Mary Ann Mobley | |
|---|---|
_(Miss_America%2c_%252758-%252759%2c)_(Photo_at_WLBT)..png) Mobley in 1958 | |
| Born | (1937-02-17)February 17, 1937 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died | December 9, 2014(2014-12-09) (aged 77) |
| Alma mater | University of Mississippi |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1960–2003 |
| Title | Miss Mississippi 1958 Miss America 1959 |
| Predecessor | Marilyn Van Derbur |
| Successor | Lynda Lee Mead |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Mary Ann Mobley (February 17, 1937 – December 9, 2014) was an American actress, television personality, andMiss America 1959.
Mobley was born in 1937 inBiloxi, Mississippi.[1] After her reign as Miss America 1959, Mobley embarked on a career in both film and television. She signed a five-year contract withMGM.[2] She made her first television appearances onBe Our Guest in 1960, followed by five appearances onBurke's Law from 1963 to 1965. In 1966 she was the female guest star on the first two-part episode ofMission: Impossible, in the episode “Old Man Out”. She went on to make multiple appearances onPerry Mason;Love, American Style; andFantasy Island. She played a recurring role as Maggie McKinney Drummond onDiff'rent Strokes in the final season of the series, having taken over the role fromDixie Carter. She also played Arnold’s teacher onDiff'rent Strokes in season 2, episode 24. In Carter's later series,Designing Women, Mobley guest-starred as Karen Delaporte, the snide head of a historical society, who crosses swords with Carter's character, Julia Sugarbaker.[3] She made two films with Elvis Presley in 1965,Girl Happy andHarum Scarum.
She was given theGolden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1965. She was active in many charitable causes and was awarded the Outstanding Young Woman of the Year Award in 1966 byLady Bird Johnson.[4]
Mobley also made occasional appearances onMatch Game as one of the celebrity panelists from 1973 to 1977.
She and her husbandGary Collins played Dr. and Mrs. Diller onThe Love Boat S2 E6 "Ship of Ghouls" (1978). From 1984 to 1988, Mobley joined Collins in co-hosting thePillsbury Bake-Off onCBS.[5]
She appeared in thedocumentary filmMiss America, whichPBS aired as the January 27, 2002, episode ofAmerican Experience.[6]
Mobley is briefly depicted in the third season of theAmazon Prime seriesThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, played by Amanda Dela Cruz.[7][8]
Mobley was crowned Miss America 1959, the first Mississippian to achieve this honor, winning the national talent award.[9][10][11]
Mobley joined husband Gary Collins as co-host of the 1989 Miss America pageant in September 1988, the 30th anniversary year of her own Miss America victory.[12]
Mobley grew up inBrandon, Mississippi, and graduated fromBrandon High School.[13] She was a member ofChi Omega sorority at theUniversity of Mississippi,[14][15] and in 1981 was inducted into the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame.[16]
She married actor and television hostGary Collins in 1967[17] at Brandon United Methodist Church.
The couple separated in 2010 but reconciled and were living in Biloxi when Collins died on October 13, 2012.[18] Collins and Mobley had one daughter together, Mary Clancy Collins. Mobley was also stepmother to Melissa Collins and Guy William Collins, children from his first marriage.[19]
Mobley hadCrohn's disease and had at times been an activist for improvements in treatment.[20]
She was treated in 2009 for Stage III breast cancer.[21] Mobley died at her home inBeverly Hills, California, on December 9, 2014, at the age of 77, from breast cancer.[1][19][22]
She was 77. ... Ms. Mobley was born in Biloxi, Miss., in 1937. (Most biographical sources incorrectly give her birth year as 1939.) ... An earlier version of this obituary misstated the year Ms. Mobley was born. It was 1937, not 1939. (Most biographical sources give the later year.)
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Miss America 1959 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Miss Mississippi 1958 | Succeeded by |
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| Preceded by | Miss America host (withGary Collins) 1989 | Succeeded by Gary Collins &Phyllis George |
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