Mary Healy

Mary Healy was an actress and singer, and one half of a popular comedy duo with her husband, Peter Lind Hayes.

Her career in entertainment began shortly after she was crowned Miss New Orleans in 1935. While singing in the historic Blue Room at the Roosevelt Hotel, she was discovered by a 20th Century Fox talent scout, which led to roles in more than a dozen films.

During this time, she met her future husband, Hayes. They married in 1940 and performed together for 58 years, until his death in 1998.

Healy also had some success working on her own. In 1945, during a hiatus from movies, she made her stage debut in the Broadway musical revue Count Me In. Her theater work continued for several years and even resulted in a starring role opposite Orson Welles in his Broadway show Around the World.

However, it was her collaboration with Hayes that resulted in the most success, especially in television. They starred in several shows together, including The Peter Lind Hayes Show (1950–51), Star of the Family (1950-1952) and Peter Loves Mary (1960–61). They were also guests together on various game shows such as What’s My Line? In addition, they starred together in the 1953 cult fantasy film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr.T. and the 1958 Broadway comedy Who Was That Lady I Saw You With?

In the early 1960s they hosted a popular radio program from their home in New Rochelle, New York, which aired on WOR in New York City. In 1961 they published a memoir, Twenty-Five Minutes from Broadway, which was followed more than 40 years later by Moments to Remember with Peter and Mary — Our Life in Show Business from Vaudeville to Video.

Healy died February 3, 2015, in Calabasas, California. She was 96.