Mary Field


Mary Field was an American film actress who primarily appeared in supporting roles.

Early life

She was born in New York City. As a child she never knew her biological parents. During her infancy she was left outside the doors of a church with a note pinned to her saying that her name was "Olivia Rockefeller". She would later be adopted. She attended the Brentwood Hall School in Westchester County, New York.

Hollywood and television

In 1937, she was signed under contract to Warner Bros. Studios and made her film debut in The Prince and the Pauper. Her other screen credits include parts in such films as Jezebel, Cowboy from Brooklyn, The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse, Eternally Yours, When Tomorrow Comes, Broadway Melody of 1940, Ball of Fire, How Green Was My Valley, Mrs. Miniver, Ministry of Fear, Song of the South, Out of the Past, Miracle on 34th Street, and Life With Father. During her time in Hollywood she appeared in approximately 103 films.
Her TV credits include parts in Gunsmoke, Wagon Train, and The Loretta Young Show. In 1963, her last acting role was as a Roman Catholic nun in the television series, Going My Way, starring Gene Kelly and modeled after the 1944 Bing Crosby film of the same name. She appeared in several episodes of the television comedy, Topper, as Henrietta Topper's friend Thelma Gibney.

Personal life

In the 1940s, Field was married to Allan Douglas, a member of the Army Medical Corps. Following her 1963 retirement she was still married to her husband James Madison Walters and lived in Laguna Niguel, California. She also devoted her time to family and was active in the Hollywood Church of Religious Science.

Death

On June 12, 1996, two days after her 87th birthday, Mary Field died at her home in Fairfax, Virginia of complications from a stroke. She lived there with her daughter, Susana Kerstein, and son-in- Law, Bob Kerstein. She had two grandchildren, Sky Kerstein and Kendall Kerstein. She was cremated and her ashes returned to her family.

Complete filmography