Marleine Gaile English (January 4, 1935 – December 10, 2012) was an American film actress during the 1950s.

Early years

She was born Marleine Gaile English in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. As a teenager, she worked as a model and performed locally.

Film career

English was originally signed to a contract by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

in 1952 after winning a San Diego beauty pageant to be "Fairest of the Fair". She was paid $150 per week to appear in such films as '' Red Garters'' (1954) and ''

Rear Window ''Rear Window'' is a 1954 American mystery thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and written by John Michael Hayes based on Cornell Woolrich's 1942 short story "It Had to Be Murder". Originally released by Paramount Pictures, the film st ...

'' (1954). Even though her scenes were often cut during the final editing of those and other films, English's contract rose to $200 a week. Her breakthrough role came when producer

Aubrey Schenck Aubrey Schenck (August 26, 1908, New York City – April 14, 1999, Murrieta, California) was an American film producer from the 1940s through the 1970s. Biography The son of George Schenck, a Russian immigrant theatrical manager, and Mary Schen ...

borrowed her from Paramount to appear in his

film noir Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...

production ''

Shield for Murder ''Shield for Murder'' is a 1954 American film noir crime film co-directed by and starring Edmond O'Brien as a police detective who has become malevolent. It was based on the novel of the same name by William P. McGivern. Plot Lieutenant Barney N ...

'' (1954) starring

Edmond O'Brien Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. O'Brien w ...

''The Mountain'' and later films

English received a major break in 1955, when she was cast opposite

Spencer Tracy Spencer Bonaventure Tracy (April 5, 1900 – June 10, 1967) was an American actor. He was known for his natural performing style and versatility. One of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, Tracy was the first actor to win two cons ...

in ''

The Mountain The Mountain (french: La Montagne) was a political group during the French Revolution. Its members, called the Montagnards (), sat on the highest benches in the National Convention. They were the most radical group and opposed the Girondins. Th ...

'', a mountain-climbing drama that was to be filmed on location in the

French Alps The French Alps are the portions of the Alps mountain range that stand within France, located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions. While some of the ranges of the French Alps are entirely in France, others, such as ...

. Unfortunately, English was given a

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

vaccine A vaccine is a biological Dosage form, preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease, infectious or cancer, malignant disease. The safety and effectiveness of vaccines has been widely studied and verifie ...

before departing the United States for France. She soon developed a very high fever and decided to leave the production, a move that prompted Paramount to suspend her and replace her with

Barbara Darrow Barbara Darrow (November 18, 1931 - August 26, 2018) was an American motion picture and television actress. Early years Darrow was born in Hollywood, California, to George H. Wittlinger, a motion-picture landscape artist, and Alice Simpson Wit ...

. In a later interview with the actress, ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

'' questioned English about that decision. She said it was a very dumb move, and she was unsure why she did it. One of the actress's close relatives, however, told the publication that the true story was that English had fallen in love with Paramount actor

Larry Pennell Lawrence Kenneth "Larry" Pennell (February 21, 1928 – August 28, 2013) was an American television and film actor, often remembered for his role as "Dash Riprock" in the television series ''The Beverly Hillbillies''. His career spanned ha ...

, and she became enraged when the studio would not cast Pennell in the film, hoping they could work together in France. English made mostly B films throughout her career in Hollywood. In 1955, she performed with

John Ireland John Benjamin Ireland (January 30, 1914 – March 21, 1992) was a Canadian actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in ''All the King's Men'' (1949), making him the first Vancouver-born actor to receive an Oscar nomin ...

and Pennell in ''

Hell's Horizon ''Hell's Horizon'' is a 1955 American war film directed by Tom Gries. The film stars John Ireland and Marla English. ''Hell's Horizon'' recounts the story of a bomber crew in the Korean War. Plot During the Korean War, United States Air Force C ...

''. Some other films in which she was cast in this period include ''

Three Bad Sisters ''Three Bad Sisters'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Gilbert Kay, written by Gerald Drayson Adams and starring Marla English, Kathleen Hughes, Sara Shane, John Bromfield and Jess Barker. It was released in January 1956 by Uni ...

'' (1956), '' Runaway Daughters'' (1956), ''

The She Creature ''The She-Creature'', or ''The She Creature'', is a 1956 American black-and-white science fiction horror film, released by American International Pictures from a script by Lou Rusoff (brother-in-law of AIP executive Samuel Z. Arkoff). It was ...

'' (1956), and ''

Flesh and the Spur ''Flesh and the Spur'' is a 1956 Western film directed by Edward L. Cahn. The film stars John Agar as Lucius Random, Marla English as Wild Willow and Mike Connors (billed here as Touch Connors) as Stacy Tanner. The film was released by American ...

