Maria Palmer

Maria Palmer
Born Maria Pichler
(1917-09-05)5 September 1917
Vienna, Austria
Died 6 September 1981(1981-09-06) (aged 64)
Los Angeles
Alma mater Vienna Conservatory
Occupation Actress
Spouse(s) Dr. Franz Marmorek

Maria Palmer (born Maria Pichler,[1] 5 September 1917 – 6 September 1981) was an Austrian-born American actress.

Early life

Palmer was born and raised in Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Vienna, Austria) on 5 September 1917. She first appeared on stage as a child actor, in various Max Reinhardt productions. She trained as a dancer, and was a member of the Bodenwieser Ensemble. She later studied drama and voice at the Vienna Conservatory.

Career

At the outbreak of war in 1938, Palmer emigrated with her parents to the United States.[2] She first performed on the stage in New York City, most notably in the 1942 production of The Moon Is Down.[3]

She moved into film, helping to meet Hollywood's demand for exotic foreign women for war films and films noir. Her 1942 debut was playing Catherine de' Medici in the 1942 short Nostradamus and the Queen. Her feature film debut was in Mission to Moscow (1943). She continued in 1944 with Days of Glory, opposite Gregory Peck, and later that year, Lady on a Train.

In the 1950s, her film career declined and she went into radio, television and commercials. She even started her own production company, called Maria Palmer Enterprises. In the early 1960s, Palmer hosted her own Los Angeles show, entitled "Sincerely, Maria Palmer". In her later years, Palmer wrote a number of unproduced television screenplays, often using the pseudonym Eliot Parker White. In 1962, she played "Elsa" in the episode "The Immigrants" on CBS's Rawhide.

Her papers, covering the years 1922–1975, are held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[4]

Personal life

When she was 16, Palmer married Dr. Franz Marmorek; they later divorced.[5]

Later life

Palmer died of cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles on 6 September 1981,[2] the day after her 64th birthday. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, California.[6]

Selected filmography

References

  1. Cotter, Robert Michael "Bobb" (2013). The Women of Hammer Horror: A Biographical Dictionary and Filmography. McFarland. p. 145. ISBN 9781476602011. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Noted Actress Maria Palmer Is Dead At 56". Santa Cruz Sentinel. California, Santa Cruz. Associated Press. September 14, 1981. p. 24. Retrieved July 17, 2017 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "("Maria Palmer" search results)". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 18 July 2017.
  4. "Maria Palmer papers". Oscars.org. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
  5. Carroll, Harrison (November 15, 1955). "Behind the Scenes in Hollywood". The Lethbridge Herald. Canada, Lethbridge, Alberta. p. 2. Retrieved July 17, 2017 via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Maria Palmer". Find A Grave. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
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