Known for movies
The Jack Benny Program (1950-1963)
as Mary Livingstone / Herself
The Mouse That Jack Built (1959)
as Mary
Buck Benny Rides Again (1940)
as Mary Livingstone
This Way Please (1937)
as Maxine Barry
Short Info
| Died | June 30, 1983, Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Spouse | Jack Benny |
| Mark | Posh and elegant onstage; a little vain in real life |
| Fact | A distant cousin of former The Beach Boys guitarist, David Marks. |
Mary Livingstone was born on May 5, 1881 in Seattle, Washington. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Lithuania. She had four siblings. Livingstone was educated in the public schools of Seattle. In 1898, she began working as a stenographer and bookkeeper for a local department store.
Livingstone met her future husband, comedian Jack Benny, in 1919. They were both working in vaudeville. Benny proposed to Livingstone on their first date, and they were married in 1924. The couple had no children.
Livingstone was Benny’s business manager and helped him develop his radio and television careers. She also appeared on his radio and television programs. Livingstone was known for her deadpan delivery of her husband’s jokes.
Benny and Livingstone were married for 50 years, until Benny’s death in 1974. Livingstone died in 1983 at the age of 102.
General Info
| Full Name | Mary Livingstone |
| Died | June 30, 1983, Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States |
| Height | 1.72 m |
| Profession | Actor |
| Nationality | American |
Family
| Spouse | Jack Benny |
| Children | Joan Benny |
| Parents | Robert Moffat |
| Siblings | Hilliard Marks, Babe Marks |
Accomplishments
| Awards | Peabody Award, Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Golden Globe Award for Television Achievement, Primetime Emmy Award for Best Continuing Performance (Male) in a Series by a Comedian, Singer, Host, Dancer, M.C., Announcer, Narrator, Panelist, or any Person who Essent... |
| Nominations | Primetime Emmy Award for Best Comedian, Primetime Emmy Award for Best Continuing Performance - Comedian In A Series |
| Movies | George Washington Slept Here, Buck Benny Rides Again, The Horn Blows at Midnight, The Meanest Man in the World, Broadway Melody of 1936, Charley's Aunt, The Hollywood Revue of 1929, Love Thy Neighbor, Man About Town, Artists and Models, Chasing Rainbows, A Guide for the Married Man, The Medicine Man... |
| TV Shows | The Jack Benny Program |
Social profile links
Marks
| # | Marks / Signs |
|---|---|
| 1 | Posh and elegant onstage; a little vain in real life |
Facts
| # | Fact |
|---|---|
| 1 | Profiled in book, "Funny Ladies", by Stephen M. Silverman. [1999] |
| 2 | Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 500-501. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. |
| 3 | Developed stage fright late in her career. Frequent illnesses were used to explain her absence. Eventually, her lines were recorded and dubbed onto the live recording later. |
| 4 | Retired from show business in 1958, after friend and fellow actor Gracie Allen retired (due to heart disease). |
| 5 | A distant cousin of former The Beach Boys guitarist, David Marks. |
| 6 | Had worked as a department-store clerk before marrying Jack Benny; fellow celebrities sometimes put her in her place by asking her opinion on imaginary clothes. |
| 7 | In 1934, she and Jack Benny adopted a girl, whom they named Joan Benny. |
| 8 | Her brother, Hilliard Marks, produced her husband's radio and TV shows. |
| 9 | First appeared on Jack Benny's radio show playing the president of his fan club. |
Pictures
Movies
Actress
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Jack Benny Program | 1951-1963 | TV Series | Mary Livingstone |
| The Mouse That Jack Built | 1959 | Short | Mary (voice) |
| Shower of Stars | 1958 | TV Series | Mary |
| It's in the Bag! | 1945 | Mary (voice, uncredited) | |
| Buck Benny Rides Again | 1940 | Mary Livingstone (voice) | |
| This Way Please | 1937 | Maxine Barry | |
| Mr. Broadway | 1933 | Mary Livigstone | |
| Bright Moments | 1928 | Short | Marie Marlo |
Soundtrack
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Jack Benny Program | 1955-1956 | TV Series performer - 2 episodes |
Self
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson | 1978 | TV Series | Herself |
| Here's Lucy | 1970 | TV Series | Herself |
| Jack Benny's Twentieth Anniversary Special | 1970 | TV Special | Herself |
| The Jack Benny Program | 1950-1957 | TV Series | Herself |
| The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show | 1957 | TV Series | Herself |
| Screen Snapshots: Hollywood's Pair of Jacks | 1953 | Short | Herself |
| Show-Business at War | 1943 | Documentary short | Herself (uncredited) |
| Three of a Kind | 1941 | Short | Herself (voice) |
| Hollywood Goes to Town | 1938 | Short documentary | Herself |
| Screen Snapshots Series 17, No. 6 | 1938 | Documentary short | Herself |
Archive Footage
| Title | Year | Status | Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kelsey Grammer Salutes Jack Benny | 1995 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| 50 Years of Funny Females | 1995 | TV Movie documentary | Herself |
| Entertaining the Troops | 1988 | Documentary | Herself |
| The Great Radio Comedians | 1972 | TV Movie documentary | Mary Livingstone |
| Screen Snapshots: Memories of Famous Hollywood Comedians | 1952 | Documentary short | |
| Screen Snapshots: Photoplay Gold Medal Awards | 1948 | Short | Herself |
Source: IMDb, Wikipedia
