Marti Stevens ( Martha Schenk; born New York City) is a retired American singer and actress. She appeared in television shows such as '' It Takes a Thief'', ''

The Love Boat ''The Love Boat'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Wilford Lloyd Baumes that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1977, to May 24, 1986. In addition, three TV movies aired before the regular series pre ...

'' and ''

Stagecoach West Stagecoach West is a bus operator providing services in Gloucestershire, Bristol, Swindon, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, North Somerset and Herefordshire, in the West of England, and Monmouthshire in the South-East of Wales. The company is a subsidia ...

''. She appeared in an Australian production of the play ''

Forty Carats ''Forty Carats'' is a play by Jay Presson Allen. Adapted from the French original by Pierre Barillet and Jean-Pierre Gredy, the comedy revolves around a 40-year-old American divorcee who is assisted by a 22-year-old when her car breaks down ...

'' and in '' High Spirits'', the musical version of ''

Blithe Spirit Blithe Spirit may refer to: * ''Blithe Spirit'' (play), a 1941 comic play written by Noël Coward * ''Blithe Spirit'' (1945 film), a British comedy film based on the play * Blithe Spirit (''Ford Star Jubilee''), a 1956 television play version of ...

'', in London's West End in 1964. She also had a starring role in the 1962 film, '' All Night Long''.

Early life

Born Martha Schenk, she was the daughter of American film studio executive,

Nicholas Schenck Nicholas M. Schenck (14 November 1880, Rybinsk, Russian Empire, Russia – 4 March 1969, Florida) was a Russian-American Studio executive, film studio executive and businessman. Biography Early life One of seven children, Schenck was born t ...

."Marti Stevens Comes to Ankara"
''Pittsburgh-Post Gazette'', page 8, November 29, 1954. She was a close friend of actresses

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

Page 11 "If you think she's Marlene, you're wrong! But she is a close friend"
''The Age'', January 14, 1970. and Rachel Roberts. In 1963, she had a surprise visit from a queen. Queen Frederika and Princess Irene of Greece were being chased down the road by protestors and were ringing door bells looking for refuge. Stevens heard the bell ring and came to the door dressed in a bath towel. She let them in and gave them both a scotch.

Music career

Clubs

In late November 1959, she began a two-week engagement at the Ankara club. It was reported in the ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving Greater Pittsburgh, metropolitan Pittsburgh in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the fi ...

'' (December 6, 1959) that she, along with the Chandra Kaly Dancers, were to stay on an extra week.

Other events

In January 2016, it was announced that Stevens, along with Barbara Cook, Billy Porter, Lea Salonga, De'Adre Aziza, Amanda Green, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Lindsay Mendez, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Telly Leung, and others were to perform at a benefit concert connected with the late

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American singer, actress, dancer and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years and covered film, television and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of the C ...

. The event was to take place at New York City's Symphony Space on January 11, 2016.

Stage

In 1960, Stevens appeared at the

East 74th Street Theater The East 74th Street Theater, sometimes spelled as the East 74th Street Theatre, was an Off-Broadway theater at 334 East 74th Street in Manhattan, New York City, United States. History Frank Day Tuttle, a theatrical and radio producer and dir ...

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned jazz, popular music, popular and classical music. Among his best-known works are the songs "Swan ...

's ''

Oh, Kay! ''Oh, Kay!'' is a musical with music by George Gershwin, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and a book by Guy Bolton and P. G. Wodehouse. It is based on the play ''La Présidente'' by Maurice Hennequin and Pierre Veber. The plot revolves around the adve ...

'', with

Penny Fuller Penny Fuller is an American actress. She received two Tony Award nominations for her performances on Broadway stage: for '' Applause'' (1970), and ''The Dinner Party'' (2001). For her television performances, Fuller received six Emmy Award nomin ...

and

Linda Lavin Linda Lavin (; October 15, 1937 – December 29, 2024) was an American actress and singer. Known for her roles on stage and screen, she received several awards including three Drama Desk Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Obie Awards, and a T ...

. In March 1970, having been brought to Australia by Philip Productions, she was appearing at the Anthenaeum theater in Melbourne with Tony Hanlon in the James Burrows directed ''

''.

Film and television roles

In 1962, she had a role in the film ''All Night Long'', a film with the British jazz-scene as its backdrop, based on Shakespeare's ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

''. She played the role of Delia Lane, wife of a black musician, Aurelius Rex, played by Paul Harris. They become victim to the devious and sinister meddling by musician Johnny Cousin, played by

Patrick McGoohan Patrick Joseph McGoohan (; March 19, 1928 – January 13, 2009) was an Irish-American actor of film, television, and theatre. Born in New York City to Irish parents, he was raised in Ireland and England. He began his career in England during t ...

.5 Oldies But Goodies Streaming on Netflix to Consider Watching This Weekend By Tambay A. Obenson
via blogs.indiewire.com. February 4, 2015. Stevens sings two songs in the film.

Filmography

References

External links

*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stevens, Marti Living people Singers from New York City American film actresses American television actresses American people of Russian-Jewish descent Jewish American actresses Year of birth missing (living people)