Marie Windsor (born Emily Marie Bertelsen; December 11, 1919 – December 10, 2000) was an American actress known for her femme fatale characters in the classic film noir features Force of Evil, The Narrow Margin and The Killing. Windsor's height (5'9", 175 cm) created problems for her in scenes with all but the tallest actors. She was the female lead in so many B movies that she became dubbed the "Queen" of the genre.

Early years

Windsor was born in 1919 in Marysvale, Utah, the daughter of Lane and Etta Bertelsen. She graduated from Marysvale High School in 1934, doing a "musical reading" as part of the graduation exercises. She attended Brigham Young University, where she participated in dramatic productions. She was described in a 1939 newspaper article as "an accomplished athlete ... expert as a dancer, swimmer, horsewoman, and plays golf, tennis and skis." to be queen of Covered Wagon Days in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was unofficially appointed "Miss Utah of 1939" by her hometown’s Chamber of Commerce, and trained for the stage under Hollywood actress and coach Maria Ouspenskaya. As she later recalled, a production with the 6’5” Forrest Tucker as co-star made her happy with finally getting a male lead who was her 'own size'.

Windsor worked in radio in Salt Lake City before moving to California.

Stage

In 1940, after her move to Hollywood and entering Ouspenskaya's drama school, she appeared in the play Forty Thousand Smiths, her first use of the stage name "Marie Windsor". The next year she appeared in Once in a Lifetime at the Pasadena Playhouse. She also played a villain in a New York production of Follow the Girls.

Her first film contract, with Warner Bros. in 1942, resulted from her writing jokes and submitting them to Jack Benny. Windsor said she submitted the gags under the name M.E. Windsor "because I was afraid he might be prejudiced against a woman gag writer". When Benny finally met Windsor, "he was stunned by her good looks" and had a producer sign her to a contract.

In 1987, Windsor received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for best actress for her work in The Bar Off Melrose. They were wed April 21, 1946, in Marysvale, Utah. They divorced that same year

In July 1950, newspaper columnist Louella Parsons reported, "Marie Windsor has set her marriage to Alex Lunciman, a Beverly Hills stock broker, for October".

She married realtor

Windsor was politically conservative, a member of the Screen Actors Guild, and supportive of the Motion Picture and Television Fund.

After her acting career ended, Windsor became a painter and sculptor. Windsor was also a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Death

Windsor died of congestive heart failure on December 10, 2000. She is interred with Hupp in her native Marysvale, Utah, at Mountain View Cemetery.

