Biographie
Mary Stuart starred on Search for Tomorrow (1951) for nearly 40 years, becoming one of daytime TV's most beloved actresses. Portraying the dignified Joanne Gardner Barron Tate Vincente Tourneur, she remained with the show throughout its entire run. After concluding her portrayal of the four-times-married character, she was eager to take on new challenges.
Born Mary Houchins on July 4, 1926, in Miami, Florida, she was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Showing musical talent early on, she sang with local bands by age 12 and performed with the USO at military bases during high school. After graduating, she worked as a photojournalist before pursuing acting in New York.
While working as a hat check girl and photographer at New York's Hotel Roosevelt Grill, she began singing in clubs and was discovered by producer Joe Pasternak, who signed her to MGM. Relocating to Hollywood, she spent several years in minor roles and as a stand-in for stars during screen tests. Playing parts ranging from a Mexican half-breed in Thunderhoof (1948) to a cigarette girl in The Girl from Jones Beach (1949), Mary became disillusioned with Hollywood and returned to New York to study acting.
Her breakthrough came when the director of Search for Tomorrow saw her perform in an acting class. She married Time-Life executive Richard Krolik a month before the soap's debut, and they had two children, Jeffrey and Cynthia. Both Mary and her character Joanne endured numerous challenges, including writer attempts to kill off Joanne and several near cancellations of the show, which ultimately ended in 1989.
Mary made history as the first daytime actress nominated for an Emmy Award, competing in 1962 against prime-time stars Shirley Booth, Cara Williams, Gertrude Berg, and Mary Tyler Moore. She lost to Booth for her role on Hazel. At 63, Mary took on the role of a judge on One Life to Live (1968) in 1988 for a year, followed by a long-running role on Guiding Light (1952) beginning in 1996. She remained on Guiding Light until her death from cancer in 2002 at age 75. Her 1980 autobiography, Both of Me, also provides a detailed history of Search for Tomorrow.
