Marian Carr (born Marion Dorice Dunn; July 6, 1926July 30, 2003), sometimes credited as Marion Carr, was an American actress who appeared in a number of films in the late 1940s through the 1950s.

Biography

Carr was born July 6, 1926, in

Providence, Kentucky Providence is a home rule-class city in Webster County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 3,193 at the time of the 2010 United States Census, making the most populous community in the county. History In 1820, Richard B. Savag ...

. In her adolescence, she relocated with her family to

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, Illinois, where she attended Austin High School. After graduating high school, Carr worked in an office as well as taking jobs

modeling A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the Plan_(drawing), plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French language, French and Italian language, Italian ult ...

in Chicago. She was spotted by a talent scout and was named "Chicago's Prettiest Office Worker" in 1946. Following this, Carr relocated

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, where she began acting in local theater productions. She subsequently signed a film contract with

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 ...

in 1946 under

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

. She made her feature film debut in ''

San Quentin San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ), formerly known as San Quentin State Prison, is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in ...

'' (1946), followed by a minor part in

Frank Capra Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-American film director, producer, and screenwriter who was the creative force behind Frank Capra filmography#Films that won Academy Award ...

's 1946 '' It's a Wonderful Life''. Carr had lead roles in several films, including the Westerns ''

The Devil Thumbs a Ride ''The Devil Thumbs a Ride'' is a 1947 American film noir directed by Felix E. Feist and featuring Lawrence Tierney, Ted North, Nan Leslie and Betty Lawford. It was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. Plot Steve Morgan (Tierney) is a c ...

'' (1947) and ''

Northern Patrol The Northern Patrol, also known as Cruiser Force B and the Northern Patrol Force, was a naval force of the Royal Navy during the world wars. The Northern Patrol was part of the British "distant" Blockade of Germany (1914–1919). Its main task wa ...

'' (1953). After marrying Frederick Levy, an executive for Blum Candy, Carr took a temporary hiatus from acting, and resided in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, where she gave birth to a son in 1952. After divorcing Levy in 1954, she returned to acting with supporting roles in '' Ring of Fear'' (1954), and two

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

by director

Robert Aldrich Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. An iconoclastic and maverick '' auteur'' working in many genres during the Golden Age of Hollywood, he directed main ...

: ''

World for Ransom ''World for Ransom'' is a 1954 American film noir drama directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Dan Duryea, Patric Knowles, Gene Lockhart, Reginald Denny, and Nigel Bruce (in his final film role). Many of the actors and sets used in the film ...

'' (1954) and cult classic ''

Kiss Me Deadly ''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing i ...

'' (1955), in the latter of which she portrayed the sister of a mobster. Carr appeared in several other films, such as the unique L.A. noir horror film ‘’ The Indestructible Man’’, as a recovering stripper girlfriend of the lead cop, Western ''

Ghost Town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

'' (1956), before making her final feature film appearance in ''

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety, disgust or sadness. The dream may contain situations o ...

'' (also 1956) before retiring. Carr later married television producer Lester Linsk in 1958, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1966. She subsequently married Francis Jerome Mason.

Death

Carr died in

Palm Desert, California Palm Desert is a city in the Coachella Valley region of Riverside County, California. The city is located in the Colorado Desert arm of the Sonoran Desert, about east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The popula ...

, on July 30, 2003.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Marian 1926 births 2003 deaths Actresses from Chicago Actresses from Kentucky American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses RKO Pictures contract players People from Providence, Kentucky 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women Austin Community Academy High School alumni