Adele Mara
Adele Mara (born Adelaida Delgado; April 28, 1923 – May 7, 2010) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, who appeared in films during the 1940s and 1950s and on television in the 1950s and 1960s. During the 1940s, the blonde actress was also a popular pinup girl. Early years. Mara was born in Highland Park, Michigan, to Spanish parents. She had a brother, Luis, who became an actor. Dancing. Mara danced as part of bandleader Xavier Cugat's show as well as on two episodes of "Maverick" entitled "Seed of Deception" and "The Spanish Dancer". Film. Under the  professional name of Adele St. Mara, she won a contract with Columbia Pictures and gained experience in the studio's "B" features and comedy shorts. This was soon shortened to Adele Mara. One of Mara's early roles was as a receptionist in the Three Stooges film "I Can Hardly Wait". Mara and Leslie Brooks played the sisters of Rita Hayworth's character in the Fred Astaire film "You Were Never Lovelier". In "Alias Boston Blackie" (1942), she plays the leading female role, as the sister of an escaped and wrongfully accused convict. When her Columbia contract lapsed, she moved  to Republic Pictures, where she became a fixture in the studio's westerns and outdoor adventures. She appeared in "The Vampire's Ghost", "Wake of the Red Witch" starring John Wayne, "Angel in Exile" (leading lady), "Sands of Iwo Jima" with John Wayne in which she was John Agar's love interest, "California Passage" (leading lady), and Don Siegel's "Count the Hours" (supporting role). Television. In 1955 Mara appeared as Sarita on the TV western "Cheyenne" in the episode "Border Showdown." In 1958, Mara played Maria Costa in the "Bat Masterson" episode "Double Showdown" with Gene Barry. In 1961 , Mara appeared as a nurse with Cesar Romero on CBS's "The Red Skelton Show" in a sketch titled "Deadeye and The Alamo". About this time, she guest-starred on the NBC Western series "The Tall Man" with Clu Gulager, as well as three episodes of "Maverick" (one with James Garner and Jack Kelly and two with only Kelly), and episodes of "Laramie", "Tales of Wells Fargo" with Dale Robertson and "The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp" with Hugh O'Brien. She also appeared in the "Alfred Hitchcock Hour" episode "House Guest" in 1962. Personal. Mara was married to screenwriter /series creator/producer/novelist Roy Huggins and appeared as the leading lady in three episodes of his 1957 television series "Maverick". They had three sons, Thomas in 1960, John in 1961, and James Patrick in 1963 and remained married until his death at age 87 in 2002. The marriage had spanned half a century. Mara's brother, Luis Delgado (1925–1997) played small, often uncredited roles in films and TV, especially in the projects of his close friend James Garner, for whom Delgado also worked as a personal assistant. Death. Mara died of natural causes on May 7, 2010. Adele Mara