Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Rowles (January 10, 1914 – October 7, 2001) was an American actress.

Early years

Born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Rowles was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph T. Rowles. Her father was a steel executive, and her grandfather was an actor. She graduated from

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...

. While Rowles was at Carnegie Tech, she appeared in 30 plays, often in leading roles. She gained additional acting experience with the Pittsburgh Little Theatre, where Ben Iden Payne was the director. She was signed to make films for Universal based on the recommendation of Carnegie Tech's school of drama.

Career

Roweles's film debut came in '' Love Letters of a Star''. Universal executives declined to pick up Rowles's option after her first year, attributing the decision to her right eye, which she said was slightly smaller than the left as a result of a childhood injury. They had ordered an operation on the eye but let her go anyway. She worked as a freelance actress, including making a film with Gene Autry, but then decided that she could put her dramatic training to better use on stage, so she headed east to Broadway. Rowels performed in such films and television series as '' The Defenders'', ''

Sweet Liberty ''Sweet Liberty'' is a 1986 American comedy film written and directed by Alan Alda, and starring Alda in the lead role, alongside Michael Caine and Michelle Pfeiffer, with support from Bob Hoskins, Lois Chiles, Lise Hilboldt, Lillian Gish, ...

'' and ''

Power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...

''. Rowles portrayed Laurie in the ''Jamie'' TV series. Television work included soap opera characters in roles on '' The Nurses'', ''

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

'', and ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American mystery crime drama soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network for most of its ...

''. During the 1980s, Rowles was also known as Inspector No. 12 in a series of television commercials for

Hanes Hanes (founded in 1900) and Hanes Her Way (founded in 1985) is an American clothing brand headquartered in Winston-Salem. Founded in 1900 as Shamrock Knitting Mills by John Wesley Hanes, the company is owned by Hanes, Inc. History Hanes was f ...

underwear. Rowles's Broadway debut came in ''Julius Caesar'' (1938). She also appeared as Vera Charles in the original Broadway production of ''

Auntie Mame ''Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' is a 1955 novel by American author Patrick Dennis chronicling the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the Ward (law), ward of his Aunt Mame Dennis, the sister of his dead father. The book i ...

'' (1956–1958) with

Rosalind Russell Catherine Rosalind Russell (June 4, 1907November 28, 1976) was an American actress, model, comedian, screenwriter, and singer,Obituary '' Variety'', December 1, 1976, p. 79. known for her role as fast-talking newspaper reporter Hildy Johnson in ...

in the title role. Rowles also acted on stage in the Strand Theatre in London in ''Dark Eyes'' (1948). Rowles had a program that was "an early version of talk radio" on KDKA in Pittsburgh.

Personal life and death

Rowles was married to Frank Snyder, and she had a daughter. On October 7, 2001, Rowles died at a nursing home in

Concord, New Hampshire Concord () is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Hampshire and the county seat, seat of Merrimack County, New Hampshire, Merrimack County. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 43,976, making it the List of municipalities ...

, aged 87.

Selected filmography

* ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1956) (Season 1 Episode 17: "The Older Sister") as Nell Cutts

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rowles, Polly American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses 20th-century American actresses 1914 births 2001 deaths Actresses from Philadelphia Carnegie Mellon University alumni