This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (October 2013) |
Marian Ethel Mercer[citation needed] (November 26, 1935 – April 27, 2011) was an American actress and singer.
Marian Mercer | |
|---|---|
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| Born | Marian Ethel Mercer November 26, 1935 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | April 27, 2011 (aged 75) Newbury Park, California, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Years active | 1955-2000 |
| Spouse(s) | Martin Cassidy (divorced) Patrick Hogan (19??–2011; her death) |
| Children | 1 |
Career
editThis section needs additional citations for verification. (June 2017) |
Born in Akron, Ohio, Mercer was the daughter of Samuel and Nellie Mercer.[1] She graduated from the University of Michigan, then spent several seasons working in summer stock. She made her Broadway debut in the chorus of the short-lived musical, Greenwillow in 1960.[citation needed]
She drew critical notice for her performance in New Faces of 1962, and won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical, the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance, and the Theatre World Award for her performance as Marge MacDougall in Promises, Promises (1968).[1] Additional theatre credits include Hay Fever and the short-lived 1978 revival of Stop the World – I Want to Get Off with Sammy Davis Jr.[1] In 1979, she starred as Deirdre in Bosoms and Neglect.
Mercer was a regular on television, appearing in The Dom DeLuise Show, The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters, The Sandy Duncan Show, A Touch of Grace (starring Shirley Booth), The Andy Williams Show, and the sitcom It's a Living,[2] in which she played piquant restaurant hostess Nancy Beebe Miller. (Mercer was one of four members of the cast who lasted through the series' network and syndicated runs; the others were Gail Edwards, Paul Kreppel, and Barrie Youngfellow). She had recurring roles on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman; its sequel, Forever Fernwood; St. Elsewhere; and Empty Nest.
She made guest appearances on such shows as Love, American Style; Archie Bunker's Place; Mama's Family; Benson; The Golden Girls; Murder, She Wrote; Touched by an Angel; and Suddenly Susan, among many others. She had featured roles in the television films The Cracker Factory (1979), which starred Natalie Wood, and Murder in Three Acts (1986), starring Peter Ustinov and Tony Curtis. Her big screen credits include John and Mary (1969); Oh, God! Book II (1980); and 9 to 5 (1980), where she played Missy Hart.[3]
Mercer had been reunited with two former co-stars of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman (in which she played Wanda Rittenhouse Jeeter) in two separate projects. She was reunited first with Dabney Coleman (he had played Merle Jeeter) in the film 9 to 5;[3] and then with Louise Lasser (who played Mary Hartman) on It's a Living.
Death
editMercer was a resident of the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California[4] where she resided until her death on April 27, 2011, from Alzheimer's disease in Newbury Park, California at the age of 75.[1]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | John and Mary | Mags Elliot | |
| 1978 | Sammy Stops the World | Evie | |
| 1980 | Oh, God! Book II | Harriet Manley | |
| 1980 | 9 to 5 | Missy Hart | |
| 1992 | Out on a Limb | Ann Campbell Van Der Haven |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | The Sandy Duncan Show | Kay Fox | Main role |
| 1973 | A Touch of Grace | Myra Bradley | Main role |
| 1974 | Love, American Style | Lucy | Segment: "Love and the Itchy Condition" |
| 1974 | Police Woman | Jo Enders | Episode: "Fish" |
| 1975 | Great Performances | Masha | Episode: "The Seagull" |
| 1975 | The Bob Crane Show | Miss Chandler | Episode: "The Lyle Principle" |
| 1976 | Serpico | Sister Margaret | Episode: "The Traitor in Our Midst" |
| 1976–77 | Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman | Wanda Rittenhouse Jeeter | Supporting role |
| 1977 | Forever Fernwood | Wanda Jeeter | Supporting role |
| 1978 | King of the Road | Mildred | TV film |
| 1978 | The Harvey Korman Show | Grace | Episode: "The One Where Harvey Gets a Job as an Escort" |
| 1979 | The Cracker Factory | Eleanor | TV film |
| 1979 | Archie Bunker's Place | Miss Bradshaw | Episode: "Bosom Partners" |
| 1980 | Phyl & Mikhy | Miss Crandal | Episode: "Mikhy's Visitor" |
| 1980–1989 | It's a Living | Nancy Beebe Miller | Regular role |
| 1981, 1984 | Benson | Trudi, Ursula Van Dyne | Episodes: "Rivals", "Made in Hong Kong: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1982 | 9 to 5 | Frances | Episode: "The Loverwear Party" |
| 1982 | Life of the Party: The Story of Beatrice | Rita | TV film |
| 1983 | Ace Crawford... Private Eye | Maureen | Episode: "The Gentleman Bandit" |
| 1983 | Foot in the Door | Mrs. Griffin | TV series |
| 1983, 1986 | St. Elsewhere | Eve Leighton | Recurring role (season 2), guest (season 5) |
| 1984 | The Love Boat | Mrs. Rhodes | 1 episode |
| 1984 | Mama's Family | Felicia | Episode: "Mama for Mayor: Part 2" |
| 1984 | Booker | Mrs. Ruffner | TV film |
| 1986 | ABC Afterschool Special | Sister Regina | Episode: "Are You My Mother?" |
| 1986 | You Again? | Dr. Woods | Episode: "Henry and Matt Get Sick" |
| 1986 | Murder in Three Acts | Daisy Eastman | TV film |
| 1989 | Oh, Henry! | Mildred | TV film |
| 1990 | The Golden Girls | Magda | Episode: "Sisters and Other Strangers" |
| 1991 | Sunday Dinner | Martha Benedict | Main role |
| 1991 | The Julie Show | June Robbins | TV film |
| 1992 | Murder, She Wrote | Penelope Hope Daniels | Episode: "The Witch's Curse" |
| 1992 | Harry and the Hendersons | Monica | Episode: "Born Again" |
| 1992–1994 | Empty Nest | Ursula Dietz | Episode: "The Unimportance of Being Charley", "My Mother, My Self", "Love a la Mode" |
| 1993 | Home Free | Grace Bailey | Main role |
| 1996 | Common Law | Bunny | Episode: "In the Matter Of: John's 15 Minutes" |
| 1998 | Working | Mrs. Richards | Episode: "The Closer" |
| 1998 | Touched by an Angel | Flo | Episode: "Lady of the Lake" |
| 1998 | Suddenly Susan | Mrs. Richmond | Episode: "The Thanksgiving Episode" |
| 2000 | Providence | Episode: "Paradise Inn" |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Hevesi, Dennis (May 4, 2011). "Marian Mercer, Actress With Zany Streak, Is Dead at 75". The New York Times.
- ^ "It's a Living". The New York Times. 2012. Archived from the original on July 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Canby, Vincent (December 19, 1980). "'NINE TO FIVE,' OFFICE COMEDY". The New York Times.
- ^ Girion, Lisa; Verrier, Richard (January 15, 2009). "Actors' hospital to close". Los Angeles Times.
