May Wynn

May Wynn (born Donna Lee Hickey, January 8, 1928),[2] also known as Donna Custer, is a retired American dancer, singer, and actress.

May Wynn
May Wynn in The Caine Mutiny (1954)
Born
Donna Lee Hickey

(1928-01-08) January 8, 1928
New York City, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1952–1960
Spouse(s)Jack Kelly (1956–1964; divorced)
Jack W. Custer (1968–1979; divorced)[1]

Early life

Wynn, who grew up in Forest Hills, New York, is descended from a line of performers. She is the granddaughter of Bertie Black, a musician in vaudeville, and her father, Ray Hickey, was a song-and-dance performer in vaudeville. Her early jobs included modeling, working in a department store, and being a page at La Guardia Field. Outside of work, she won a variety of talent contests. She is of Irish descent. [3]

Career

She began performing under her birth name at New York's Copacabana nightclub at 17.[4] She was tested for a key supporting role in From Here to Eternity, but Donna Reed played the part and won an Academy Award for her performance.[3] In 1954, she adopted the stage name of May Wynn[5] after she played a character of that name in The Caine Mutiny. Wynn later was cast as the lead actress in the 1956 feature films The Man Is Armed and The White Squaw, and in the Jack Webb-created NBC television series, Noah's Ark, in which she played opposite Paul Burke and Victor Rodman. In 1959, she guest-starred on Perry Mason as Donna Sherwood in "The Case of the Glittering Goldfish".[6]

Wynn worked in real estate after leaving acting, and in 1989 began work as a part-time aide with Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic School in Newport Beach, California. In January 2018, Wynn, now known as Donna Custer, was feted by the school on her 90th birthday. A Los Angeles Times profile said that she "now uses her experience to help students at Our Lady Queen of Angels build confidence during her after-school public speaking classes," and still receives fan mail.[2]

Personal life

On October 14, 1956, in Quartzsite, Arizona,[3] she and actor Jack Kelly, whom she played opposite in They Rode West, Taming Sutton's Gal and Hong Kong Affair, wed. They divorced in 1964.[7] She was married, secondly, to Jack W. Custer, from 1968–1979. That union also ended in divorce.[8]

Selected filmography
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References
  1. "May Wynn – The Private Life and Times of May Wynn. May Wynn Pictures". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved August 10, 2017.
  2. Vega, Priscella (January 8, 2018). "Newport school surprises longtime aide — a former film actress and Copacabana showgirl — with a 90th-birthday celebration". latimes.com. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  3. Alexander, Linda J. (2015). A Maverick Life - The Jack Kelly Story. BearManor Media. Retrieved September 18, 2018.
  4. Thomas, Bob (December 9, 1953). "'Caine's' Female Star Changed Name, Luck". Miami News. Associated Press. Retrieved September 19, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Lane, Lydia (March 3, 1957). "May Wynn's Discovery". Los Angeles Times.
  6. http://www.perrymasontvseries.com/wiki/index.php/EpisodePages/Show53
  7. "Divorce Granted to May Wynn". Los Angeles Times. October 20, 1964. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  8. http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show.php?id=289
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