Biographie
Andra Martin, a striking auburn-haired woman with blue-grey eyes, was born Sandra Hildur Rehn (pronounced 'Wren') in Rockford, Illinois, of Swedish descent. Raised on her parents' farm, she attended high school locally and dreamed of stardom. Her first step toward that goal was studying speech and drama for two years at Northwestern University. She then moved to New York, where she landed her first modeling job while continuing part-time acting lessons under Lee Strasberg. Strasberg was impressed, calling her "a natural," and recommended her to Joshua Logan for a screen test for the female lead in Sayonara (1957), opposite Marlon Brando. Unfortunately, that opportunity fell through, as did an audition at Warner Brothers for Marjorie Morningstar (1958), a role already intended for Natalie Wood. Eventually, Universal-International signed her under contract.
The studio quickly promoted Andra, comparing her to Hollywood's brightest stars, blending the qualities of Elizabeth Taylor and Betty Grable with the intelligence of Katharine Hepburn. However, her roles often highlighted her beauty more than her talent.
Andra appeared in just three Universal films, none particularly notable. Her first was a supporting role in the romantic drama The Lady Takes a Flyer (1957), playing the "other woman" competing with Lana Turner for Jeff Chandler's affection; her character, a pilot, dies near the end. Next was a second-billed part in The Big Beat (1958), a youth-oriented musical featuring fifteen songs but little plot or acting due to its 81-minute runtime. Her third was The Thing That Couldn't Die (1958), a low-budget horror film where she portrayed a water diviner with telepathic powers. Under Warner Brothers, she appeared in films like the submarine drama Up Periscope (1959) as the perfunctory female lead and the Clint Walker western Yellowstone Kelly (1959) as a captive Arapaho girl and love interest. By the late 1950s, as a newly minted Deb Star, she earned $200 per week.
Though her film career stalled, Andra found success as a featured leading lady on several popular Warner TV shows, including Bronco (1958), Cheyenne (1955), 77 Sunset Strip (1958), The Alaskans (1959), Bourbon Street Beat (1959), and Hawaiian Eye (1959). In August 1958, she married Bronco star Ty Hardin, despite objections from their managers and Warner Brothers executives concerned it would harm their romantic images. The marriage ended in divorce in 1962. Andra left the film industry after her second marriage to a department store heir, which lasted six years. Her third marriage, beginning in 1970, lasted until her death on May 3, 2022, at age 86.
