Mary Howard

Mary Howard de Liagre (May 18, 1913 – June 6, 2009) was an American actress usually credited as Mary Howard. Howard came from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and took dancing lessons when she was in kindergarten. Among her dancing instructors was Albertina Rasch. She began her entertainment career as a dancer, performing in shows in New York City when she was 14. That talent ran in her family, as two older sisters were in the Ziegfeld Follies.Howard's first film employment came when she signed a stock contract with Louis B. Mayer. Although she appeared in few films, she used the first six months to have her teeth straightened and the second six months to learn to act.Howard helped organize the USO in Los Angeles during World War II and toured for returning servicemen.In 1945, she moved to New York City and married Alfred de Liagre Jr., a theater producer who died in 1987. She was a founding member of Recording for the Blind, and served on the boards of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the Princess Grace Foundation.