Mary Brian

Mary Brian was an American actress who began in silent films and successfully moved to sound. Born in Corsicana, Texas, she was discovered at 16 in a local bathing-beauty contest, which led to an interview with director Herbert Brenon. He cast her as Wendy Darling in Peter Pan (1924), and she then signed a long-term contract with Paramount. She appeared in more than 40 films for the studio, often as the ingenue or lead, and was named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1926. She made her sound debut in Varsity (1928), and she starred in The Virginian (1929). In the 1930s she freelanced, taking roles in The Front Page (1931), Charlie Chan in Paris (1935), and The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (1936). Later she entertained troops during World War II and worked in television, notably in Meet Corliss Archer in 1954. In 1960, she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her motion picture work.