Mary Ella Dees (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2005) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for actress

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

Biography and career

Born in

Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a Syracuse metropolitan area, metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13 ...

, on June 3, 1911, the daughter of a successful lawyer, Dees was for a time raised in

Tuscaloosa, Alabama Tuscaloosa ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Tuscaloosa County in west-central Alabama, United States, on the Black Warrior River where the Gulf Coastal Plain, Gulf Coastal and Piedmont (United States), Piedm ...

. She worked for a short time as a typist before moving to Hollywood in 1932. She was named Miss America in Hollywood in 1932, an accomplishment that led director Jack Conway to give her a bit part in '' Red Headed Woman''. That film starred

, who befriended Dees. She advised the newcomer to study dancing, helped her to shop for "the right clothes" and helped to pay for Dees's gowns. Dees was a dancer when, in 1937, after the sudden death of Harlow, she was cast by MGM boss

Louis B. Mayer Louis Burt Mayer (; born Lazar Meir; July 12, 1884Mayer maintained that he was born in Minsk on July 4, 1885. According to Scott Eyman, the reasons may have been: * Mayer's father gave different dates for his birthplace at different times, so ...

as a four-minute stand-in for the star, who was acting opposite

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

on the film '' Saratoga'', which was still in production.''The Guardian'' obituary for Mary Dees, September 22, 2005; accessed January 2, 2011.
/ref> Dees had parts in '' The Last Gangster'' (1937), '' The Women'' (1939), as well as a number of

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

shorts, which included ''

Hoi Polloi The English expression the hoi polloi (; ; ) was borrowed from Ancient Greek, where it means "the many" or, in the strictest sense, "the people". In English, it has been given a negative connotation to signify the common people. ''We first hear ...

'' (1935), and numerous

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

comedies.

Later career

Dees appeared in her last film role in 1946, in the

film '' A Night in Casablanca''. She continued to act on stage in repertory theatre until 1985.

Death

Dees died on August 4, 2005, in

Lake Worth, Florida Lake Worth Beach, previously named Lake Worth, is a city in east-central Palm Beach County, Florida, United States, located about north of Miami. The city's name is derived from the body of water along its eastern border known as the Lake Wort ...

, aged 94, after a long illness.''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' article with photo, August 10, 2004
/ref>

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dees, Mary 1911 births 2005 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Syracuse, New York People from Lake Worth Beach, Florida People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women