspapers.
- ^Actors StudioArchives housed at 432 West 44th Street, New York, New York 10036
- ^abPlaybill. com obit by Kenneth Jones, November 14, 2000TV Actress Mary Sinclair, Former Wife of Mr. Abbott, Dead at 78
External links[edit]
- Filmography by Genre
- New York Times
- Los Angeles Times
- Mary SinclairatIMDb
- Mary Sinclairat theUniversity of Wisconsin'sActors Studio audio collection
- Rusty White's Film World
- Playbill
- Moviefone
- The Suspense of Suspense
| International | |
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| National | |
