Marguerite Louise Skliris-Alvarez ( Skliris; born April 7, 1922), known as Margia Dean, is an American former

beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...

and stage and screen actress of Greek descent, who had a successful career in

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) * Hollywoo ...

films during the 1940s until the early 1960s.

Biography

She was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rock ...

but moved to

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17t ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

with her parents at a young age. She began acting at the age of 7, appearing on stage in many child roles and later won the Women's National Shakespeare Contest for her role as

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist ...

in a production of ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with ''Ham ...

''. She also took up modelling and was named "Miss San Francisco" and " Miss California" in 1939. She was a top-five runner-up to Patricia Donnelly in the " Miss America 1939" competition. She made her feature film debut in ''

Casanova in Burlesque ''Casanova in Burlesque'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Frank Gill Jr.. The film stars Joe E. Brown, June Havoc, Dale Evans, Marjorie Gateson, Lucien Littlefield and Ian Keith. The film was released on ...

'' (1944) and adopted her stage name, Margia Dean. Although never under contract to a studio, most of the films, some 16 in all, she made were for the producer

Robert L. Lippert Robert Lenard Lippert (March 31, 1909 – November 16, 1976) was an American film producer and cinema chain owner. He was president and chief operating officer of Lippert Theatres, Affiliated Theatres and Transcontinental Theatres, all based in ...

. Her first leading role was in '' Shep Come Home'' (1948) and roles followed in '' Red Desert'' (1949), '' FBI Girl'' (1951), '' The Lonesome Trail'' (1955), '' Villa!!'' (1958) and ''

Seven Women from Hell ''Seven Women from Hell'' is a 1961 war drama directed by Robert D. Webb and starring Patricia Owens, Denise Darcel (in her final film), Margia Dean, Yvonne Craig and Cesar Romero about women prisoners in a Japanese World War II prison camp, inter ...

'' (1961). Dean starred in a 1958 western, '' Ambush at Cimarron Pass'', that featured

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...

in one of his earliest film roles. She also portrayed a trapeze artist in the 1961 circus tale '' The Big Show'', which starred

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

and Robert Vaughn. Her association with Lippert had led to her being cast in '' The Quatermass Xperiment'' (1955), the first Hammer horror film. Frustrated that her roles were predominantly in

B movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

s, she eventually retired from acting following her marriage in 1965 to her second husband, architect Felipe Alvarez. Her final film was '' Moro Witch Doctor'' (1964). She briefly became involved in movie production, producing '' The Long Rope'' (1961) with Hugh Marlowe as well as a number of television pilots. She has since been vice-president of a

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more genera ...

firm and has worked in costume design and interior decoration.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1944) * ''

Call of the South Seas ''Call of the South Seas'' is a 1944 American action film directed by John English starring Janet Martin, Allan Lane and William Henry.Langman p.172 The film's sets were designed by the art director Gano Chittenden. Cast * Janet Martin as P ...

'' (1944) * ''

Take It Big ''Take It Big'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Frank McDonald and written by Howard J. Green and Joe Bigelow. The film stars Jack Haley, Harriet Hilliard, Mary Beth Hughes, Richard Lane, Arline Judge and Fritz Feld. Also featured i ...

'' (1944) * '' The Desert Hawk'' (1944) * '' Accent on Crime'' (1944) * '' Minstrel Man'' (1944) * '' Earl Carroll Vanities'' (1945) * ''

The Power of the Whistler ''The Power of the Whistler'' is a 1945 film noir thriller film based on the radio drama ''The Whistler''. Directed by Lew Landers, the production features Richard Dix. It is the third of Columbia Pictures' eight " Whistler" films produced in th ...

'' (1945) * '' Crime Doctor's Warning '' (1945) * ''

Who's Guilty? ''Who's Guilty?'' is a 1945 American film serial. It was the 28th of 57 serials released by Columbia Pictures. ''Who's Guilty?'' was a rare attempt at a whodunit mystery film in serial form. The serial's villain (The Voice) was designed to look ...

'' (1945) * '' Living in a Big Way'' (1947) * ''

Shep Comes Home ''Shep Comes Home'' is a 1948 American film written and directed by Ford Beebe for Lippert Pictures. It was a sequel to ''My Dog Shep'' (1946). Cast *Flame as Shep * Robert Lowery as Mark Folger * Billy Kimbley as Larry Havens *Martin Garralaga ...

'' (1948) * ''

I Shot Jesse James ''I Shot Jesse James'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by Samuel Fuller about the murder of Jesse James by Robert Ford and Robert Ford's life afterwards. The story is built around a fictional rivalry between Ford and his eventual kill ...

'' (1949) * '' Rimfire'' (1949) * ''

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...

'' (1949) * ''

Ringside Ringside may refer to: Sports *Ringside of a boxing ring *Ringside of a wrestling ring *Ringside seating (combat sports), see Ringside (boxing) Film *'' Ringside Maisie'', 1941 boxing film * ''Ringside'' (1949 film), American boxing drama film ...

