Mary Beth Hughes | |
|---|---|
 Hughes inDesign for Scandal (1941) | |
| Born | Mary Elizabeth Hughes (1919-11-13)November 13, 1919 Alton, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | August 27, 1995(1995-08-27) (aged 75) Los Angeles,California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1939–1974 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 1 |
Mary Elizabeth Hughes (November 13, 1919[1][2] – August 27, 1995) was an American film, television, andstage actress best known for her roles inB movies.
Hughes was born inAlton, Illinois.[3] Her parents, George Joseph Hughes and Mary Frances Hughes, separated when she was an infant[1] and divorced in 1923. After the divorce, Hughes's mother moved with her only child toWashington, D.C. Hughes' grandmother, Flora Fosdick, was described as a "star of grand opera and drama [who] played withEthel Barrymore on the stage."[4]
As a child Hughes began acting in stage productions. While acting in a school play in the early 1930s, her performance caught the attention of Clifford Brown, a repertory theatre company owner, who offered her a part in a touring production ofAlice in Wonderland. While touring with another production in Brown's company, she was offered a contract from a talent scout withGaumont-British Studios but declined the offer to finish high school.[5]
After graduating from high school in 1937 she returned to Brown's theatre company, where she continued to appear in various stage productions until the summer of 1938, when she relocated toLos Angeles with her mother to pursue a film career. After six months of failing to land movie roles, Hughes and her mother made plans to return to Washington, D.C., until Hughes met an agent, Wally Ross. Ross introduced Hughes to powerfulWilliam Morris agentJohnny Hyde. Hyde landed Hughes a contract withMGM, and she soon landed a small, uncredited role in the1939 filmBroadway Serenade.[5]
AfterBroadway Serenade, Hughes appeared in other bit parts in films includingThe Women withNorma Shearer,Dancing Co-Ed withLana Turner, and theBusby Berkeley filmFast and Furious.[6]
In 1940 Hughes was offered a contract with20th Century-Fox. Later that year she landed a role oppositeJohn Barrymore inThe Great Profile, a part she later noted as one of her favorites. Fox did not renew her contract when it expired in 1943, and the following year she began appearing in a nightclub act and soon signed a three-picture deal withUniversal Pictures.[5]
Her most famous role was asHenry Fonda's former girlfriend in the Best Picture Academy Award nominee,The Ox-Bow Incident (1943). Throughout the mid-1940s and early 1950s, Hughes appeared in film and television roles, including thecult classicI Accuse My Parents (which was later parodied onMystery Science Theater 3000),Anthony Mann's early noir masterpieceThe Great Flamarion where she co-starred withErich von Stroheim andDan Duryea,Wanted: Dead or Alive (episode "Secret Ballot"),The Devil's Henchman,The Abbott and Costello Show,Dragnet andStudio One.[6]
In 1961, Hughes decided to retire from acting and began working as a receptionist in a plastic surgeon's office, although she continued her appearances in nightclubs. The following year she directed and starred in a Los Angeles production ofPajama Top. For the rest of the 1960s she would go on to appear in television shows likeRawhide andDennis the Menace. In 1970 she landed a regular role onThe Red Skelton Show, appearing in 11 episodes before the show ended later that year. In 1976 she again retired from show business, explaining that she was "tired of auditioning for sexy grandma roles."[5] Hughes' last onscreen appearance was in the1976 filmTanya.[6]
In the late 1970s Hughes opened a beauty parlor inCanoga Park, California. She closed the shop in the late 1980s and began working as atelemarketer until 1991, when she was laid off.[5]
As a starlet under contract with MGM, Hughes went on studio-appointed dates with several actors, includingLew Ayres,Franchot Tone,Mickey Rooney, andJames Stewart. While under contract to Fox, she also went on arranged dates withMilton Berle andGeorge Montgomery.[5]
In 1940, against Fox's wishes, Hughes began a relationship with actorRobert Stack. The romance lasted a year.[5]
After her romance with Stack ended, Hughes married actorTed North in 1943. The couple had one son, Donald, before divorcing in 1947. On April 28, 1948, she married singer/actorDavid Street. The marriage ended in divorce on January 23, 1956.[7] In 1973 Hughes married her manager, Nicky Stewart, but that marriage also ended in divorce four years later.[5]
Hughes died, aged 75, on August 27, 1995, fromnatural causes in Los Angeles.[5] Upon her death, she wascremated and her ashes returned to her surviving son.[8]
Biography portal
Illinois portal
Los Angeles portal
California portal
Theatre portal
Film portal
Television portal
