Summary
Elaine Devry (born Thelma Elaine Mahnken, January 10, 1930 – September 20, 2023) was an American actress.
Elaine Devry | |
|---|---|
 Publicity Photo of Devry | |
| Born | Thelma Elaine Mahnken January 10, 1930 Compton, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 20, 2023 (aged 93) Grants Pass, Oregon, U.S. |
| Other names | Elaine Davis |
| Alma mater | Compton Junior College |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1953–1999 |
| Notable work | The Atomic Kid Diary of a Madman A Guide for the Married Man |
| Spouses | Dan Ducich
(m. 1948; div. 1952)Will J. White
(died 1992) |
| Children | 2 |
Early life edit
Thelma Elaine Mahnken was born on January 10, 1930, to Fred P. and Hortense Mahnken, in Compton, California, where she was raised.[1][2] She has a brother Jack and Jeff, Jeff, was three years her senior.[3] She began to model at age fifteen.[3] She graduated from Compton High School and later attended Compton Junior College,[3] where she was homecoming queen.[4]
After marrying her high school boyfriend, Dan Ducich, in 1948, the couple lived in Butte, Montana, until their 1952 divorce, upon which Devry returned to California, working as a carhop at the Dolores Drive-In on Wilshire Boulevard.[3]
Career edit
Originally billed as Elaine Davis, her early acting roles included her first film, The Atomic Kid, in which she and Rooney co-starred.[5] She appeared in films such as China Doll (1958) and A Guide for the Married Man (1967). Devry made three guest appearances on Perry Mason, including the title role of defendant Janice Wainwright in the 1962 episode "The Case of the Shapely Shadow." That same year, she appeared with actor John Clarke in a commercial for Kool cigarettes.
Devry also appeared in many television series, including Death Valley Days in the episode "Yankee Confederate" with Tod Andrews, Bonanza in the episode "The Search" S6 E21 1965), 77 Sunset Strip, Burke's Law, Family Affair, I Dream of Jeannie, Marcus Welby, M.D., Dragnet, and Tales of Wells Fargo. She appeared on My Three Sons on season 10, episode 1 as Millicent Sawyer, a single woman who was set up on a date with Steven Douglas by his daughter-in-law Katie, but instead he meets Barbara and falls in love.
Personal life edit
Devry married Dan Ducich, her high school boyfriend, in Butte, Montana, in September 1948.[3] The following year, Ducich was convicted of multiple robberies in Los Angeles and sentenced to five years' probation.[3] The couple resided in Butte, but divorced in 1952. She also had a six-year marriage[3] to actor Mickey Rooney, whom she met in 1952, and married on November 15, 1952, in Las Vegas.[5] The couple had a son and a daughter and divorced in 1958.[6] Speaking in 1967, Devry said that although she liked Rooney "very much", she was still in love with her first husband, but that he did not care. She thought in time that she could "learn to love him", but that she was "young and foolish" and by the end, had enough. Following her eight years of marriage, she expressed to being "marriage shy", despite numerous proposals from other actors but that she was "afraid to take the chance". Despite claims from Rooney that she received a $125,000 mansion, a summer home and a 10-year annual $21,000 alimony in divorce settlement, she disputed the claim, saying that she instead received a $75,000 studio home with a $45,000 mortgage, a summer home and that the alimony was only $21,000 in the first year.[7]
Devry was married to actor Will J. White until his death on April 23, 1992, in Grants Pass, Oregon.[8] From 2005, Devry lived on a ranch in Oregon.[3] She died in Grants Pass on September 20, 2023, at the age of 93.[2]
Filmography edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | A Slight Case of Larceny | Girl in Car | Uncredited |
| 1954 | The Atomic Kid | Audrey Nelson | |
| 1958 | China Doll | Alice Nichols | |
| 1961 | The Last Time I Saw Archie | Carole | |
| Man-Trap | Liz Addams | ||
| 1963 | Diary of a Madman | Jeanne D'Arville | |
| 1967 | A Guide for the Married Man | Jocelyn Montgomery | |
| 1969 | With Six You Get Eggroll | Cleo | |
| 1970 | Once You Kiss a Stranger | Sharon | |
| The Cheyenne Social Club | Pauline | ||
| 1971 | Bless the Beasts and Children | Cotton's Mother | |
| 1973 | The Boy Who Cried Werewolf | Sandy Bridgestone | |
| 1974 | Herbie Rides Again | Secretary | |
| 1999 | Heart to Heart.com | Aimee |
References edit
- ^ "Elaine Devry - The Private Life and Times". www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com.
- ^ a b Barnes, Mike (22 October 2023). "Elaine Devry, Actress and Fourth Wife of Mickey Rooney, Dies at 93". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The Private Life and Times of Elaine Devry". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
- ^ Lertzman, Richard A.; Birnes, William J. (2015). The Life and Times of Mickey Rooney. Simon and Schuster. p. 323. ISBN 9781501100987. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ a b Marill, Alvin H. (2004). Mickey Rooney: His Films, Television Appearances, Radio Work, Stage Shows, and Recordings. McFarland. p. 42. ISBN 9780786420155. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ Miller, Frank (2006). Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era. Chronicle Books. p. 189. ISBN 9780811854672. Retrieved 19 June 2017.
- ^ Lloyd Shearer (January 29, 1967). "Elaine Devry: What it means to be one of Mick Rooney's six wives". p. 97.
- ^ Claesson, Samuel (2023). Top Models. Sequoia Press. p. 54. ISBN 9798889921806.
External links edit
- Elaine Devry at IMDb