Mobley was born in 1937 in Biloxi, Mississippi. After her reign as Miss America 1959, Mobley embarked on a career in both film and television. She signed a five-year contract with MGM. She made her first television appearances on Be Our Guest in 1960, followed by five appearances on Burke's Law from 1963 to 1965. In 1966 she was the female guest star on the first two-part episode of , in the episode “Old Man Out”. She went on to make multiple appearances on Perry Mason, Love, American Style, and Fantasy Island. She played a recurring role as Maggie McKinney Drummond on Diff'rent Strokes in the final season of the series, having taken over the role from Dixie Carter. In Carter's later series, Designing Women, Mobley guest-starred as Karen Delaporte, a snide head of an historical society who crossed swords with Carter's character, Julia Sugarbaker. She made two films with Elvis Presley in 1965, Girl Happy and Harum Scarum. They were friends, as they were both from Mississippi. Elvis liked that Mary Ann was a true Southern lady. She was given the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress in 1965. She was active in many charitable causes and was awarded the Outstanding Young Woman of the Year Award in 1966 by Lady Bird Johnson. Mobley also made occasional appearances on Match Game as one of the celebrity panelists from 1973 to 1977. From 1984 to 1988, Mobley joined husband Gary Collins by co-hosting the Pillsbury Bake-Off on CBS. She appeared in the documentary filmMiss America which PBS aired as the January 27, 2002 episode of American Experience. Mobley is briefly depicted in the third season of the Amazon Prime series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Miss America
Mobley was crowned Miss America 1959, the first Mississippian to achieve this honor, winning the national talent award. Mobley joined husband Gary Collins as co-host of the 1989 Miss America pageantin September 1988, the 30th anniversary year of her own Miss America victory.
Personal life
Mobley was a member of Chi Omega sorority at the University of Mississippi, and in 1981 was inducted into the University of Mississippi Alumni Hall of Fame. She married actor and television host Gary Collins in 1967. The couple separated in 2011 but reconciled and were living in Biloxi when Collins died on October 13, 2012. Collins and Mobley had one daughter together, Mary Clancy Collins. Mobley was also stepmother to Melissa Collins and Guy William Collins, children from his first marriage.
Health and death
Mobley had Crohn's disease and had at times been an activist for improvements in treatment. She was treated in 2009 for stage-3 breast cancer. Mobley died at her home in Beverly Hills, California, on December 9, 2014, age 77, from breast cancer.
