| Mary Ann Mobley | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Mary Ann Mobley |
| Born: | February 17, 1939 |
| Birth Hometown: | Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Died: | December 9, 2014 (age 77) |
| Place of death: | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Years active: | 1959-2014 |
| Known for: | Appearing on Match Game |
| Website/URL: | http://www.maryannmobley.net |
Mary Ann Mobley (February 17, 1939-December 9, 2014) was a former Miss America, actress and television personality.
Miss America
Mobley was crowned Miss America 1959, the first Mississippi to achieve this honor, winning the national talent award. Prior to this, Mobley joined her husband Gary Collins, as co-host of the 1989 Miss America Pageant.
Career
- After serving her reign as Miss America 1959, Mobley embarked on a career in both film and television. She made her first five television appearances on Burke's Law from 1963-65. She made two appearances on Perry Mason in 1964 and 1966. In the first episode title character and defendant Dianne Adler in "The Case of the Blonde Bonanza". In the latter episode she played murderer and title character Sharon Carmody in "The Case of the Misguided Model". Between 1963-73 she made five appearances on Love, American Style and eight appearances on Fantasy Island from 1978-84. She had a recurring role as Maggie McKinney Drummond on Diff'rent Strokes in the series final season, having taken the role from Dixie Carter. (She would later guest star as Karen Delaporte, a snide head of historical society who crossed swords with Dixie's character, Julia Sugarbaker, in Ms. Carter's later series titled as Designing Women).
- She also made appearances on Match Game as one of the celebrity panelists. She ended her television career in 1994 with an appearance on Hardball. She was awarded the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year-Actress in 1965. She has been active in many charitable causes and was awarded the Outstanding Young Woman of the Year Award in 1966 by Lady Bird Johnson.
Personal
- She was a member of Chi Omega sorority at the University of Mississippi and in 1981 was inducted into the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame.
- She married actor and TV host Gary Collins in 1967. They only have one child, a daughter, Mary Clancy Collins. The Collinses separated in 2011, but reconciled and he moved to Biloxi, Mississippi to be with her in 2012. Prior to this, Gary died on October 13, 2012.
- In a interview with scuba diving magazine. Mobley described as an "avid diver" who holds certification as a scuba diver.
Health and Death
- Mary Ann Mobley was treated in 2009 for stage 3 breast cancer and was in remission at the time.
- Mobley had Crohn's disease, and had times been an activist for improvements for treatment.
- On December 9, 2014, she died at her home in Beverly Hills, California from breast cancer.
Shows appeared
- Match Game
- Password
- Get the Message
- He Said She Said
- Showoffs
- TattleTales
- Dance Fever (1980)
- Family Feud (1983)
- Body Language
- Super Password
- Hollywood Squares (1989)
- To Tell the Truth
- Whew!
Show judged
- Cupcake Wars (2012)