'' (1949) * ''

Treasure of Monte Cristo ''Treasure of Monte Cristo'' is a 1949 American film noir crime film directed by William Berke and starring Glenn Langan, Adele Jergens and Steve Brodie. Plot A descendant of Edmond Dantès finds himself framed for a crime he did not commit. C ...

'' (1949) * ''

Tough Assignment ''Tough Assignment'' is a 1949 American crime film directed by William Beaudine and starring Don Barry, Marjorie Steele and Steve Brodie. It is regarded as a film noir.Spicer p.421 Plot A Los Angeles reporter and his photographer wife investi ...

'' (1949) * '' Red Desert'' (1949) * '' The Baron of Arizona'' (1950) * ''

Western Pacific Agent ''Western Pacific Agent '' is a 1950 Sigmund Neufeld Productions crime drama directed by Sam Newfield and starring Kent Taylor, Sheila Ryan, and Mickey Knox. The picture was written by Fred Myton based on a story by Milton Raison. It was release ...

'' (1950) * '' Motor Patrol'' (1950) * '' Hi-Jacked'' (1950) * ''

The Return of Jesse James ''The Return of Jesse James'' is a 1950 American western film directed by Arthur Hilton and starring John Ireland, Ann Dvorak and Henry Hull. It was produced and distributed by the independent Lippert Pictures. The film's art direction was by ...

'' (1950) * ''

Bandit Queen ''Bandit Queen'' is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language biographical action-adventure film based on the life of Phoolan Devi as covered in the book ''India's Bandit Queen: The True Story of Phoolan Devi'' by the Indian author Mala Sen. It was written ...

'' (1950) * '' Fingerprints Don't Lie'' (1951) * '' Mask of the Dragon'' (1951) * ''

Tales of Robin Hood ''Tales of Robin Hood'' is a 1951 American film directed by James Tinling. The film was one of a series Robert L. Lippert wanted to make for television with R and L Productions but he ended up only making this and '' As You Were''. Filming sta ...

'' (1951) * '' Pier 23'' (1951) * ''

Kentucky Jubilee ''Kentucky Jubilee'' is a 1951 American musical-comedy film directed by Ron Ormond for Lippert Pictures. Plot Reporter Ellison; self-important film director Feld; and brash Master Of Ceremonies Colonna arrive in rural Kentucky to cover a local ...

'' (1951) * '' Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison'' (1951) * '' Savage Drums'' (1951) * '' Take Care of My Little Girl'' (1951) * ''

Leave It to the Marines ''Leave It to the Marines'' is a 1951 American black-and-white comedy film from Lippert Pictures. It was produced by Sigmund Neufeld, directed by Sam Newfield and starred Lippert contract star Sid Melton. Plot Gerald Meek goes to apply for a ...

'' (1951) * '' Sky High'' (1951) * '' FBI Girl'' (1951) * '' Superman and the Mole-Men'' (1951) * '' Mr. Walkie Talkie'' (1952) * ''

Loan Shark A loan shark is a person who offers loans at extremely high interest rates, has strict terms of collection upon failure, and generally operates outside the law. Description Because loan sharks operate mostly illegally, they cannot reasonably ...

'' (1952) * '' Mesa of Lost Women'' (1953) * ''

Sins of Jezebel ''Sins of Jezebel'' is a 1953 American historical drama film produced by Sigmund Neufeld and directed by Reginald Le Borg. It stars Paulette Goddard as Jezebel, the biblical queen of the northern kingdom of Israel during the 9th century BC. The fi ...

'' (1953) * '' Fangs of the Wild'' (1954) * '' The Lonesome Trail'' (1955) * '' The Quatermass Xperiment'' (1955) * ''

Last of the Desperados ''Last of the Desperados'' is a 1955 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Orville H. Hampton. The film stars James Craig, Jim Davis, Barton MacLane, Margia Dean, Donna Martell, Myrna Dell, Bob Steele and Stanley Clem ...

'' (1955) * '' The Revolt of Mamie Stover'' (1956) * '' Frontier Gambler'' (1956) * ''

Stagecoach to Fury ''Stagecoach to Fury'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by William F. Claxton and starring Forrest Tucker and Mari Blanchard. It was the first film from Robert L. Lippert's Regal films; the B picture unit of 20th Century Fox set up to ...

'' (1956) * '' Badlands of Montana'' (1957) * '' Ambush at Cimarron Pass'' (1958) * '' Villa!!'' (1958) * '' The Secret of the Purple Reef'' (1960) * '' The Big Show'' (1961) * '' 7 Women from Hell'' (1961) * '' Moro Witch Doctor'' (1964)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dean, Margia 1922 births 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women Actresses from California Actresses from Chicago Actresses from Illinois Actresses from San Francisco American centenarians American film actresses American people of Greek descent Female models from California Female models from Illinois Living people Miss America 1930s delegates Models from Chicago Women centenarians