Martha Vickers
Martha Vickers | |
|---|---|
 Vickers in 1947 | |
| Born | Martha MacVicar May 28, 1925 Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | November 2, 1971 (aged 46) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1943–1960 |
| Spouses | Manuel Rojas
(m. 1954; div. 1965) |
| Children | 3 |
Martha Vickers (born Martha MacVicar; May 28, 1925 – November 2, 1971) was an American model and actress.
Early life
Martha Vickers was born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan; where she spent her early childhood. Her father was an automobile dealer, and due to his career, the family relocated frequently. She subsequently attended schools across Chicago, Miami, St. Petersburg, Detroit, and Dallas before settling in Burbank, California in 1940 when her father assumed control of an agency there. Vickers was 15 at that time.[1] During school she actively participated in countless student shows.[2]
After finishing her studies in California, she began her career as a model[1][3] and cover girl.
Film
Yank (1945)
Vickers' first film role was a small uncredited part in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943).[4]
She played minor roles in several films during the early 1940s, working first at Universal Studios and then at RKO Pictures. In an interview, Vickers once stated that the roles given to her were so insignificant she preferred to return to modeling.[2]
Her definitive breakthrough came after she was noticed by Warner Bros. photographer Tom Kelly, who was searching for a model with a specific look to cast in The Big Sleep (1946). Vickers was selected from dozens of candidate models.[2] Following the discovery, studio executive Jack L. Warner signed her to a contract and suggested she alter her birth name from Martha MacVicar to the professional stage name Martha Vickers.[2]
[3] Her work there included the role of Carmen Sternwood, the promiscuous, drug-addicted younger sister of Lauren Bacall's character in The Big Sleep (1946). Although it was only a supporting role, novelist Raymond Chandler noted that Vickers' standout performance prompted the studio to cut many of her scenes.[5] She was also featured in a musical, The Time, the Place and the Girl (also 1946), followed by two Warner Bros. comedies, Love and Learn and That Way with Women (both 1947).
During the 1950s Vickers worked more often in television than in films, with her final performances in either medium released in 1960.
Television
Vickers starred in "The Last Thirty Minutes" on Ford Theatre in 1954.[6] Her other TV appearances included the 1959 Perry Mason episode, "The Case of the Jaded Joker", in which she played Sheila Hayes. Her final two performances, in 1960, were on The Rebel, starring Nick Adams.
Personal life
Vickers was married three times, to A.C. Lyles (March 15, 1948 – September 28, 1948),[7] Mickey Rooney (June 3, 1949 – September 25, 1951),[8] and actor Manuel Rojas (September 1, 1954 – May 5, 1965).[9] Each marriage ended in divorce. Vickers had one son with Mickey Rooney, and two daughters with Rojas.[10]
Outside of acting, Vickers enjoyed swimming and horseback riding. She also expressed a personal ambition to write a great novel, stating in a 1948 interview that she had already chosen a title for the project.[2]
Death
Vickers died at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Los Angeles on November 2, 1971, at the age of 46, following a long illness. [1][11] She is buried in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, California.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1943 | Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man | Margareta | Uncredited |
| Captive Wild Woman | Dorothy Colman | Credited as Martha MacVicar | |
| Top Man | High school girl | Uncredited Alternative title: Man of the Family | |
| Hi'ya, Sailor | Hostess | Uncredited | |
| 1944 | This Is the Life | Girl | Uncredited |
| Marine Raiders | Sally Parker | Credited as Martha MacVicar | |
| The Mummy's Ghost | Miss McLean, a student | Uncredited | |
| The Falcon in Mexico | Barbara Wade | Credited as Martha MacVicar | |
| 1946 | The Big Sleep | Carmen Sternwood | |
| The Time, the Place and the Girl | Victoria Cassel | ||
| 1947 | The Man I Love | Virginia "Ginny" Brown | |
| That Way with Women | Marcia Alden | ||
| Love and Learn | Barbara Wyngate | ||
| 1948 | Ruthless | Susan Duane | |
| 1949 | Daughter of the West | Lolita Moreno | |
| Bad Boy | Lila Strawn | Alternative title: The Story of Danny Lester | |
| Alimony | Kitty Travers aka Kate Klinger | ||
| 1955 | The Big Bluff | Valerie Bancroft | Alternative title: Worthy Detectives |
| 1957 | The Burglar | Della | |
| 1960 | Four Fast Guns | Mary Hoag | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1952 | The Unexpected | 1 episode | |
| 1953-1951 | General Electric Theater | Louise Helen |
2 episodes |
| 1954 | Ford Theatre | Nancy | 2 episodes |
| The Whistler | Louise | 1 episode | |
| 1955 | Fireside Theater | Ellen Weston Julie |
2 episodes |
| 1956 | The Millionaire | Ruth Murdock | 1 episode |
| 1957 | Playhouse 90 | 1 episode | |
| 1959 | Perry Mason | Sheila Hayes | 1 episode |
| 1960 | The Rebel | Bess Weed Agnes Boley |
2 episodes |
See also
References
- 1 2 3 "Actress-Model Is Dead At Age Of 46". The Danville Register. Virginia, Danville. Associated Press. November 5, 1971. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Couto, Newton (March 1948). "Celebridades em Foco" (PDF). O Malho (in Portuguese). p. 42. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2026. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
- 1 2 Monush, Barry (2003). Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 759. ISBN 9781557835512. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ↑ Mank, Gregory William (2014). The Very Witching Time of Night: Dark Alleys of Classic Horror Cinema. McFarland. p. 275. ISBN 9781476615431. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ↑ Ebert, Rogert (June 22, 1997). "The Big Sleep". RgerEbert.com. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Martha Vickers Star of WSB-TV Drama". The Atlanta Journal. March 13, 1954. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Martha Vickers, Movie Actress, Given Divorce". Joplin Globe. Missouri, Joplin. Associated Press. September 29, 1948. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Marill, Alvin H. (2004). Mickey Rooney: His Films, Television Appearances, Radio Work, Stage Shows, and Recordings. McFarland. p. 13. ISBN 9780786420155. Retrieved November 21, 2016.
- ↑ "Martha Vickers Wins Divorce". The San Bernardino County Sun. California, San Bernardino. Associated Press. May 6, 1965. p. 54. Retrieved November 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "The Official Website of Martha Vickers". www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
- ↑ "Martha Vickers, 46, Ex-Film Actress". The New York Times. November 4, 1971. Retrieved August 16, 2026.
External links
