Mary Lawrence (born Mary Lou Lender, May 17, 1918 – September 24, 1991) was an American actress, who had a career in film and television.
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Early years
Lawrence was born Mary Lou Lender in Newark, Ohio. She and her family moved to Columbus, Ohio, when she was 2 years old. Her early acting experiences came while she was in Columbus schools.
Acting
While on vacation in California, Lawrence met family friend Elliott Nugent, who introduced her to Harold Lloyd. Loyd in turn gave her a part in his film, The Professor. She married soon after making the film and retired from acting to raise her children.
Lawrence eventually resumed acting, beginning with work in little theater productions. Bob Cummings was a friend of the family, and he asked her to be on his television show. She played Ruth Helm on Love That Bob from 1956 to 1958. Other television programs in which she was seen included Climax, Playhouse 90, and Dragnet. She had a recurring role in the syndicated television series Casey Jones, where she played Jones's wife Alice with Alan Hale Jr. as her husband. She also appeared in episodes of The Donna Reed Show.
Films in which Lawrence acted included No Man of Her Own, State Fair, and The Stratton Story.
Writing
After Lawrence retired from acting, she turned to writing books on art. Her published works included Mother and Child (1975), Lovers (1982), and Children in Art (posthumous).
Personal life and death
Lawrence married film director Delmer Daves, who wrote the screenplay for The Professor. They were wed from 1938 to 1977. Following his death she married banker Samuel Doak Young Sr. She had three children. She died of complications resulting from pneumonia on September 24, 1991, in St. John's Hospital and Health Center in Santa Monica, California, aged 73.