Actress Adele Mara Passes On

Actress Adele Mara, who appeared with John Wayne in The Sands of Iwo Jima and TV shows such as 77 Sunset Strip, passed on May 7 at the age of 87.

Adele Mara was born Adelaide Delgado on April 28, 1923 in Highland Park, Michigan. She started dancing when she was very young. At the age of 15 she was discovered by Xavier Cugat. Her parents then moved to Philadelphia so that she could perform with Xaviar Cugat's band. It was when Cugat brought Miss Delgado to New York City that she was seen by a Columbia talent scout, who signed her to a contract. Adele Mara made her movie debut in Honolulu Liu in 1941, although her scenes were deleted. She spent much of her career in film in the Forties appearing in programmers such as Blondie Goes To College (1942), Alias Boston Blackie (1942), Riders of the Northwest Mounted (1943), Crime Doctor (1943), The Vampire's Ghost (1945), and Robin Hood of Texas  (1947). For much of the Forties she only appeared in one major feature film, You Were Never Lovelier in 1942. The late Forties would see Miss Mara appear in two major feature films, both opposite John Wayne: Wake of the Red Witch (1948) and The Sands of Iwo Jima (1949).

The Fifties saw Adele Mara appear in Don Siegel's Count the Hours (1953), Back From Eternity (1956), Curse of the Facelss Man (1958), and The Big Circus (1959). From the Fifties onwards, however, most of her career was spent on television. She made her television debut on an episode of The Adventures of the Falcon in 1954. She went onto guest star on The Lone Wolf, Studio 57, The Millionaire, The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin, Casey Jones, Cheyenne, Bat Masterson, Maverick, and 77 Sunset Strip. From the Sixties into the Seventies she guest starred on such shows as Dante, The Red Skelton Show, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Thriller, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. Having married television producer Roy Huggins (creator of Maverick, 77 Sunset Strip, The Fugitive, and The Rockford Files) in 1953, she retired in 1962 to raise her family. Her only appearances afterwards were guest shots on Cool Milllion in 1972) and the miniseries Wheels in 1978.