Martha Vickers (born Martha MacVicar; May 28, 1925 – November 2, 1971) was an American model and actress.

Early life

Vickers was born Martha MacVicar in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

; her father was an automobile dealer. She began her career as a model and cover girl. Her family moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

when her father assumed control of an agency in Burbank, California. Vickers was 15 at that time.

Film

Vickers' first film role was a small uncredited part in '' Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man'' (1943). She played minor roles in several films during the early 1940s, working first at

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

and then at

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the major film studios, "Big Five" film studios of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood's Clas ...

. She next went to

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

, where "they gave her the star push, rearranging her surname to 'Vickers.'" Her work there included the role of Carmen Sternwood, the promiscuous, drug-addicted younger sister of

Lauren Bacall Betty Joan Perske (September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014), professionally known as Lauren Bacall ( ), was an American actress. She was named the AFI's 100 Years...100 Stars, 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the America ...

's character in '' The Big Sleep'' (1946). She also featured in a musical, '' The Time, the Place and the Girl'' (also 1946), followed by two Warner Bros. comedies, '' Love and Learn'' and '' That Way with Women'' (both 1947). During the 1950s Vickers worked more often in television than in films, with her final performances in either medium released in 1960.

Television

Vickers's TV appearances included the 1959 '' Perry Mason'' episode, "The Case of the Jaded Joker", in which she played Sheila Hayes. Her final two performances, in 1960, were on '' The Rebel'', starring Nick Adams.

Personal life

Vickers was married three times, to A.C. Lyles (March 15, 1948 – September 28, 1948),

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Ninnian Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nearly nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last survivi ...

(June 3, 1949 – September 25, 1951), and actor Manuel Rojas (September 1, 1954 – May 5, 1965). Each marriage ended in divorce. Vickers had one son with Mickey Rooney, and two daughters with Rojas.

Death

Vickers died, aged 46, of

esophageal cancer Esophageal cancer (American English) or oesophageal cancer (British English) is cancer arising from the esophagus—the food pipe that runs between the throat and the stomach. Symptoms often include dysphagia, difficulty in swallowing and weigh ...

at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles on November 2, 1971. She is buried in

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery located at 10621 Victory Boulevard, straddling the border between the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery's East entrance features the Portal of the Fo ...

in North Hollywood, California.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Martha Vickers
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aenigma
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vickers, Martha 1925 births 1971 deaths American television actresses Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Deaths from esophageal cancer in California Actresses from Ann Arbor, Michigan 20th-century American actresses