Maree Cheatham (also credited as Marie Cheatham, born June 2, 1940) is an American actress, who is known for her performances on the daytime soap operas '' Days of Our Lives'' (1965–68, 1970–71, 1973, 1994, 1996, 2010), ''

Search for Tomorrow ''Search for Tomorrow'' is an American television soap opera. It began its run on CBS on September 3, 1951, and concluded on NBC, 35 years later, on December 26, 1986. Set in the fictional town of Henderson in an unspecified state, the show fo ...

'' and '' General Hospital,'' as well as for her role as Nona on the

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...

comedy series ''

Sam & Cat ''Sam & Cat'' is an American teen sitcom that originally aired from June 8, 2013, to July 17, 2014, on Nickelodeon. It is a spin-off of two TV shows ''iCarly'' and ''Victorious'', which Dan Schneider also created. It stars Jennette McCurdy as S ...

'' (2013–14). She has also worked in many feature films, including ''Soul Man'' (1986), '' A Night at the Roxbury'' (1998), ''

Hanging Up ''Hanging Up'' is a 2000 American comedy-drama film about a trio of sisters bonding over their curmudgeonly father with whom none of them were close. It was directed by Diane Keaton, and stars Keaton, Meg Ryan, Lisa Kudrow and Walter Matthau in ...

'' (2000), '' Labor Pains'' (2009) and ''

Letters to God ''Letters to God'' is a 2010 American Christian film, Christian drama film directed by David Nixon and starring Robyn Lively, Jeffrey Johnson (actor), Jeffrey Johnson, Tanner Maguire, Michael Bolten and Bailee Madison. The story was written by Pat ...

'' (2010).

Life and career

Cheatham was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. She graduated from Bellaire High School in

Bellaire, Texas Bellaire is a city in southwest Harris County, Texas, United States, within the metropolitan area.. Retrieved on January 24, 2010. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city population was 17,202. It is surrounded by the cities of Houston and West ...

in 1958. She was an original cast member of the daytime serial '' Days of Our Lives'', in which she played the role of

Marie Horton Marie Horton (formerly Merritt and Curtis) is a fictional character on the NBC soap opera, ''Days of Our Lives''. Created by ''DOOL'' creator Ted Corday, actress Maree Cheatham is most recognized in the role, originating it on the television pilot ...

, who was the show's very first heroine. Horton has several traumatic relationships before going into a convent to become a nun. After leaving ''Days of Our Lives'' in 1973, she moved to New York, where in 1974 she originated the role of the sarcastic and vampy Stephanie Wilkins on the soap opera ''

''. She was replaced on that soap opera in early 1984 by actress and writer Louise Shaffer. In 1987, she became a regular cast member of '' General Hospital'' as Lucy Coe's wacky and fun-loving Aunt Charlene Simpson. When

Gloria Monty Gloria Monty (August 12, 1921 – March 30, 2006) was an American television producer working primarily in the field of daytime drama. Education Born Gloria Montemuro in Allenhurst, New Jersey and raised in the West Allenhurst neighborhood of O ...

returned as a producer in 1991, Cheatham was one of many cast members let go, but in 1998 Cheatham returned to the role with a brief appearance on the ''General Hospital'' spin-off ''

Port Charles ''Port Charles'' (commonly abbreviated as ''PC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from June 1, 1997, to October 3, 2003. It was a spin-off of the series ''General Hospital'', which has been running since 1963 and takes pl ...

''. During the last two seasons of '' Knots Landing'', she played the role of the scheming Mary Robeson, a blackmailer who became the victim in a murder mystery. Cheatham has returned to ''Days of Our Lives'' on several occasions to reprise the role of Marie Horton, as a doctor and no longer a nun. She returned twice in 1994 and 2010 for tributes to actors that died —

MacDonald Carey Edward Macdonald Carey (March 15, 1913 – March 21, 1994) was an American actor, best known for his role as the patriarch Dr. Tom Horton on NBC's soap opera ''Days of Our Lives''. For almost three decades, he was the show's central cast member. ...

and

Frances Reid Frances Reid (December 9, 1914 – February 3, 2010) was an American dramatic actress. Reid acted on television for nearly all of the second half of the 20th century. Her career continued into the early 2000s. Although she starred in ma ...

who played Marie's father and mother, respectively. Her character also attended one of Bo and Hope's remarriages. Cheatham played the role of Mona on the soap opera ''

Passions ''Passions'' is an American television soap opera that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007, and on DirecTV's The 101 Network from September 17, 2007, to August 7, 2008. Created by screenwriter James E. Reilly and ...

'' in 2002. She has also made many guest appearances in TV series such as '' Gunsmoke'', ''

Cagney and Lacey ''Cagney & Lacey'' is an American police procedural drama television series that aired on the CBS television network for seven seasons from March 25, 1982, to May 16, 1988. The show is about two New York City police detectives who lead very di ...

'', ''

Quantum Leap ''Quantum Leap'' is an American science fiction television series, created by Donald P. Bellisario, that premiered on NBC and aired for five seasons, from March 26, 1989, to May 5, 1993. The series stars Scott Bakula as Dr. Sam Beckett, a phys ...

'', ''

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...

'', ''

Dharma & Greg ''Dharma & Greg'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from September 24, 1997, until April 30, 2002, for 119 episodes over five seasons. The show starred Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson as Dharma and Greg Montgomery, a ...

'', '' Profiler'', '' Judging Amy'', '' Scrubs'', ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'', ''

Monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

'', ''

Cold Case A cold case is a crime, or a suspected crime, that has not yet been fully resolved and is not the subject of a current criminal investigation, but for which new information could emerge from new witness testimony, re-examined archives, new or r ...

'' and '' Desperate Housewives''. She has also appeared in movies such as ''

Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American fantasy horror comedy film directed by Tim Burton, written by Michael McDowell, Larry Wilson, and Warren Skaaren, produced by The Geffen Company, distributed by Warner Bros., and starring Alec Baldwin, ...

'', '' Rumor Has It...'', '' Mr. & Mrs. Smith'', ''

America's Sweethearts ''America's Sweethearts'' is a 2001 American romantic comedy film directed by Joe Roth and written by Billy Crystal and Peter Tolan. It stars Julia Roberts, Crystal, John Cusack and Catherine Zeta-Jones, with Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Seth ...

'', and a notable cameo in ''

The Wedding Singer ''The Wedding Singer'' is a 1998 American romantic comedy film directed by Frank Coraci, written by Tim Herlihy, and produced by Robert Simonds and Jack Giarraputo. The film stars Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, and Christine Taylor, and tells t ...

'', in which she innocently asked

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is a British-American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first achieved fame in the 1970s emerging from the London punk rock scene as the lead singer o ...

what the

mile high club The mile high club is slang for the group of people who have had sexual intercourse on board an aircraft in flight. An alleged explanation for wanting to perform the act is the supposed vibration of the plane. Some theorize that people who enga ...

was.

Personal life

She was once married to Bill Arvin, but it ended in divorce in 1974. In 1998, she married singer and songwriter Robert Staron (aka Bobbo Staron).

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheatham, Maree 1940 births Living people American soap opera actresses Actresses from Oklahoma 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses