Mary Alice "Maris" Wrixon (December 28, 1916 – October 6, 1999) was an American film and television actress. She appeared in over 50 films between 1939 and 1951.

Early years

Wrixon was born in

Billings, Montana Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Met ...

, and raised in Great Falls, one of three children born to Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Wrixon. Her interest in acting was sparked by a role she had in a class play when she was a student at

Great Falls High School Great Falls High School (or GFHS) is a public high school for grades 9 through 12 located in Great Falls, Montana. Established in 1890, it was the city's first high school. The school's original building, constructed in 1896, is now on the Natio ...

. She gained acting experience at the

Pasadena Community Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

Career

Wrixon first appeared in films in the late 1930s, making one film in 1938 and 10 in 1939. Between 1940 and 1942, she appeared in 29 films at

Warner Brothers 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 ...

, alternating between uncredited parts (in films including '' High Sierra'' and ''

Dark Victory ''Dark Victory'' is a 1939 American melodrama film directed by Edmund Goulding, starring Bette Davis, and featuring George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, Henry Travers, and Cora Witherspoon. The screenplay by Ca ...

'') and supporting roles. Wrixon worked primarily in B-movies and, in addition to her Warners films, in films produced by

Poverty Row Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did ...

studios such as Monogram Pictures. Monogram released the film in which ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' says "horror fans remember her best", '' The Ape'', which starred

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

. Her final film was '' As You Were'' (1951).

Personal life

Wrixon was married to

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-nominated film editor Rudi Fehr. She died in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing t ...

of heart failure.

Selected filmography

* '' Off the Record'' (1939) - Telephone Operator (uncredited) * ''

The Adventures of Jane Arden ''The Adventures of Jane Arden'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Terry O. Morse and written by Vincent Sherman, Lawrence Kimble, and Charles W. Curran. The film stars Rosella Towne, William Gargan, James Stephenson, Benny Rubin, Den ...

'' (1939) - Martha Blanton - Debutante * '' No Place to Go'' (1939) - Mrs. Harriet Washburn (uncredited) * ''

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex ''The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex'' is a 1939 American historical romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland. Based on the play '' Elizabeth the Queen'' by Maxwell Anders ...

'' (1939) - Lady of the Court (uncredited) * '' Jeepers Creepers'' (1939) - Connie Durant * ''

British Intelligence The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within three government departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. These agencies are responsible for collecting and analysing foreign and d ...

'' (1940) - Dorothy Bennett (uncredited) * ''

'Til We Meet Again ''Til We Meet Again'' is a 1940 romance film directed by Edmund Goulding and Anatole Litvak and starring Merle Oberon and George Brent as two doomed, star-crossed lovers. It is a remake of the 1932 film ''One Way Passage'' and itself was remade i ...

'' (1940) - Girl (uncredited) * '' Saturday's Children'' (1940) - City Hospital Nurse (uncredited) * ''

Flight Angels ''Flight Angels'' is a 1940 commercial aviation film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Edmund Grainger and directed by Lewis Seiler, from an original story by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay. The film stars Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan, W ...

'' (1940) - Bonnie * ''

The Man Who Talked Too Much ''The Man Who Talked Too Much'' is a 1940 American drama film directed by Vincent Sherman and written by Walter DeLeon and Earl Baldwin. Starring George Brent, Virginia Bruce, Brenda Marshall, Richard Barthelmess, William Lundigan, George Tobia ...

'' (1940) - Roscoe's Secretary * '' The Ape'' (1940) - Miss Frances Clifford * ''

Knute Rockne All American ''Knute Rockne, All American'' is a 1940 American biographical film that tells the story of Knute Rockne, Notre Dame's legendary football coach. It stars Pat O'Brien as Rockne and Ronald Reagan as player George Gipp, as well as Gale Page, Donal ...

'' (1940) - Telephone Operator (uncredited) * ''

Lady with Red Hair ''Lady with Red Hair'' (1940) is an American historical drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Miriam Hopkins, Claude Rains and Richard Ainley. Released by Warner Brothers it stars Hopkins as the nineteenth century actress Mrs. Le ...

'' (1940) - Miss Annie Ellis (uncredited) * '' Santa Fe Trail'' (1940) - Girl at Wedding (uncredited) * ''

The Case of the Black Parrot ''The Case of the Black Parrot'' is a 1941 American crime film directed by Noel M. Smith and written by Robert E. Kent. The film stars William Lundigan, Maris Wrixon, Eddie Foy, Jr., Luli Deste, Paul Cavanagh and Charles Waldron. The film w ...

'' (1941) - Sandy Vantine * '' High Sierra'' (1941) - Blonde at Auto Accident (uncredited) * '' Footsteps in the Dark'' (1941) - June Brewster * ''

Meet John Doe ''Meet John Doe'' is a 1941 American comedy-drama film directed and produced by Frank Capra, written by Robert Riskin, and starring Gary Cooper and Barbara Stanwyck. The film is about a "grassroots" political campaign created unwittingly by ...

