Happy birthday Mary Wickes!
Mary Wickes was born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser in St. Louis, Missouri on June 13, 1910. Known for her distinctive voice and tall stature. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers, and housekeepers, who made sarcastic quips when the leading characters fell short of her high standards.
An excellent student, she graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a double major in English literature and political science. Although she had planned a career in law, a favorite professor encouraged her to try drama.
Columbo fans know her as the delightful nosy landlady with the photo album in Suitable for Framing.
Beyond Columbo
Wickes's first Broadway appearance was in Marc Connelly's "The Farmer Takes a Wife" in 1934 with Henry Fonda. She began acting in films in the late 1930s and became a member of the Orson Welles troupe on his radio drama "The Mercury Theatre on the Air"; she also appeared in Welles's film "Too Much Johnson" (1938).
One of her early film appearances was in "The Man Who Came to Dinner" (1942), reprising her stage role of Nurse Preen. She continued playing supporting roles in films during the next decade, usually playing wisecracking characters.
She passed away on October 22, 1995.
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