Andra Martin (born Sandra Rehn, July 15, 1935 – May 3, 2022) was an American actress who appeared in many television series and a few movies as a contract player for

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in the late 1950s and early 1960s.

Early years

Martin was born Sandra Rehn, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Walter Rehn. She grew up near Rockford, Illinois, on her parents' farm, graduated from Monroe Center High School and studied dramatics for two years at Northwestern University. From there, she went to New York and worked as a model while she studied acting under

Lee Strasberg Lee Strasberg (born Israel Strassberg; November 17, 1901 – February 17, 1982) was an American theatre director, actor and acting teacher. He co-founded, with theatre directors Harold Clurman and Cheryl Crawford, the Group Theatre in 1931 ...

. She honed her acting skills in the summer playhouse at

Eagles Mere, Pennsylvania Eagles Mere is a borough in Sullivan County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 151 at the 2020 census. History Eagles Mere was laid out in 1877 and incorporated in 1899. The Eagles Mere Historic District was added to the National R ...

Career

Martin's film debut came in '' Street of Sinners'' (1957). '' The Lady Takes a Flyer'' (1958) was the first film in which she was billed as Andra Martin. In 1958, she appeared in the horror film '' The Thing That Couldn't Die'', about a 400-year-old head that uses telepathic control of various people to help him find his body. In 1958 she won the Hollywood Debut Award. Martin was

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...

's leading lady in the 1959 film ''

Up Periscope ''Up Periscope'' is a 1959 World War II submarine film drama directed by Gordon Douglas, produced by Aubrey Schenck and starring James Garner and Edmond O'Brien. The supporting cast features Andra Martin, Alan Hale Jr., Edd Byrnes, Warren Oate ...

'', and the daughter/secretary on the ''

Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and 4 short stories, all of which involve a c ...

'' TV-series episode "The Case of the Prodigal Parent." She also played the role of defendant Arlene Ferris in the 1961 episode, "The Case of the Waylaid Wolf." Martin played Wahleeah, a captive American Indian maiden who became the love interest of

Clint Walker Norman Eugene "Clint" Walker (May 30, 1927 – May 21, 2018) was an American actor. He played cowboy Cheyenne Bodie in the ABC/ Warner Bros. western series ''Cheyenne'' from 1955 to 1963. Early life Clint Walker was born Norman Eugene W ...

in '' Yellowstone Kelly'' (1959) and appeared in various television series, including ''

Maverick Maverick, Maveric or Maverik may refer to: History * Maverick (animal), an unbranded range animal, derived from U.S. cattleman Samuel Maverick Aviation * AEA Maverick, an Australian single-seat sportsplane design * General Aviation Design Burea ...

'' in the episodes " Gun-Shy" with

, "Hadley's Hunters" with Jack Kelly, "Thunder from the North" (1960) with Roger Moore. She featured as a leading lady in series such as ''

The Alaskans ''The Alaskans'' is a 1959–1960 ABC/Warner Bros. western television series set during the late 1890s in the port of Skagway, Alaska. The show features Roger Moore as "Silky Harris" and Jeff York as "Reno McKee", a pair of adventurers int ...

'', ''

77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American television private detective drama series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each episode was o ...

'', '' Colt .45'', '' Bourbon Street Beat'', '' Hawaiian Eye'', '' Surfside Six'', ''

Bronco A bucking horse is any breed or either gender of horse with a propensity to buck. They have been, and still are, referred to by various names, including bronco, broncho, and roughstock. The harder they buck, the more desirable they are for rod ...

'', '' Lawman'', ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enr ...

'', '' Bachelor Father'', and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings ...

'', among others.

Personal life

Politically Martin identified as a "Conservative Republican." She stated that she voted for Eisenhower in the

1956 United States presidential election The 1956 United States presidential election was the 43rd quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1956. President Dwight D. Eisenhower successfully ran for reelection against Adlai Stevenson II, the former Illinois ...

, which was the first time she had ever voted, and that she voted for Barry Goldwater in the

1964 United States presidential election The 1964 United States presidential election was the 45th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964. Incumbent Democratic United States President Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater, the Republican nomi ...

. In both the

1968 United States presidential election The 1968 United States presidential election was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former vice president Richard Nixon, defeated the Democratic nominee, incumbent vice preside ...

and the 1972 United States presidential election she campaigned for

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. She said the only time she ever voted for a Democrat was in 1960 when she voted for

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

. On August 30, 1958, Martin married actor

Ty Hardin Ty Hardin (born Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr.; January 1, 1930August 3, 2017) was an American actor best known as the star of the 1958 to 1962 ABC/Warner Bros. Western television series ''Bronco''. Early life Hardin was born in New York City, ...

in North Hollywood, California, despite the objections of Warner Bros. studios, for which they both worked. They were the parents of twin sons born in 1959. On June 23, 1962, she married David May II, heir to a chain of department stores. They were divorced in 1968. Martin died on May 3, 2022, at the age of 86. When she died, she was married to Philip Stein, whom she wed in 1970.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Andra 1935 births 2022 deaths 21st-century American women American television actresses American film actresses Actors from Rockford, Illinois Warner Bros. contract players