Biography
s Gifford had a somewhat unorthodox introduction to the movie business. Born and raised in Long Beach, California, she had no ambition to be an actress, and in fact had applied to UCLA when, at age 16, she and a friend got to visit the Samuel Goldwyn Studios, where they watched a movie being shot. A studio exec saw her and asked if she would take a screen test. She did, the studio was impressed with the result and put her under contract. Nothing much came of it, however, other than bit parts, and she moved to RKO. Nothing much happened there, either. She had married actor James Dunn and decided to retire, which she did, in 1938. Off the screen for almost two years, she got a small part in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and her career began to revive. She was signed by Paramount, which soon loaned her to Republic, where she made the film she is probably most ed for: the serial Jungle Girl (1941), based on an Edgar Rice Burroughs story.
Unfortunately, her career never really took off, and she bounced around among several studios. In 1948 she was involved in an auto accident in which she received severe head injuries. Although she seemed to recover physically, her career took a nosedive, and she made her last film in 1953. In 1958 newspaper stories reported that as a result of the injuries sustained in the accident, she was itted to a California state mental hospital. Nothing further was heard from her or about her until 1983, when a writer for a film magazine found her in Pasadena. She had apparently fully overcome her physical and mental problems and was working for the city library. She died of emphysema in Pasadena in 1994.
Filmography
all 37
Movies 36
TV Shows 1
self 1
Walt Disney's Fables - Vol.6 (2004)
Sky Commando (1953)
General Electric Theater (1953)
Riding High (1950)
Luxury Liner (1948)
Little Mister Jim (1947)
The Arnelo Affair (1947)
She Went to the Races (1945)
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945)
Thrill of a Romance (1945)
Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944)
Twenty Years After (1944)
Cry 'Havoc' (1943)
Henry Aldrich Gets Glamour (1943)
American Empire (1942)
My Heart Belongs to Daddy (1942)
Beyond the Blue Horizon (1942)
Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)
The Remarkable Andrew (1942)
Jungle Girl (1941)
Border Vigilantes (1941)
Hold That Woman! (1940)
Forty Little Mothers (1940)
Mercy Plane (1939)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
Having Wonderful Time (1938)
Maid's Night Out (1938)
Night Spot (1938)
Living on Love (1937)
There Goes the Groom (1937)
Stage Door (1937)
New Faces of 1937 (1937)
Gallery
Information
Known For
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1920-12-07
Deathday
1994-01-15 (73 years old)
Birth Place
Long Beach, United States
Relationships
James Dunn (1938 - 1942)
Citizenships
United States of America
Also Known As
Mary s Gifford, Mary Gifford
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s Gifford
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