Laura Devon
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Laura Devon (born Mary Louise Briley; May 23, 1931 – July 19, 2007) was an American actress, singer, and model.


Early life

Laura Devon was born May 23, 1931, in Chicago. Her birth name has been given as either Mary Lou Briley or Mary Laura Briley. Her father was identified in the press as Merrill Devon, an automotive engineer, and her mother as Velma Prather. She attended school in Chicago and
Grosse Pointe Grosse Pointe refers to an affluent coastal area next to Detroit, Michigan, United States, that comprises five adjacent individual cities. From southwest to northeast, they are: * Grosse Pointe Park * Grosse Pointe * Grosse Pointe Farms * Grosse ...
. She entered
Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...
, majoring in journalism and political science, where she learned how to act in school theater productions. In 1954, she gave birth to her only child,
Kevin Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...
, who became a noted screenwriter. After performing in amateur theatricals and light opera, her first professional part was a lead in a production of '' The Boy Friend'' at the Vanguard Playhouse in Detroit. In 1962, she married Brian Kelly, son of Justice Harry F. Kelly, then a member of the Michigan Supreme Court and a former Michigan governor. Kelly was a fellow actor and, a month after their wedding, he and Devon appeared together on stage in
Lillian Hellman Lillian Florence Hellman (June 20, 1905 – June 30, 1984) was an American playwright, prose writer, memoirist and screenwriter known for her success on Broadway, as well as her communist sympathies and political activism. She was blacklisted aft ...
's '' Toys in the Attic'' at the Laguna Beach Summer Theater. Two years later, he was to become well known for his role as Porter Ricks on the TV series '' Flipper''. They divorced in January 1966.


Screen career and filmography

In 1961, Laura Devon was discovered by Bob Goldstein of
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
while she was singing at the London Chop House in Detroit. She tells the story of her coming to Hollywood in this way: During an eight-year period, from 1960 to 1967, Devon had featured roles in numerous popular TV shows. A 1962 appearance in '' Route 66 (S3E1)'' was her first significant part. Following that, she appeared in: ''
Insight Insight is the understanding of a specific cause and effect within a particular context. The term insight can have several related meanings: *a piece of information *the act or result of understanding the inner nature of things or of seeing intui ...
'', '' The New Breed'', ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'', '' Stoney Burke'', ''
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was re ...
'', '' Rawhide'' (an episode entitled "Canliss", as Dean Martin's gunfighter character's wife in 1964), ''
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre ''Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre'' is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic ...
'', '' The Rogues'', '' Bonanza'', ''
I Spy I spy is a guessing game where one player (the ''spy'' or ''it'') chooses an object within sight and announces to the other players that "I spy with my little eye something beginning with...", naming the first letter of the object. Other players a ...
'', '' The Fugitive'', '' T.H.E. Cat'', '' The Big Valley'', ''
Coronet Blue ''Coronet Blue'' is an American adventure drama series that ran on CBS from May 29 until September 4, 1967. It starred Frank Converse as Michael Alden, an amnesiac in search of his identity. Brian Bedford co-starred. The show's 13 episodes were f ...
'', and ''
The Invaders ''The Invaders'' is an American science-fiction television series created by Larry Cohen that aired on ABC for two seasons, from 1967 to 1968. Roy Thinnes stars as David Vincent, who after stumbling across evidence of an in-progress invas ...
''. She had a recurring role on four episodes of ''
Dr. Kildare Dr. James Kildare is a fictional American medical doctor, originally created in the 1930s by the author Frederick Schiller Faust under the pen name Max Brand. Shortly after the character's first appearance in a magazine story, Paramount Pictur ...
'' and she was a member of the repertory cast that rotated major and supporting roles on the critically acclaimed series ''
The Richard Boone Show ''The Richard Boone Show'' is an anthology television series. It aired on NBC during the 1963-64 season. Synopsis Richard Boone hosted the series and starred in about half of the episodes, garnering an Emmy nomination for himself and a Golden G ...
''. In addition, Devon appeared in five feature-length commercial films, playing Rusty Sartori in '' Goodbye Charlie'' (1964), Julie Kazarian in ''
Red Line 7000 ''Red Line 7000'' is a 1965 American action sports film released by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Howard Hawks, who also wrote the story. It stars James Caan, Laura Devon and Marianna Hill in a story about young stock-car racers tryi ...
'' (1965), Marie Champlain in '' Chamber of Horrors'' (1966), Rosemary in '' A Covenant with Death'' (1967) and Edie Hart in ''
Gunn Gunn may refer to: Places * Gunn City, Missouri, a village * Gunn, Northern Territory, outer suburb of Darwin * Gunn, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet * Gunn Valley, a mountain valley in British Columbia, Canada * Gun Lake (British Columbia), a Canad ...
'' (1967).


Marriage

Devon was married and divorced four times. Her second marriage produced one child,
Kevin Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant '' Kevan'' is anglicized from , a ...
, born in 1954. Her third husband was actor Brian Kelly, from 1962 to 1966, during which time he was starring in the television series '' Flipper''. In 1967, she married film composer
Maurice Jarre Maurice-Alexis Jarre (; 13 September 1924 – 28 March 2009) allmusic Biography/ref> was a French composer and conductor. Although he composed several concert works, Jarre is best known for his film scores, particularly for his collaborations wit ...
and retired from acting. Jarre adopted Devon's then 13-year-old son, giving the future screenwriter and actor his better known name, Kevin Jarre. Devon and Jarre divorced in 1984.


Singing career

Laura Devon released only one professional recording, a single: "I Like the Look" (A side)/"Dreamsville" (B side). Both songs were composed by
Henry Mancini Henry Mancini ( ; born Enrico Nicola Mancini, ; April 16, 1924 – June 14, 1994) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flautist. Often cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film, he won four Academy Award ...
and were featured in the film ''
Gunn Gunn may refer to: Places * Gunn City, Missouri, a village * Gunn, Northern Territory, outer suburb of Darwin * Gunn, Alberta, Canada, a hamlet * Gunn Valley, a mountain valley in British Columbia, Canada * Gun Lake (British Columbia), a Canad ...
'', Devon's last film. She can be heard on the soundtrack to the 1975 film '' Mr. Sycamore'', performing the song "Time Goes By", written by her then husband, Maurice Jarre, and lyricist Paul Francis Webster.


Later life and death

Laura Devon died of heart failure in
Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
on July 19, 2007, aged 76.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devon, Laura 1931 births 2007 deaths American film actresses Female models from Illinois American television actresses Wayne State University alumni Actresses from Chicago Actresses from Detroit 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women