'' (1956). She and Suzanne Alexander were the finalists for the role of Princess Aouda in ''

Around the World in 80 Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' (1956) after Shirley MacLaine rejected it twice. But MacLaine later got the role after she reconsidered it.

Personal life and death

After costarring with

Tom Conway Tom Conway (born Thomas Charles Sanders, 15 September 1904 – 22 April 1967) was a British film, television, and radio actor remembered for playing private detectives (including The Falcon, Sherlock Holmes, Bulldog Drummond, and The Saint) ...

and

Mike Connors Krekor Ohanian (August 15, 1925 – January 26, 2017), known professionally as Mike Connors, was an American actor best known for playing private detective Joe Mannix in the CBS television series ''Mannix'' from 1967 to 1975, a role which earned ...

in the horror film ''

Voodoo Woman ''Voodoo Woman'' is a 1957 horror film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Marla English in her final film role, Tom Conway, and Mike Connors. It was released in March 1957 by American International Pictures as a double feature with ''The ...

'' (1957), English married San Diego businessman Allen Paul Sutherland. She then retired from acting at the age of just 21. They had a daughter and four sons. English died of cancer at age 77 in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

in December 2012; her husband Paul Sutherland died five years later. Their graves are in Marana Cemetery in

Marana, Arizona Marana is a town in Pima County, Arizona, United States, located northwest of Tucson, with a small portion in Pinal County. According to the 2010 census, the population of the town is 34,961. From 1990 to 2000, Marana was the fourth fastest-gr ...

, which is located 24 miles northwest of Tucson.

Filmography

*''

Casanova's Big Night ''Casanova's Big Night'' is a 1954 American comedy film starring Bob Hope and Joan Fontaine, which is a spoof of swashbuckling historical adventure films. It was directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Hope plays a tailor who impersonates Giacomo Casanova, ...

'' (1954) – Girl on Bridge (uncredited) *'' Yankee Pasha'' (1954) – Harem Girl (uncredited) *''

About Mrs. Leslie ''About Mrs. Leslie'' is a 1954 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann and starring Shirley Booth and Robert Ryan. It was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 1955. Plot Vivien Leslie, a Beverly Hills, California rooming house owner, reminisces i ...

'' (1954) – Minor Role (uncredited) *''

Living It Up ''Living It Up'' is a 1954 American comedy film starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis which was released by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Norman Taurog and produced by Paul Jones. The screenplay by Jack Rose and Melville Shavelso ...

'' (1954) – Manicurist (uncredited) *''

'' (1954) – Girl at Songwriter's Party (uncredited) *''

'' (1954) – Patty Winters *''

Desert Sands ''Desert Sands'' is a 1955 American adventure film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Danny Arnold, George W. George and George F. Slavin. The film stars Ralph Meeker, Marla English, J. Carrol Naish, John Carradine, Ron Randell, John Smit ...

'' (1955) – Princess Zara *''

'' (1955) – Sammi *''

'' (1956) – Vicki Craig *''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

'' (1956, TV Series) – Myia *''

The Bob Cummings Show ''The Bob Cummings Show'' (also known in reruns as ''Love That Bob'') is an American sitcom starring Bob Cummings, which was broadcast from January 2, 1955, to September 15, 1959. The program began with a half-season run on NBC, then ran for two ...

'' (1956, TV Series) – Marie / Marie de Carlo *''

Crossroads Crossroads, crossroad, cross road or similar may refer to: * Crossroads (junction), where four roads meet Film and television Films * ''Crossroads'' (1928 film), a 1928 Japanese film by Teinosuke Kinugasa * ''Cross Roads'' (film), a 1930 Brit ...

'' (1956, TV Series) – Barbara Sherman *''

The She-Creature ''The She-Creature'', or ''The She Creature'', is a 1956 American black-and-white science fiction horror film, released by American International Pictures from a script by Lou Rusoff (brother-in-law of AIP executive Samuel Z. Arkoff). It was pr ...

'' (1956, for AIP) – Andrea Talbott / Elizabeth Wetherby *''

A Strange Adventure ''A Strange Adventure'' is a 1956 American crime film directed by William Witney, written by Houston Branch and starring Joan Evans, Ben Cooper, Marla English, Jan Merlin, Nick Adams and Peter Miller. It was released on August 24, 1956 by Rep ...

'' (1956) – Lynn Novak *''

'' (1956, for AIP) – Wild Willow *'' Runaway Daughters'' (1956, for AIP) – Audrey Barton aka Lola Marshall *''

'' (1957, for AIP) – Marilyn Blanchard (final film role)

References

External links

*
Marla English
at Brian's Drive In Theatre {{DEFAULTSORT:English, Marla 1935 births 2012 deaths 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women American film actresses Actresses from San Diego Deaths from cancer in Arizona Paramount Pictures contract players