Maray Ayres is a Californian actress who has acted in television and film since the mid-1960s. In 2014, she acted in and helped produce the award winning short film ''Traces of Memory'' directed by

Jody Jaress Jody Jaress is an American actress, director, writer and jazz and blues singer in the Los Angeles, California area. She began studying acting, singing, and dancing in the mid 1950s. Background Jaress was born in Ottawa, Illinois, and is the ...

. She is widely considered one of her generation's most enduring character actresses. She is best known for her performances in various independent films, such as the family drama ''Poe'', the tense relationship drama ''Lost Lives'' and her spirited performance in the desert-set thriller ''Traces of Memory''.

Background

Formerly known as Mary Ann Arras, Ayres was born in Santa Cruz, California.''The Victoria Advocate'' December 16, 197
"No Canning Planned In Mansion"
p. 16 She did work at a farm when she was younger until she went on to study theater. She also worked as a singer in a Beverly Hills club for four years. Around 1968, she arrived in Hollywood.''Reading Eagle'' October 15, 197
"Eye-Catching Ads Help Actress Get Interviews"
by Vernon Scott, p. 18 She married her husband Joel D. Nelson around 1971. According to the December 16, 1979 issue of ''

The Victoria Advocate ''The Victoria Advocate'' is a daily newspaper independently published in Victoria, Texas. It is the second-oldest paper in Texas and the oldest west of the Colorado River, dating back to May 8, 1846, following the Battle of Palo Alto during the ...

'', her entrepreneur husband was in the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' for the longest

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

which was built for him by the automobile company. For a period in the 1970s, she moved away from acting to play tennis and picked up a few trophies.

Television

In 1965, she appeared in ''

The Baileys of Balboa ''The Baileys of Balboa'' is an American Situation comedy, sitcom that appeared on CBS in the 1964–1965 season on Thursdays at 9:30pm ET. The series lasted only one 26-episode season. The show was directed by Gary Nelson and Bob Sweeney.

'' episode "Sam's Dream" as Helen.

Film

1970s to 1990s

She played the part of biker chick Sandy in the film ''

The Cycle Savages ''The Cycle Savages'' is a 1969 American outlaw biker exploitation film written and directed by Bill Brame, and stars Bruce Dern and Melody Patterson. The film follows a biker and his crew who go after an artist who sketched his nude girlfriend. ...

''. In the film she shoots the biker leader Keeg who was played by

Bruce Dern Bruce MacLeish Dern (born June 4, 1936) is an American actor. He has often played supporting villainous characters of unstable natures. He has received several accolades, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor and the Silver B ...

. This film was released in 1969. The following year and in a similar vein she had a major role in the

David L. Hewitt David L. Hewitt (born August 12, 1939) is a film director and producer. Among the films he has directed are ''The Wizard of Mars'', ''Monsters Crash the Pajama Party'' (both 1965), ''Journey to the Center of Time'' (1967), ''The Mighty Gorga'' ( ...

directed ''

The Girls from Thunder Strip ''The Girls from Thunder Strip'' is an exploitation film in the biker genre. It is directed by David L. Hewitt. Hewitt also co produced it with Michael Mehas. It was released in 1966. It also featured American Top 40 DJ Casey Kasem. Story Th ...

'', an American General Pictures release. Also in 1970, she played the part of Belle's girl in the western ''

Dirty Dingus Magee ''Dirty Dingus Magee'' is a 1970 American comedy revisionist Western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Frank Sinatra as the title outlaw and George Kennedy as a sheriff out to capture him. The movie was based on the novel ''The Balla ...

''. In 1991, in addition to playing a part in the Patrick Rand directed horror film ''Mom'', she was hired as an animal trainer to train a bulldog. In 1993, she acted in ''Jack Reed: Badge of Honor''.

2000s

In 2014, she acted in the

directed short film '' Traces of Memory'' which was a film about a woman who can no longer differentiate between the truth and her own reality. In addition to her co-producing the film, it also starred Saratoga Ballantine.Where Event December 11, 201
TRACES OF MEMORY - Screening the short film by Jody Jaress
/ref>

References

External links

*
Official BlogSpot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayres, Maray American television actresses Actresses from Santa Cruz, California 1946 births Living people 21st-century American actresses