Filmography

  • Unexpected Uncle (1941) as Passerby on Sidewalk (uncredited)
  • Weekend for Three (1941) as Extra (uncredited)
  • All-American Co-Ed (1941) as Carrot Queen (uncredited)
  • Playmates (1941) as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
  • Joan of Paris (1942) as French Girl in Cafe (uncredited)
  • Four Jacks and a Jill (1942) as Girl Applying Makeup (uncredited)
  • Call Out the Marines (1942) as Pretty Brunette on Tour (uncredited)
  • The Lady or the Tiger? (1942) as The Princess (uncredited)
  • Flying with Music (1942) as Native Girl (uncredited)
  • Parachute Nurse (1942) as Company 'C' Girl (uncredited)
  • Smart Alecks (1942) as Nurse
  • The Big Street (1942) as Florida Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
  • Eyes in the Night (1942) as Actress at Rehearsal (uncredited)
  • George Washington Slept Here (1942) as Woman at Train Station (uncredited)
  • Chatterbox (1943) as Hostess (uncredited)
  • Three Hearts for Julia (1943) as Violinist (uncredited)
  • Pilot No. 5 (1943) as Mrs. Claven (uncredited)
  • Let's Face It (1943) as Chorus Girl (uncredited)
  • The Iron Major (1943) as Young Woman at Dock (uncredited)
  • Follow the Leader (1944) as Native Girl in Dream (uncredited)
  • I Love My Wife, But! (1947) as Saleswoman (uncredited)
  • Living in a Big Way (1947) as Jane, Junior League Girl (uncredited)
  • The Hucksters (1947) as Girl on Train (uncredited)
  • The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) as Baggett Daughter (uncredited)
  • Song of the Thin Man (1947) as Helen Amboy
  • The Unfinished Dance (1947) as Saleslady (uncredited)
  • On an Island with You (1948) as Jane (uncredited)
  • The Pirate (1948) as Madame Lucia (uncredited)
  • The Three Musketeers (1948) as Lady-in-Waiting (uncredited)
  • Force of Evil (1948) as Edna Tucker
  • Outpost in Morocco (1949) as Cara
  • The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend (1949) as LaBelle Bergere (uncredited)
  • Hellfire (1949) as Mary Carson / Doll Brown
  • The Fighting Kentuckian (1949) as Ann Logan
  • Dakota Lil (1950) as Dakota Lil
  • The Showdown (1950) as Adelaide
  • Double Deal (1950) as Terry Miller
  • Frenchie (1950) as Diane Gorman
  • Little Big Horn (1951) as Celie Donlin
  • Hurricane Island (1951) as Jan Bolton
  • Two Dollar Bettor (1951) as Mary Slate
  • Japanese War Bride (1952) as Fran Sterling
  • The Sniper (1952) as Jean Darr
  • The Narrow Margin (1952) as Mrs. Frankie Neall
  • Outlaw Women (1952) as Iron Mae McLeod
  • The Jungle (1952) as Princess Mari
  • The Tall Texan (1953) as Laura Thompson
  • Trouble Along the Way (1953) as Anne Williams McCormick
  • City That Never Sleeps (1953) as Lydia Biddel
  • So This Is Love (1953) as Marilyn Montgomery
  • Cat-Women of the Moon (1953) as Helen Salinger
  • The Eddie Cantor Story (1953) as Cleo Abbott
  • Hell's Half Acre (1954) as Rose
  • The Bounty Hunter (1954) as Alice Williams
  • The Silver Star (1955) as Karen Childress
  • Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) as Madame Rontru
  • No Man's Woman (1955) as Carolyn Ellenson Grant
  • Two-Gun Lady (1955) as Bess
  • Swamp Women (1956) as Josie Nardo
  • The Killing (1956) as Sherry Peatty
  • Cheyenne (1957) as Thora Flagg
  • The Unholy Wife (1957) as Gwen
  • The Parson and the Outlaw (1957) as Tonya
  • The Girl in Black Stockings (1957) as Julia Parry
  • The Story of Mankind (1957) as Josephine Bonaparte
  • Day of the Badman (1958) as Cora Johnson
  • Island Women (1958) as Elizabeth
  • Paradise Alley (1962) as Linda Belita
  • This Is Not a Test (1962) as Mrs. Karen Barnes (under pseudonym Carol Kent)
  • The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1963) as Claire Fielding
  • Critic's Choice (1963) as Sally Orr
  • Mail Order Bride (1964) as Hanna
  • Bedtime Story (1964) as Mrs. Sutton
  • Chamber of Horrors (1966) as Madame Corona
  • The Good Guys and the Bad Guys (1969) as Polly
  • One More Train to Rob (1971) as Louella
  • Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971) as Goldie
  • Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973) as Mrs. Green
  • The Outfit (1973) as Madge Coyle
  • Hearts of the West (1975) as Woman in Nevada
  • Freaky Friday (1976) as Mrs. Murphy
  • Salem's Lot (1979) as Eva Miller
  • Lovely But Deadly (1981) as Aunt May
  • Commando Squad (1987) as Casey

