Merry Anders

Short Biography

Born Mary Anderson in Chicago on May 22, 1932, beautiful Merry Anders aspired to be an actress, even as a child.Although Anders was under contract to 20th Century-Fox, her film career did not exactly flourish at the studio. During this time, she took several small roles in Fox films, but Fox dropped her contract in 1954. She had more luck on television, where she was featured in two television series: The Stu Erwin Show (Anders was a regular during the show's last season in 1954-1955) and How to Marry a Millionaire (syndicated 1957-1959). Interestingly, Anders had a small role in the film version of How to Marry a Millionaire while under contract at Fox. In 1955, Anders married casting director/producer John G. Stephens; the marriage lasted just a few months, but in the middle of the divorce, Anders learned that she was pregnant. Her daughter was born in 1956.Without a studio contract, Anders began freelancing at other studios. She used this newfound freedom to her advantage, chalking up an amazing eight film releases in 1957 alone. Also, she began making numerous guest appearances on popular TV programs, including Cheyenne, Bronco, Perry Mason, and The Addams Family. By the late 1940s, she and her mother made their way to California, where Anders soon began acting and modeling lessons. While appearing in a small play in the early 1950s, Merry Anders was spotted by a 20th Century-Fox talent scout. After a screen test, she was put under contract by 20th Century-Fox in 1951.By the mid 1960s, film roles began to dry up for Merry Anders. After a stint on Dragnet 1967, a few more films, and a few guest shots on other TV programs, she retired from the screen as she could not makes ends meet. She went to work for Litton Data Systems in 1969 but on occasion tackled roles in films such as Blood Legacy (1971; with Faith Domergue and Jeff Morrow). Anders remarried in 1986 and retired from Litton in the 1994. Her second husband left her a widow in 1999. Sadly, Merry Anders passed away on October, 28, 2012, at the age of 80. She was survived by her daughter.