Marian Mercer

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American singer and stage actress who debuted in 1957. Her career peaked with the Broadway review "Promises, Promises," which opened 12/01/1968 and received a Best Supporting Actress Tony award 4/20/1969. Marian Mercer and musical comedy have gone hand-in-hand ever since she starred in her high school production of "Annie Get Your Gun." After graduating from the University of Michigan, she made her professional debut in 1957. After a few seasons of summer stock, she went to New York, where she worked a chorus member, an understudy and a principal in "Fiorello" and "Little Mary Sunshine." She displayed her singing and comic versatility in the Broadway revue "New Faces" in 1962, then spent several years as an ensemble player on TV variety shows such as "The Dean Martin Show," "The Andy Williams Show" and "The Dom DeLuise Show." In 1968, she won a Tony award for her portrayal of good-time girl Maggie McDonnell in "Promises, Promises." The following year she made her first film appearance in "John and Mary." Mercer's 1970s assignments included a season's worth of sketches on the syndicated TV show, "The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters;" as well as other entertaining guest roles and recurring appearances. Mercer appeared in the movie, "The Cracker Factory," in 1979 and in "Nine to Five" in 1980. She remained solidly booked throughout the 1980s in TV, stage and cabaret. After spending part of 1991 in the supporting role of Martha in the Norman Lear series "Sunday Dinner," Mercer appeared in "Out on a Limb" in 1992 and was at last given top billing as Grace Bradley in the 1993 comedy weekly "Home Free." Mercer was married on 11/09/1964. Suffering from Alzheimer's disease,she died on April 27, 2011 in Newbury Park, CA. Link to Wikipedia biography