Martha Stewart (actress)

This article is about the actress. For the retail businesswoman and TV personality, see Martha Stewart.

Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart on a billboard
Born
Martha Ruth Stewart Haworth

(1922-10-07)October 7, 1922
Bardwell, Kentucky, U.S.
DiedFebruary 17, 2021(2021-02-17) (aged 98)
Reseda, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Other namesMartha Shelley
OccupationActress
Years active1945–1964
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1946; div. 1948)​
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1952)​
David Shelley
​
​
(m. 1955; died 1982)​
Children3; including David Shelley

Martha Ruth Stewart Shelley (née Haworth; October 7, 1922 – February 17, 2021), better known as Martha Stewart, was an American actress. She was noted for playing Mildred Atkinson in In a Lonely Place (1950) alongside Humphrey Bogart.

Early life

Stewart was born in Bardwell, Kentucky, on October 7, 1922. Her family relocated to Brooklyn during her childhood. She attended New Utrecht High School, graduating in 1939.[1][2] She first worked in show business singing on NBC radio with Glenn Miller, Harry James, and Claude Thornhill.[1][3] She was recruited by a Hollywood talent scout after an appearance at the Stork Club in Manhattan.[1][2]

Career

Stewart made her film debut in Doll Face (1945), in which she acted alongside Vivian Blaine and sang a duet with Perry Como.[1] She then featured in Johnny Comes Flying Home (1946) opposite Richard Crane, then in I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947) with June Haver. The following year, she starred with Donald O'Connor in Are You with It?. She also appeared on Broadway in the musical Park Avenue from 1946 to 1947.[1][2]

Stewart performed one of her best-known roles as murder victim Mildred Atkinson in the classic In a Lonely Place (1950). The film is regarded as one of Humphrey Bogart's finest performances.[2] That same year, she featured in Convicted with Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford. She went on to star in Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick (1952) alongside Alan Young and Dinah Shore.[1] She appeared on television as the co-host of Those Two from 1952 to 1953,[4] and in one episode of The Red Skelton Show in 1954.[5] Nearly a decade would elapse before she featured in the episode "A Nice Touch" of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.[6] Stewart acted for the final time in Surf Party (1964), after which she retired.[1][7]

Personal life and death

Stewart was married to singer-comedian Joe E. Lewis for two years;[8] the marriage ended in divorce in 1948. Her second marriage was to actor-comedian George O'Hanlon from 1949 to 1952. She married her third and final husband David Shelley in 1955; they remained married until his death in 1982.[2] The couple had three children, one of whom, singer David Shelley, predeceased her in 2015.[1]

Stewart was the subject of an erroneous obituary in 2012, published by the website of Variety magazine,[9] when she was actually still living in California under the name Martha Shelley.[10] Stewart died on February 17, 2021, at the age of 98.[1][2]

Filmography

Year Title Role
1945 Doll Face[7][11] Frankie Porter
1946 Johnny Comes Flying Home[7][11] Ann Cummings
1947 I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now[7][11] Lulu Madison
Daisy Kenyon[7][11] Mary Angelus
1948 Are You with It?[7][11] Bunny La Fleur
1950 In a Lonely Place[7][11] Mildred Atkinson
Convicted[7][11] Bertie Williams
1952 Aaron Slick from Punkin Crick[11][12] Soubrette
1964 Surf Party[7][11] Pauline Lowell

Television credits

  • Martha Stewart and co-stars in Doll Face
    Martha Stewart and co-stars in Doll Face
  • Martha Stewart performing "Somebody's Walking in My Dream" in Doll Face
    Martha Stewart performing "Somebody's Walking in My Dream" in Doll Face
  • Martha Stewart and Perry Como perform "Somebody's Walking in My Dream" in Doll Face
    Martha Stewart and Perry Como perform "Somebody's Walking in My Dream" in Doll Face
  • Martha Stewart and Perry Como perform "Somebody's Walking in My Dream" in Doll Face
    Martha Stewart and Perry Como perform "Somebody's Walking in My Dream" in Doll Face

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Barnes, Mike (February 21, 2021). "Martha Stewart, Actress in 'Daisy Kenyon' and 'In a Lonely Place,' Dies at 98". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Levine, Daniel S. (February 21, 2021). "Martha Stewart Dead: 'In a Lonely Place' and 'Daisy Kenyon' Star Was 98". PopCulture.com. Pop Culture Media. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  3. ^ "Radio's Sweater Girls". Tampa Bay Times. Florida, St. Petersburg. September 17, 1944. p. 30. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b "Sure to Read "TV Review"". Brooklyn Eagle. July 2, 1952. p. 13. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  5. ^ a b Hyatt, Wesley (May 7, 2015). A Critical History of Television's The Red Skelton Show, 1951–1971. McFarland. p. 163. ISBN 9781476608754.
  6. ^ a b "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour : A Nice Touch (1963) – Cast and Crew". AllMovie. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Martha Stewart". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Divorce Planned". Spokane Chronicle. Associated Press. June 2, 1948. p. 12. Retrieved July 21, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Variety staff (March 5, 2012). "Actress Martha Stewart dies at 89". Variety. Archived from the original on November 13, 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2012. (archived at the Internet Archive)
  10. ^ Andre Soares. "Martha Stewart Still Alive?", altfg.com; accessed February 26, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Martha Stewart". American Film Institute. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Martha Stewart". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on October 30, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  13. ^ "Status of Cavalcade of Stars, Season 3". Television Obscurities. July 19, 2009. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
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