Mary Wickes

Mary Wickes (born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser, June 13, 1910 – October 22, 1995) was an American film and television character actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, and housekeepers, who made sarcastic quips when the leading characters fell short of her high standards. 2Early life Mary Wickes was born to Frank Wickenhauser (1880-1943) and his wife Mary Isabella (née Shannon; died 1965) in St. Louis, Missouri of German, Scotch, and Irish extraction, and raised Protestant. Her parents were theater buffs, and took her to plays from the time that she could stay awake through a matinee. An excellent student, she skipped two grades and graduated at 16 from Beaumont High School. She was accepted into Washington University in St. Louis, where she joined the debate team and the Phi Mu sorority, and was initiated into Mortar Board in 1929. She graduated in 1930 with a double major in English literature and political science. Although she had planned a career in law, a favorite professor encouraged her to try drama, and she shifted directio