Mary Howard de Liagre

{{Short description|American actress}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Mary Howard de Liagre

| image = Mary Howard 1951.jpg

| image_size =

| alt =

| caption = Mary Howard de Liagre in 1951

| birth_name = Mary Howard

| birth_date = {{birth date|1913|5|18}}

| birth_place = Independence, Kansas, U.S.

| death_date = {{death date and age|2009|6|6|1913|5|13}}

| death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S.

| death_cause =

| resting_place =

| occupation = Actress, singer

| years_active = 1933–1942

| known_for =

| notable_works =

| spouse = Alfred De Liagre Jr. (1945–1987) (his death) (2 children)

}}

Mary Howard de Liagre (May 18, 1913 – June 6, 2009){{cite web|date=12 June 2009|title=Mary Howard|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/film-obituaries/5517047/Mary-Howard.html|website=The Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group Limited|accessdate=2 September 2016}} was an American actress usually credited as Mary Howard.

Howard came from Tulsa, Oklahoma, and took dancing lessons when she was in kindergarten.{{cite news|last1=Harrison|first1=Paul|title=Mary Howard Took Up Dancing Because of Straight Legs -- Now That Teeth Are Straightened She's Actress|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6464988/kingsport_times/|work=Kingsport Times|agency=Newspaper Enterprise Association|date=September 11, 1939|location=Tennessee, Kingsport|page=4|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = August 31, 2016}} {{Open access}} Among her dancing instructors was Albertina Rasch. She began her entertainment career as a dancer, performing in shows in New York City when she was 14. That talent ran in her family, as two older sisters were in the Ziegfeld Follies.{{cite news|last1=Lowrance|first1=Dee|title=Her Face Is Unfamiliar, But --|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/6464690/the_san_bernardino_county_sun/|work=The San Bernardino County Sun|agency=Every Week Magazine|date=June 7, 1942|location=California, San Bernardino|page=32|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = August 31, 2016}} {{Open access}}

Howard's first film employment came when she signed a stock contract with Louis B. Mayer. Although she appeared in few films, she used the first six months to have her teeth straightened and the second six months to learn to act.{{cite news |last1=Harrison |first1=Paul |title=Straight Legs Versus Crooked Teeth, Battle |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35728123/mary_howard/ |accessdate=September 8, 2019 |work=Star-Phoenix |agency=Newspaper Enterprise |date=December 1, 1939 |location=Canada, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon |page=4|via = Newspapers.com}}

Howard helped organize the USO in Los Angeles during World War II and toured for returning servicemen.{{cite news|author=Variety Staff|title=Actress Mary Howard de Liagre dies|url=https://variety.com/2009/film/news/actress-mary-howard-de-liagre-dies-1118004676|accessdate=December 13, 2016|work=Variety|date=June 9, 2009}}

In 1945, she moved to New York City and married Alfred de Liagre Jr., a theater producer who died in 1987. She was a founding member of Recording for the Blind, and served on the boards of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the Princess Grace Foundation.{{citation needed|date=July 2018}}