About
Petite, attractive Mari Blanchard rarely managed to get the lucky breaks. The daughter of an oil tycoon and a psychotherapist, she suffered from severe poliomyelitis from the age of nine, which denied her a hoped-for dancing career. For several years, she worked hard to rehabilitate her limbs from paralysis, swimming and later even performing on the trapeze at Cole Brothers Circus. At the urging of her parents, she then attended the University of Southern California, where she studied international law before dropping out nine units short of a degree. Her university studies did not lead to a career either. Sometime in the late 1940s, she joined the Conover Agency as an advertising model and, at the same time, was promoted by famed cartoonist and writer Al Capp, becoming the inspiration for one of his Li'l Abner characters. As the result of an advertisement on the back page of the...
Known for
Perry MasonSeries • 1957
The VirginianSeries • 1962
Climax!Series • 1954
RawhideSeries • 1959
Burke's LawSeries • 1963
Hawaiian EyeSeries • 1959
77 Sunset StripSeries • 1958
Sea HuntSeries • 1958
The DetectivesSeries • 1959
BroncoSeries • 1958
SugarfootSeries • 1957
The TexanSeries • 1958
The MillionaireSeries • 1955
Mr. LuckySeries • 1959
The Roaring 20'sSeries • 1960
McLintock!Movie • 1963
DestryMovie • 1954
Abbott and Costello Go to MarsMovie • 1953
Ten Tall MenMovie • 1951
Becoming MarilynMovie • 2022
Twice-Told TalesMovie • 1963
On the RivieraMovie • 1951