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Marilyn Betty Erskine, a gentle redhead with a peaches-and-cream complexion, began her show business career remarkably early, likely encouraged by her father, Robert, who led the New York City Credit Bureau. By age three, Marilyn was already active on a Buffalo radio station. From 1948 to 1960, she appeared on numerous national radio programs, including The Cavalcade of America, Radio City Playhouse, and Let's Pretend. Starting at eleven, she gained extensive theatrical experience, performing both on and off-Broadway in productions such as The Primrose Path, Our Town, and The Linden Tree. Later, she recalled an incident during The Shining Hour, starring Jane Cowl, where Marilyn played an ingénue: "I was supposed to trip lightly down a flight of stairs and continue the dialogue. But at the top stair, I tripped and fell all the way down into Miss Cowl’s arms. I think mine was an entrance that has never been topped!"
Marilyn began screen acting in 1949, though she mostly received small supporting roles. One notable part was playing Ida, Eddie Cantor’s wife, in The Eddie Cantor Story (1953). She found greater success on television, building an impressive resume in anthology drama roles between 1953 and 1962. She also held a recurring role as Fran, the wife of the star, in the short-lived CBS sitcom The Tom Ewell Show (1960). Near the end of her career, Marilyn appeared in featured roles on Perry Mason (1957) and Ironside (1967), both starring Raymond Burr.
Marilyn’s first marriage lasted only two months, to the distinguished director and producer Stanley Kramer. She was later married for five years to Dr. Samuel Eugene Neikrug. Her third husband, Charles William Curland, was a senior partner at the Los Angeles insurance firm Curland, Moss & Meltzer. They had two children together. Curland passed away in 2012.