<small>Source:</small>

Television

  • The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse in the episode "Live a Little" (1954)
  • The Public Defender as Melody Scanlon in "The Ring" (1954)
  • Stories of the Century as Belle Starr in the series premiere episode (1954)
  • Waterfront as Marie Turner in the episode "Night at the Lighthouse" (1954)
  • Science Fiction Theater as Nell Brown in the episode "Time is Just a Place" (1955)
  • Cheyenne as Leda Brandt in "Decision at Gunsight" and as Thora Flagg in "The Mutton Puncher" (both 1957)
  • The Californians as Dolly Dawson in "The Regulators" (1957)
  • Maverick in the episodes "The Quick and the Dead" (1957) with James Garner and "Epitaph for a Gambler" (1962) with Jack Kelly
  • Bat Masterson as saloon owner Polly Landers in "The Fighter" (1958)
  • Perry Mason in four episodes:
  • as Linda Griffith in "The Case of the Daring Decoy" (1958)
  • as Flavia Pierce in "The Case of the Madcap Modiste" (1960)
  • as Edith "Edie" Morrow in "The Case of the Tarnished Trademark" (1962)
  • as Mrs. Helen Reed in "The Case of the Wednesday Woman" (1964)
  • Yancy Derringer in episode 03, "Ticket to Natchez" (1958)
  • Rawhide in three episodes:
  • "Incident on the Edge of Madness" (1959)
  • S3:E26, "Incident of the Painted Lady" (1961) as Miss Katie
  • "Incident of the Rusty Shotgun" (1964) as Amie Claybank
  • The Alaskans as Maria Julien in the episode "Winter Song" (1959)
  • Tales of Wells Fargo as Dolly Staples in the episode "The Warrior's Return" (1959)
  • Bourbon Street Beat as Veda Troup in "The 10% Blues" and Mara in "Teresa" (both 1960)
  • The Rebel as Emma Longdon in "Glory" (1960)
  • Lassie as Mimi in "Little Cabbage" (1960)
  • 77 Sunset Strip as Countess Maruska in "Collector's Item" (1960)
  • New Comedy Showcase as Angela Talbot in "Johnny Come Lately" (1960)
  • Hawaiian Eye in four episodes:
  • "The Comics" (1961)
  • "The Final Score" (1961)
  • "Location Shooting" (1962)
  • "Day in the Sun" (1962)
  • Bonanza as Elizabeth Lassiter in the episode "Five Sundowns to Sunup" (1965)
  • Batman in the episodes "Green Ice" and "Deep Freeze" (1966)
  • Mannix in the episodes "The Need of a Friend" (1968) and "Walk a Double Line" (1974)
  • Wild Women (1970) (TV)
  • Adam-12, in the episodes "Log 56: Vice Versa" (1971), "The Chaser" (1972) and "Hollywood Division" (1973)
  • Gunsmoke in the episode "Trafton" (1971)
  • Alias Smith and Jones as Helen Archer in the episode "High Lonesome Country" (1971) (TV)
  • Manhunter (1974)
  • Police Story in the episode "Explosion" (1974)
  • Marcus Welby, M.D. in the episode "The Highest Mountain" (1976)
  • Charlie's Angels in the episodes "Angels in Springtime" (1978) and "Angels at the Altar" (1979)
  • Salem's Lot (1979)
  • Lou Grant (two episodes, 1979 and 1980)
  • The Incredible Hulk as Belle Star in the episode "Sideshow" (1980)
  • The Perfect Woman (1981)
  • Simon & Simon in three episodes:
  • "Murder Between the Lines" (1983)
  • "The Dark Side of the Street" (1984)
  • "For Old Crime's Sake" (1987)
  • J.O.E. and the Colonel (1985)
  • Tales from the Darkside as Madam Angler in the episode "A New Lease on Life" (1986)
  • Commando Squad (1987)
  • Supercarrier (1988)
  • The New Adam-12 (1990)
  • Murder, She Wrote (two episodes, 1987 and 1991)

References

Citations

Further reading

  • Oderman, Stuart, Talking to the Piano Player 2. BearManor Media, 2009. .
  • Marie Windsor Biography
  • Marie Windsor interview with The Perfect Vision magazine at Modern Times Classic Film Pages
  • Literature on Marie Windsor
  • Marie Windsor Papers. MSS 2301; 20th Century Western & Mormon Manuscripts; L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.