Actress. She received notoriety as an American actress, with mainly roles during the first half of the 20th century. She was dubbed "The World's Most Beautiful Showgirl" on Broadway and "Hollywood's blonde menace." Born Marion Suplee, she was the daughter of a wealthy Bethlehem Steel executive. She changed her name to Marion Martin when she got to Hollywood . She attended exclusive schools until the family fortune was wiped out in the stock market crash of 1929. Forced to work, she found employment in one of Earl Carroll's New York stage revues. After Florenz Ziegfeld got a gander at the dazzling beauty, he signed her to replace Gypsy Rose Lee in his Follies of 1933, wearing little but "a feather and some beads." After a few other fetching Broadway appearances, she was signed by Universal Studios in 1938 and adopted the stage name of Marion, or sometimes Marian, Martin. At first, she, as a statuesque blond, was placed in short films, then received her big break in "Sinners in Paradise" in 1938, with a plot about a downed plane on a desert island adventure, emphasizing her physical attributes. Quickly typed in roles of strippers, chorus girls and brazen, gold-digging felines, her roles actually belied her true nature as a shy, intelligent, and chic lady. In the 1940s she played sexy foils to the Marx Brothers and had roles mostly in secondary features. Even though she is credited with nearly 80 films, her career never rose above the "B" level ranks with many of her parts being "uncredited". Her last film was a western in 1952 "Oklahoma Annie." Retiring happily, she found stability in a marriage to a physicist, James Krzyoski, and donating much of her time to charitable causes. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to motion pictures.
Actress. She received notoriety as an American actress, with mainly roles during the first half of the 20th century. She was dubbed "The World's Most Beautiful Showgirl" on Broadway and "Hollywood's blonde menace." Born Marion Suplee, she was the daughter of a wealthy Bethlehem Steel executive. She changed her name to Marion Martin when she got to Hollywood . She attended exclusive schools until the family fortune was wiped out in the stock market crash of 1929. Forced to work, she found employment in one of Earl Carroll's New York stage revues. After Florenz Ziegfeld got a gander at the dazzling beauty, he signed her to replace Gypsy Rose Lee in his Follies of 1933, wearing little but "a feather and some beads." After a few other fetching Broadway appearances, she was signed by Universal Studios in 1938 and adopted the stage name of Marion, or sometimes Marian, Martin. At first, she, as a statuesque blond, was placed in short films, then received her big break in "Sinners in Paradise" in 1938, with a plot about a downed plane on a desert island adventure, emphasizing her physical attributes. Quickly typed in roles of strippers, chorus girls and brazen, gold-digging felines, her roles actually belied her true nature as a shy, intelligent, and chic lady. In the 1940s she played sexy foils to the Marx Brothers and had roles mostly in secondary features. Even though she is credited with nearly 80 films, her career never rose above the "B" level ranks with many of her parts being "uncredited". Her last film was a western in 1952 "Oklahoma Annie." Retiring happily, she found stability in a marriage to a physicist, James Krzyoski, and donating much of her time to charitable causes. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to motion pictures.
Bio by: Noni
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