Margia Dean
| Margia Dean | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Marguerite Louise Skliris April 7, 1922 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | beauty queen, actress, businesswoman |
| Years active | 1944-1964 |
| Spouse(s) |
Hal Fischer (1939-1945) (divorced) Felipe Alvarez (1965 present) |
Margia Dean is the stage name of Marguerite Louise Skliris-Alvarez (born April 7, 1922), a former American beauty queen and actress of Greek descent.[1] She was born in Chicago, Illinois but moved to San Francisco, California with her parents at a young age.[2] She began acting at the age of 7, appearing on stage in many child roles and later won the Women's National Shakespeare Contest for her role as Juliet in a production of Romeo and Juliet.[2] She also took up modeling and was named "Miss San Francisco" and "Miss California" in 1939.[3] She was runner-up to Patricia Donnelly in the 1939 "Miss America" competition.[2]
She made her feature film debut in Casanova in Burlesque (1944) and adopted her stage name, Margia Dean.[2] Although never under contract to a studio, most of the films, some 16 in all,[1] she made were for the producer Robert L. Lippert.[2] Her first leading role was in Shep Come Home (1948) and roles followed in Red Desert (1949), The Lonesome Trail (1955), Villa!! (1958) and Seven Women from Hell (1961).[4] Her association with Robert L. Lippert led to her being cast in The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), the first Hammer horror film.[5] Frustrated that her roles were predominantly in B movies, she eventually retired from acting following her marriage in 1965 to her second husband, Brazilian architect Felipe Alvarez.[4] Her final film was Moro Witch Doctor (1964).[4] She briefly became involved in movie production, producing The Long Rope (1961) with Hugh Marlowe as well as a number of television pilots.[2] She has since been vice-president of a real estate firm and has worked in costume design and interior decoration.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Private Life and Times of Margia Dean". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Fitzgerald, Mike. "An Interview with Margia Dean". Western Clippings. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ↑ Cozad, W. Lee (2006). More Magnificent Mountain Movies. Lake Arrowhead, California: Sunstroke Media. pp. 196–197. ISBN 978-0-9723372-2-9. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "Margia Dean - Biography". IMDB. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
- ↑ Hearn, Marcus; Barnes, Alan (2007) [1997]. The Hammer Story. The Authorised History of Hammer Films (2nd ed.). London: Titan Books. p. 17. ISBN 978-1-84576-185-1.
External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Claire James |
Miss California 1939 |
Succeeded by Rosemary LaPlanche |