Actress, Comedienne. The real-life wife of actor-comedian Jack Benny, she played the role of the long-suffering housewife who is given no money to run the household. Born Sadya Marcowitz (later known as Sadie Marks) in Seattle, Washington, she first worked as a department store clerk, when she met Jack Benny, who was then a beginning radio star. She married Jack on January 14, 1927, and first appeared in 1927 on his radio show, playing the role of the president of his tiny fan club. From then on, she was a regular on his show. When Jack moved on to television in 1950, she joined him, continuing to use her stage name of Mary Livingstone, and continued playing the "second fiddle" role to his parsimonious husband, until 1958, when she decided to retire from show business, following the illness of her good friend and fellow actress, Gracie Allen. The Jack Benny Show continued until 1965 without her, although her voice was occasionally heard in the background or over the telephone (it was recorded prior to the show and played back at the right moment). She is a distant cousin to The Marx Brothers.
Actress, Comedienne. The real-life wife of actor-comedian Jack Benny, she played the role of the long-suffering housewife who is given no money to run the household. Born Sadya Marcowitz (later known as Sadie Marks) in Seattle, Washington, she first worked as a department store clerk, when she met Jack Benny, who was then a beginning radio star. She married Jack on January 14, 1927, and first appeared in 1927 on his radio show, playing the role of the president of his tiny fan club. From then on, she was a regular on his show. When Jack moved on to television in 1950, she joined him, continuing to use her stage name of Mary Livingstone, and continued playing the "second fiddle" role to his parsimonious husband, until 1958, when she decided to retire from show business, following the illness of her good friend and fellow actress, Gracie Allen. The Jack Benny Show continued until 1965 without her, although her voice was occasionally heard in the background or over the telephone (it was recorded prior to the show and played back at the right moment). She is a distant cousin to The Marx Brothers.
Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson
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See more Benny memorials in:
Records on Ancestry
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Geneanet Community Trees Index
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1930 United States Federal Census
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U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-2020
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Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S., Arriving and Departing Passenger and Crew Lists, 1900-1959
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New York, U.S., Arriving Passenger and Crew Lists (including Castle Garden and Ellis Island), 1820-1957
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