Actress, singer and songwriter. Very early in life, Mary’s father moved the family to Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was in Tulsa that she showed an interest in performing. When she was nine years old Count Basie’s orchestra came to Tulsa looking for talented performers. He held a talent contest and she performed “Little Girl Blue”. She won the contest, and immediately began performing with the band. When she was seventeen years old she left Tulsa, hitchhiking across the country to New York City to try to succeed in show business. To support herself she took low paying jobs, including that of a hat check/cigarette girl. It was while doing this that she met movie producer Joe Pasternak. He offered her a screen test, but that didn’t pan out due to her nervousness. Pasternak, however thought he saw something in Mary, and so with his approval and support she left for Hollywood, and was given small parts in movies. While in Hollywood she appeared in over twenty films with such stars as Ronald Reagan in “The Girl From the Beach”, “The Adventures of Don Juan” with Errol Flynn and “This Time for Keeps” with Esther Williams. After a while she became disillusioned with Hollywood and returned to New York City. She auditioned for numerous parts including roles on Broadway, as well as the new entertainment venue, television. In 1951 she auditioned for and was selected for the role of Joanne Barron in the new CBS soap opera, “Search for Tomorrow.” She played Joanne for thirty five years ending that role in 1986, and also acted on “Guiding Light” for ten years in the 1990’s. She was one of the first women to appear in a soap opera, often being credited that “she started the business.” She was awarded the Lifetime Opera Hall of Fame and an Emmy in recognition of the Special Lifetime Achievement Award she received in 1983. In October of 2001 she celebrated fifty years as an entertainer. Mary was twice married, first to Richard Krolik who died in 1966 and secondly to Wolgang Neumann. (bio by: Saratoga)