Mari Aldon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mari Aldon
Mari Aldon visits an ostrich farm during "Distant Drums" premiere- Saint Augustine, Florida (3308644609).jpg
Aldon at the Florida premiere of Distant Drums (1951)
Born
Aldona Pauliutė

(1925-11-17)17 November 1925
Tauragė, Lithuania
Died31 October 2004(2004-10-31) (aged 78)
Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S.
Citizenship
  • Lithuanian
  • American
OccupationActress
Years active1946–1968
Spouse(s)
​
​
(m. 1953; died 1977)​
Children1[1]

Mari Aldon (born Aldona Pauliutė; 17 November 1925 – 31 October 2004) was an Lithuanian-born American actress.

Early life[]

Mari Aldon was born in Tauragė, Lithuania. When she was three years old, her parents moved to Toronto[2] where she attended Givens Public School and Central High School.[3] She studied ballet, drama, piano, and singing.

Career[]

Before Aldon began working in films, she acted for 11 months in a road company of A Streetcar Named Desire[4] and danced with the Canadian Ballet. She also appeared on radio with Alan Young and on The Great Gildersleeve.[3]

Aldon with Richard Webb at the Florida premiere of Distant Drums (1951)
Aldon and Governor Warren at the premiere of Distant Drums in Saint Augustine, Florida, 1951

After making her screen debut in a minor role in The Locket (1946) she gradually evolved to playing supporting or lead roles. Her most notable performance was starring opposite Gary Cooper in the 1951 Western Distant Drums. By the mid-1950s she was appearing either in B Pictures like the British thriller Mask of Dust (1954) or in supporting roles in more expensive films such as David Lean's Summertime (1955).

After this point she worked largely in television, such as on the TV Western Wagon Train in 1959 as “Freda Johnson” in “The Vivian Carter Story” (S2E23) & in 1960 as “Hester Millikan” in the “The Jeremy Dow Story” (S4E14).

Personal life[]

Aldon married Tay Garnett in London, England on 13 August 1953.[5] Their daughter was born in Los Angeles, California on 25 October 1955.[6][7] On January 17, 1958 Aldon became a US citizen. In August 1970, Aldon filed for divorce from Garnett in Los Angeles, she was widowed seven years later. Aldon and Garnett had a ranch near King Vidor in Paso Robles, California.[8][9] Aldon died on October 31, 2004 in Las Vegas, of cancer. She is survived by her daughter, Tiela, her grandchildren, Taylor and Chloe, and her sister Janet.[10][11]

Filmography[]

Year Title Role Notes
1946 The Locket Mary Uncredited
1947 Forever Amber Bess Scenes deleted
1948 A Woman's Vengeance Girl Uncredited
1951 Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison Mrs. Daniels Uncredited
1951 Tomorrow Is Another Day Dance Hall Hostess Uncredited
1951 The Tanks Are Coming' Patricia Kane
1951 Distant Drums Judy Beckett
1952 This Woman Is Dangerous Ann Jackson
1953 Tangier Incident Millicent
1954 The Barefoot Contessa Myrna
1954 Mask of Dust Patricia Wells
1955 Summertime Phyl Yaeger
1968 Live a Little, Love a Little Minor Role Uncredited, (final film role)

References[]

  1. ^ "The Private Life and Times of Mari Aldon". glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
  2. ^ Jancevičius, Alvidas. "Mari Aldon – Holivudo gražuolė iš Žemaitijos". 15min.lt (in Lithuanian). Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Mari Aldon Was Dragged Off Stage By Father". The Ottawa Citizen. Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. 19 May 1951. p. 41. Retrieved 9 October 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Padgitt, James (11 April 1951). "2 Weeks Ago She Sought Bit Job, Now Mari Aldon Is Leading Lady". Press and Sun-Bulletin. New York, Binghamton. International News Service. p. 44. Retrieved 8 October 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Aaker p.85
  6. ^ Shepard, Richard F. (19 October 1977). "Tay Garnett, Film Director for Half Century, Dies". The New York Times.
  7. ^ https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/429729235/
  8. ^ "The Pittsburgh Press from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 4, 1946 · Page 21".
  9. ^ "Journey to Galveston: An Interview with Catherine Berge on King Vidor – Senses of Cinema".
  10. ^ http://www.cineartistes.com/fiche-Mari+Aldon.html
  11. ^ "Mari Aldon - the Private Life and Times of Mari Aldon. Mari Aldon Pictures".

Bibliography[]

  • Aaker, Everett. George Raft: The Films. McFarland, 2013.

External links[]


Stub icon

This article about a United States film actor born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by .

  • v
  • t
Retrieved from ""