Perry Wilson Anthony (born Mary Elizabeth Wilson; July 13, 1916 – December 30, 2009) was an American actress most active during the 1950s and 1960s. She was best known for her role in the 1957 film '' Fear Strikes Out''.

Early life and education

Perry was born Mary Elizabeth Wilson on July 13, 1916 in Bound Brook, New Jersey. She was raised by her parents, Dorothy Roe and Edward Arthur Wilson, a noted illustrator.Truro Historical Commission (1991).
Historic Resources Survey, Volume II
'. Truro, MA: Truro Historical Society. In 1922, the family moved to

Truro, Massachusetts Truro is a town in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located slightly more than 100 miles (160 km) by road from Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the no ...

. Wilson changed her first name to Perry when she was 13 years old. She was a

Christian Scientist Christian Science is a set of beliefs and practices associated with members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Adherents are commonly known as Christian Scientists or students of Christian Science, and the church is sometimes informally known ...

. Wilson attended the Tamara Daykarhanova School for the Stage in New York City. where she met her future husband,

Joseph Anthony Joseph Anthony (born Joseph Deuster; May 24, 1912 – January 20, 1993) was an American playwright, actor, and director. He made his film acting debut in the 1934 film ''Hat, Coat, and Glove'' and his theatrical acting debut in a 1935 producti ...

Career

Wilson and Anthony co-founded the American Actors Company in 1938. The company's first performance was ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC duri ...

'', which co-starred

Mildred Dunnock Mildred Dorothy Dunnock (January 25, 1901 – July 5, 1991) was an American stage and screen actress. She was twice nominated for an Academy Award: first ''Death of a Salesman'' in 1951, then '' Baby Doll'' in 1956. Early life Born in Baltimor ...

and

Horton Foote Albert Horton Foote Jr. (March 14, 1916March 4, 2009) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received Academy Awards for his screenplays for the 1962 film ''To Kill a Mockingbird'', which was adapted from the 1960 novel of the same name ...

. Wilson married Anthony in 1942, seven years after they first met. Wilson's Broadway credits included '' Cream in the Well'', which was directed by Mary Hunter and written by

Lynn Riggs Rollie Lynn Riggs (August 31, 1899 – June 30, 1954) was an American author, poet, playwright and screenwriter. His 1931 play ''Green Grow The Lilacs'' was adapted into the landmark 1943 musical ''Oklahoma!''. Early life Riggs was born on a ...

. She also appeared on Broadway in '' The First Crocus'', '' Pillar to Post'', ''

Village Green A village green is a common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for gathering cattle t ...

'', and '' His and Hers''. Wilson toured nationally with Ethel Barrymore in the production of ''

The Corn is Green ''The Corn Is Green'' is a 1938 semi-autobiographical play by Welsh dramatist and actor Emlyn Williams. The play premiered in London at the Duchess Theatre in September 1938; with Sybil Thorndike as Miss Moffat and Williams himself portraying Mo ...

'', in which she portrayed Bessie Watty. Her film credits included the 1957 film, '' Fear Strikes Out'', co-starring

Karl Malden Karl Malden (born Mladen George Sekulovich; March 22, 1912 – July 1, 2009) was an American actor. He was primarily a character actor, who according to Robert Berkvist, "for more than 60 years brought an intelligent intensity and a homespun aut ...

and Tony Perkins. She also appeared in the films, ''

The Matchmaker ''The Matchmaker'' is a 1954 play by Thornton Wilder, a rewritten version of his 1938 play ''The Merchant of Yonkers''. History The play has a long and colorful history. John Oxenford's 1835 one-act farce ''A Day Well Spent'' had been exte ...

''. On television, Wilson appeared in episodes of ''

The United States Steel Hour ''The United States Steel Hour'' is an anthology series which brought hour long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation (U. S ...

'', '' Naked City'', '' The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse'', '' The Defenders'' and the '' Kraft Mystery Theatre''.

Personal life

Wilson met her husband, Joseph Anthony, at Tamara Daykarhanova School for the Stage in New York City. They married on August 3, 1942, in New York City. They remained married until his death in 1993. She largely retired from acting after the birth of her two children, Ellen Anthony and Peter Anthony. She took up

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...

and studied with Jerry Farnsworth in

. Her paintings focused largely on landscape scenes. She later retired to her home in Truro, Massachusetts.

Death

Perry Wilson died at the Chestnut Hill Benevolent Association in

Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Chestnut Hill is an affluent New England village located west of downtown Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Like all Massachusetts villages, Chestnut Hill is located within one or more incorporated municipal entities. It is located partia ...

, on December 30, 2009, at the age of 93. She was survived by her children and grandchildren.

Filmography

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Perry 1916 births 2009 deaths American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses 20th-century American painters American women painters 21st-century American painters People from Truro, Massachusetts People from Bound Brook, New Jersey Actresses from New York City 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American women