Mary Stuart

In 1946 she married a New York-based painter who accompanied her to Hollywood after MGM signed her. Their marriage was kept hidden for career reasons. MGM preferred she be free to be seen at night spots with male escorts as promotion. He quickly returned to New York, however, and they divorced two years later following the strains of a lost-distance relationship.

She had two children: Cynthia (1955) and Jeffrey (1956) during the run of "Search for Tomorrow." The first pregnancy was hidden on the show by strategic maneuvering of camera angles, furniture and plants. The second pregnancy was incorporated into the script.

A singer in her early days, she recorded an album with Percy Faith in 1956 and collaborated on a few songs with Michel Legrand for another album in 1973.

She had the 'Search For Tomorrow' writers pen a subplot in the late 1960s in which her character, Joanne, trades her traditional bun hairdo for a more "mod" hairstyle. This was in conjunction with her newfound independence following her divorce from her first husband.

A talented singer, songwriter and musician, she gave her first concert January 8, 1974 at Catawba College in Salisbury, North Carolina. Scott Holmes, currently Tom Hughes on "As the World Turns", was a student there at the time and was chosen to be one of her backup singers for the concert.

She started the New York chapter of the Book PALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) program in 1992.