Donna Lee Custer ( Hickey, January 8, 1928 – March 22, 2021), better known as May Wynn, was an American dancer, singer, and actress.

Early life

Wynn, who grew up in

Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a mostly residential neighborhood in the central portion of the borough of Queens in New York City. It is adjacent to Corona to the north, Rego Park and Glendale to the west, Forest Park to the south, Kew Gardens to the southeas ...

, New York, was descended from a line of performers. Her grandfather, Bertie Black, worked as a musician in vaudeville, and her father, Ray Hickey, was a song-and-dance performer in vaudeville. She was of Irish descent. Her early jobs included modeling, working in a department store, and being a page at La Guardia Field. Outside of work, she won a variety of talent contests.

Career

Wynn began performing under her birth name at New York's Copacabana nightclub at 17. She was tested for a key supporting role in ''

From Here to Eternity ''From Here to Eternity'' is a 1953 American drama romance war film directed by Fred Zinnemann, and written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel of the same name by James Jones. The picture deals with the tribulations of three U.S. A ...

'' (1953), but Donna Reed played the part and won an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for her performance. In 1954, she adopted the stage name of May Wynn after she played a character of that name in '' The Caine Mutiny'' (1954). Wynn later was cast as the lead actress in the feature films ''

The Man Is Armed ''The Man Is Armed'' is a 1956 film noir crime film directed by Franklin Adreon starring Dane Clark, William Talman, May Wynn and Robert Horton. Plot Framed by another man, truck driver Johnny Morrison serves a year in prison. After his rel ...

'' and ''The White Squaw'' (both 1956), and in

Jack Webb John Randolph Webb (April 2, 1920 – December 23, 1982) was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the ''Dragnet'' franchise, which he created. He was a ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television series, ''Noah's Ark'', in which she played opposite Paul Burke and

Victor Rodman Victor Rodman (born Victor Rottman, August 6, 1892–June 29, 1965) was an American actor best known for his work on two Jack Webb NBC television programs, '' Dragnet'' and ''Noah's Ark''. Biography Rodman was born in Augusta, Arkansas. Nam ...

. She guest-starred on '' Perry Mason'' as Donna Sherwood in "The Case of the Glittering Goldfish" (1959). In 1958, she starred with her then-husband Jack Kelly in ''The Hong Kong Affair''. Wynn worked in real estate after leaving acting, and in 1989 began work as a part-time aide with Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic School in

Newport Beach, California Newport Beach is a coastal city in South Orange County, California. Newport Beach is known for swimming and sandy beaches. Newport Harbor once supported maritime industries however today, it is used mostly for recreation. Balboa Island draws v ...

. In January 2018, Wynn, then known as Donna Custer, was feted by the school on her 90th birthday. A ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' profile said that she "now uses her experience to help students at Our Lady Queen of Angels build confidence during her after-school public speaking classes," and still received fan mail.

Personal life

Wynn married actor Jack Kelly in October 1956. The couple divorced in 1964. She was married to Jack W. Custer from 1968 to 1979, when they were divorced.Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen: May Wynn profile
/ref> Wynn died in

, in March 2021 at the age of 93.

Selected filmography

*'' The Caine Mutiny'' (1954) *'' They Rode West'' (1954) *'' The Violent Men'' (1955) *''

The White Squaw ''The White Squaw'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring David Brian, May Wynn and William Bishop. Plot A Swedish settler (David Brian) starts a war when he tries to drive Dakotas off their Wyoming reservation. ...

'' (1956) *''Hong Kong Affair'' (1958)

References

External links

*
AllMovie.com entry

Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wynn, May 1928 births 2021 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New York (state) American Roman Catholics American dancers American female dancers American film actresses American people of Irish descent American television actresses California Republicans New York (state) Republicans People from New York City Western (genre) film actresses Western (genre) television actors 21st-century American women