Petite, attractive Mari Blanchard rarely managed get the lucky breaks. The daughter of an oil tycoon and a psychotherapist, she suffered from severe poliomyelitis from the age of nine, which denied her a hoped-for dancing career. For several years, she worked hard to rehabilitate her limbs from paralysis, swimming and later even performing on the trapeze at Cole Brothers Circus. At the urging of her parents, she then attended the University of Southern California from where she graduated with a degree in international law. This was not to lead to a career, either. Sometime in the late 1940's, she joined the Conover Agency as an advertising model and, at the same time, was promoted by famed cartoonist and writer Al Capp, becoming the inspiration for one of his "L'il Abner" characters.
生于纽约州多布斯弗里，早期从事戏剧演出。20年代初期进入好莱坞，至70年代末，共约在近300部影片中出演角色，以西部片和动作片居多。此外他还在不少电视剧里出演角色，1981年80岁高龄时还参与电视节目的演出。1983年10月去世。主要影片有《初吻》、《莽汉艳史》、《怒海英雄》、《福尔摩斯和秘密武器》、《怒潮》、《红河》、《情天未了缘》、《死亡点》、《灰鹰》等。
