Mari Aldon


Mari Aldon was a Lithuanian American actress.

Early life

Mari Aldon was born in Tauragė, Lithuania. When she was three years old, her parents moved to Toronto where she attended Givens Public School and Central High School. She studied ballet, drama, piano, and singing.

Career

Before Aldon began working in films, she acted for 11 months in a road company of A Streetcar Named Desire and danced with the Canadian Ballet. She also appeared on radio with Alan Young and on The Great Gildersleeve.
After making her screen debut in a minor role in The Locket she gradually evolved to playing supporting or lead roles. Her most notable performance was starring opposite Gary Cooper in the 1951 Western Distant Drums. By the mid-1950s she was appearing either in B Pictures like the British thriller Mask of Dust or in supporting roles in more expensive films such as David Lean's Summertime. After this point she worked largely in television.

Personal life

Aldon married Tay Garnett in London, England on 13 August 1953. Their daughter Tiela Aldon Garnett Daniels was born in Los Angeles, California on 25 October 1955. On January 17, 1958 Aldon became a US citizen. In August 1970, Aldon filed for divorce from Garnett in Los Angeles, she was widowed seven years later. Aldon and Garnett had a ranch near King Vidor in Paso Robles, California. Aldon died on October 31, 2004 in Las Vegas, of cancer. She is survived by her daughter, Tiela, her grandchildren, Taylor and Chloe, and her sister Janet.

Filmography