Mary Wickes

Known for the Nurse Preen role from the story "The Man Who Came to Dinner", Mary Wickes portrayed her in the original Broadway production in 1939, the movie version, a television series and in the 1972 Hallmark Hall of Fame production.

Perhaps remembered best as Nurse Preen, opposite a delightfully irascible Monty Woolley, in William Keighley's The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942) or, on TV, as Miss Cathcart in "Dennis the Menace" (1959) (1959-1963).

Mary originated the role of "Mary Poppins" on CBS-TV in 1949.

She served as the live-action reference model for the villainous Cruella De Vil in Disney's animated feature One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961).

Played a bus driving nun in two movie franchises: as Sister Clarissa in The Trouble with Angels (1966) and its sequel Where Angels Go Trouble Follows! (1968), and as Sister Mary Lazarus in Sister Act (1992) and its sequel Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993).

Was given an honorary Doctor of Arts from her alma mater, Washington University, in 1969. She earned her Master's degree at UCLA when she was in her 80s.

More than 30 years after a role that brought her fame on Broadway, she once again played the role of Nurse Preen ("Miss Bedpan") in a special TV version of The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972) (TV), with Orson Welles replacing the late Monty Woolley in the role of Sheridan Whiteside.