Mara Corday, born Marilyn Joan Watts on January 3, 1930, in Santa Monica, California, is a renowned showgirl, model, actress, and Playboy Playmate who gained cult status in the 1950s.
As a teenager, Mara Corday moved to Hollywood with aspirations of pursuing a career in films. She began her journey as a showgirl at the Earl Carroll Theatre on Sunset Boulevard, where her physical beauty led to modeling jobs and eventually a bit part as a showgirl in the 1951 film Two Tickets to Broadway. This role marked the beginning of her association with Universal International Pictures (UI),where she signed a contract and met actor Clint Eastwood, with whom she would maintain lifelong friendships.
During her time with UI, Mara Corday was cast in various B-movies and television series, playing small roles. However, her breakthrough came in 1955 when she was cast opposite John Agar in Tarantula, a Sci-Fi B-movie that proved to be a modest success. She continued to excel in the genre, starring in The Black Scorpion, as well as in numerous Western films. Film critic Leonard Maltin praised Mara Corday, stating that she possessed more acting ability than she was given the opportunity to showcase.
In addition to her film career, Mara Corday became a pinup girl in numerous men's magazines during the 1950s and was featured as the Playmate of the October 1958 issue of Playboy, alongside Pat Sheehan. In 1956, she had a recurring role in the ABC television series Combat Sergeant, and from 1959 to early 1961, she worked exclusively on various television series as a guest star. After giving up her career to focus on raising a family, Mara Corday married Richard Long in 1957, with whom she had three children.
Following her husband's passing in 1974, Mara Corday's friend Clint Eastwood offered her a chance to return to the big screen with a role in his 1977 film The Gauntlet. She went on to act alongside Eastwood in Sudden Impact (1983),Pink Cadillac (1989),and in her final film, The Rookie, in the 1990s.