'' (1941) - Autograph Hound (uncredited) * '' A Shot in the Dark'' (1941) - Helen Armstrong * '' Million Dollar Baby'' (1941) - Diana Bennet * ''

Sunset in Wyoming ''Sunset in Wyoming'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by William Morgan and starring Gene Autry, Smiley Burnette, George Cleveland, and Maris Wrixon. Based on a story by Joe Blair, the film is about a singing cowboy who goes up again ...

'' (1941) - Wilmetta 'Billie' Wentworth * ''

Bullets for O'Hara ''Bullets for O'Hara'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, Maris Wrixon, Dick Purcell and Richard Ainley. It was released by Warne ...

'' (1941) - Elaine Standish * '' Navy Blues'' (1941) - Hawaii Pickup #2 (uncredited) * ''

Spy Ship A spy ship or reconnaissance vessel is a dedicated ship intended to gather intelligence, usually by means of sophisticated electronic eavesdropping. In a wider sense, any ship intended to gather information could be considered a spy ship. Spy ...

'' (1942) - Sue Mitchell * ''

Sons of the Pioneers The Sons of the Pioneers are one of the United States' earliest Western singing groups. Known for their vocal performances, their musicianship, and their songwriting, they produced innovative recordings that have inspired many Western music perf ...

'' (1942) - Louise Harper * '' The Old Homestead'' (1942) - Mary Jo Weaver * '' Silent Witness'' (1943) - Betty Higgins, Special Investigator * '' Women in Bondage'' (1943) - Grete Ziegler * ''

Phantom Lady Phantom Lady is a fictional superheroine, one of the first such characters to debut in the 1940s Golden Age of Comic Books. Originally published by Quality Comics, the character was subsequently published by a series of now-defunct comic book com ...

'' (1944) - Blonde (uncredited) * '' Waterfront'' (1944) - Freda Hauser * ''

Trail to Gunsight ''Trail to Gunsight'' is a 1944 American Western film directed by Vernon Keays and written by Bennett Cohen and Patricia Harper. The film stars Eddie Dew, Lyle Talbot, Fuzzy Knight, Ray Whitley, Maris Wrixon, Robert 'Buzz' Henry, Marie Austi ...

'' (1944) - Mary Wagner * '' The Master Key'' (1945, Serial) - Dorothy Newton * '' White Pongo'' (1945) - Pamela Bragdon * ''

This Love of Ours ''This Love of Ours'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Merle Oberon, Claude Rains, Charles Korvin and Carl Esmond. The film's composer, Hans J. Salter, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original ...

'' (1945) - Evelyn * ''

Black Market Babies ''Black Market Babies'' is a 1945 American crime drama film directed by William Beaudine and released by Monogram Pictures. The film has been released on dvd. Plot A small-time hood teams up with an alcoholic obstetrician to set up a private ma ...

'' (1945) - Helen Roberts * '' The Face of Marble'' (1946) - Linda Sinclair * ''

The Glass Alibi ''The Glass Alibi'' is a 1946 crime drama film noir directed by W. Lee Wilder starring Paul Kelly, Douglas Fowley, Anne Gwynne and Maris Wrixon.. Plot A reporter marries a dying girl for her money, but she recovers from her illness so he plot ...

'' (1946) - Linda Vale * ''

The Saxon Charm ''The Saxon Charm'' is a 1948 American film noir drama film written and directed by Claude Binyon based on the novel of the same name by Frederic Wakeman Sr. and starring Robert Montgomery (actor), Robert Montgomery, Susan Hayward, John Payne (ac ...

'' (1948) - Mrs. McCarthy (uncredited) * ''

Highway 13 The following roads may be referred to as Route 13 or Highway 13. For a list of roads named A13, see List of A13 roads. International * Asian Highway 13 * European route E13 * European route E013 Afghanistan *The Kabul–Behsud Highway - ...

'' (1948) - Mary Hadley * '' As You Were'' (1951) * ''

Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges a ...

'' (1960, TV Series) - Edith Judd * ''

The Graduate ''The Graduate'' is a 1967 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Mike Nichols and written by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham, based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from W ...

'' (1967) - Guest at Welcoming Party (uncredited) * ''

Dayton's Devils ''Dayton's Devils'' is a 1968 crime film starring Rory Calhoun and Leslie Nielsen. It marked the film debut of Lainie Kazan and Rigg Kennedy. Plot Frank Dayton (Leslie Nielsen) leads a group of crooks in a caper to steal $2,500,000 from an Air ...

'' (1968) - Cashier (final film role)

References

External links

* * * Brief biography and filmography at
The New York Times''
' 1916 births 1999 deaths American television actresses Actresses from Montana American film actresses People from Billings, Montana People from Great Falls, Montana 20th-century American actresses {{US-screen-actor-1910s-stub