Mary Lee Robb
{{Short description|American radio actress (1926–2006)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Mary Lee Robb
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1926|02|15}}
| birth_place = Streator, Illinois, USA
| death_date = {{death date and age|2006|08|28|1926|02|15}}
| death_place = Palm Springs, California, USA
| education = University of California, Los Angeles
| spouse = {{plainlist|
- {{marriage|Charles Vance Smith|end=div.}}
- {{marriage|William Cline|1983|2005|end=d.}}
}}
| children = 2
}}
Mary Lee Robb Cline (February 15, 1926, – August 28, 2006){{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-sep-08-me-passings8.2-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|title=Mary Lee Robb Cline, 80; Played Gildy's Niece on 'The Great Gildersleeve|date=8 September 2006|access-date=23 December 2016}} was a radio actress during the 1940s and 1950s. Her name is sometimes seen as Marylee Robb.{{cite news|last1=Kyle|first1=Otto R.|title=By the Way|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18846806/mary_lee_robb/|work=The Decatur Daily Review|date=January 31, 1951|location=Illinois, Decatur|page=6|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 1, 2018}} {{Open access}}
Early life
Robb was born in Streator, Illinois, and lived much of her early life in Chicago. Her father, Alex S. Robb, was an executive at NBC.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} In 1939 her family moved to Los Angeles, California, where she attended University High School and University of California, Los Angeles.
Career
Robb made her radio debut in 1947 on the Lum and Abner program. She also appeared on The Penny Singleton Show.{{cite book|last1=Terrace|first1=Vincent|title=Radio Programs, 1924-1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows|date=1999|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-4513-4|page=268}}
As Mary Lee Robb, she is best known for playing Marjorie, Gildersleeve's niece, on The Great Gildersleeve, replacing Louise Erickson in that role.{{cite news|last1=Kyle|first1=Otto R.|title=By The Way|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/18846126/mary_lee_robb/|work=The Decatur Herald|date=September 6, 1948|location=Illinois, Decatur|page=6|via = Newspapers.com|accessdate = April 1, 2018}} {{Open access}} A small role in a 1948 episode of that program led to the full-time role of Marjorie, which she played until 1954.
Personal life
Robb's first marriage, to Charles Vance Smith, ended in divorce. Robb left acting in the mid-1950s in order to raise their son, Robb Smith, and daughter Alexandra.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}} In 1983 she married William H. Cline, who died in 2005.
A year later, she died of heart failure at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California. Mary Lee Robb was survived by her daughter Alexandra, son Robb, son-in-law Alex, and daughter-in-law Melissa. Robb also left behind her two grandchildren, Robbyn and Tyler.{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}
References
{{Portal|Biography|Illinois|Comedy|Radio}}
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Category:American radio actresses
Category:20th-century American actresses
Category:University of California, Los Angeles alumni
Category:University High School (Los Angeles) alumni
Category:People from Streator, Illinois
Category:Burials at Pacific View Memorial Park
Category:21st-century American women
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