Mari Aldon
Lithuanian-American actress (1925-2004)
Mari Aldon (born Marija Aldona Pauliutė; 17 November 1925, 31 October 2004) was a Lithuanian-born American actress.
01Early life
Mari Aldon was born in Tauragė, Lithuania. Her father Antanas Paulius was a policeman, mother Antanina (Antosė) Paulienė was a nurse. Father moved to America looking for a job. Soon after, when Mari was three years old, her mother also moved to Toronto, Canada with her daughter. There, she attended Givens Public School and Central High School. She studied ballet, drama, piano, and singing. Her early performances were noticed in Lithuanian newspapers of America. She had a sister.
02Career
Before Aldon began working in films, she acted for 11 months in a road company of A Streetcar Named Desire and danced with the Canadian Ballet. She also appeared on radio with Alan Young and on The Harold Peary Show.
After making her screen debut in a minor role in The Locket (1946) she gradually evolved to playing supporting or lead roles. Her most notable performance was starring opposite Gary Cooper in the 1951 Western Distant Drums. By the mid-1950s she was appearing either in B Pictures like the British thriller Mask of Dust (1954) or in supporting roles in more expensive films such as David Lean's Summertime (1955).
After this point she worked largely in television, such as on the TV Western Wagon Train in 1959 as Freda Johnson in "The Vivian Carter Story" (S2E23) and in 1960 as Hester Millikan in "The Jeremy Dow Story" (S4E14). She guest-starred in a 1958 episode of Colgate Theatre and in a 1961 episode of Ichabod and Me. and as Ruby Kelley in a 1966 episode of Bonanza S7E30
03Personal life
Aldon married Tay Garnett in London, England on 13 August 1953. Their daughter, Tiela Aldon Garnett (later Daniels), was born in Los Angeles, California on 25 October 1955.
On 17 January 1958, Aldon became a US citizen. In August 1970, Aldon filed for divorce from Garnett in Los Angeles, she was widowed seven years later. Aldon and Garnett had a ranch, near King Vidor in Paso Robles, California. Close relatives still live in her hometown of Tauragė, Lithuania, with whom she kept in touch.
04Death
Aldon died on 31 October 2004 in Las Vegas, aged 78, of cancer.
05Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | The Locket | Mary | Uncredited |
| 1947 | Forever Amber | Bess | Scenes deleted |
| 1948 | A Woman's Vengeance | Girl | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Inside the Walls of Folsom Prison | Mrs. Daniels | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Tomorrow Is Another Day | Dance Hall Hostess | Uncredited |
| 1951 | The Tanks Are Coming | Patricia Kane | |
| 1951 | Distant Drums | Judy Beckett | |
| 1952 | This Woman Is Dangerous | Ann Jackson | |
| 1953 | Tangier Incident | Millicent | |
| 1954 | The Barefoot Contessa | Myrna | |
| 1954 | Mask of Dust | Patricia Wells | |
| 1955 | Summertime | Phyl Yaeger | |
| 1968 | Live a Little, Love a Little | Minor Role | Uncredited, (final film role) |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Mari Aldon”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Mari Aldon visits an ostrich farm during "Distant Drums" premiere- Saint Augustine, Florida (3308644609).jpg by Florida Memory, Public domain
- Mari Aldon and Richard Webb.jpg by Florida Department of Commerce, State Library and Archives of Florida, Public domain
- Mari Aldon makes Governor Warren laugh at the celebration for "Distant Drums" premiere- Saint Augustine, Florida (4565749046).jpg by State Library and Archives of Florida, Public domain
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