Mary Jackson

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

84

Gender

Female

Birthday

1910-11-22

Day of death

2005-12-10 (95 years old)

Place of Birth

Milford, Michigan, USA

Mary Jackson

Biography

One of those strikingly familiar matrons you just can't place, character actress Mary Jackson is probably best known for her recurring role as one of the delightfully eccentric bootlegging sisters, "Miss Emily" Baldwin, on the series The Waltons (1971) that ran for nine seasons. She was born November 22, 1910 in rural Milford, Michigan, and earned a bachelor's degree from West Michigan University in 1932. A Depression-era school teacher for one year before pursuing her interest in theater, she returned to college (this time Michigan State University) in a fine arts program. She started out on the Chicago stage and in summer stock before migrating to the larger stages in New York and Los Angeles. Film and TV roles did not come her way until well into middle age. Guesting on such TV shows as "The Andy Griffith Show," "The Twilight Zone," "My Three Sons," "Hazel," "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "Barnaby Jones" and "Highway to Heaven," she usually appeared as ladylike small-town citizens. She was also part of the ensemble in Peter Bogdanovich's first low-budget film thriller Targets (1968), which was Boris Karloff's last feature. In the 70s she started gathering up character bits here and there, such as her nuns in the all-star epic Airport (1970) and the horror Audrey Rose (1977). A variety of pleasant, maternal parts came her way, including Lynn Carlin's mother in the Blake Edwards' western Wild Rovers (1971) and Jane Fonda's in the comedy caper Fun with Dick and Jane (1977). She supported Fonda again in the Vietnam-era drama Coming Home (1978), was among the cast in the cultish Big Top Pee-wee (1988) and had a noticeable role in Steve Martin's Leap of Faith (1992). As for "The Waltons" success, character actress Dorothy Stickney played the part of Emily in the initial TV pilot along with Josephine Hutchinson as older sister Mamie. When the series came to fruition, Mary and actress Helen Kleeb, another one of those "I've seen her before" character faces, took over the spinster roles. Both she and Kleeb continued their sister act periodically in several Walton "reunion" TV-movies, which included assorted weddings and holiday gatherings. Both ladies made their final TV appearances in A Walton Easter (1997). Kleeb died of natural causes in 2003 at age 96. Mary passed away two years later at age 95 of complications from Parkinson's disease. - IMDb Mini Biography

Known For

  • Columbo

    Columbo

  • The Andy Griffith Show

    The Andy Griffith Show

  • The Andy Griffith Show

    The Andy Griffith Show

  • The Fugitive

    The Fugitive

  • The Fugitive

    The Fugitive

  • The Fugitive

    The Fugitive

  • The Philco Television Playhouse

    The Philco Television Playhouse

  • The Waltons

    The Waltons

  • Quincy, M.E.

    Quincy, M.E.

  • Robert Montgomery Presents

    Robert Montgomery Presents

  • Magnum, P.I.

    Magnum, P.I.

  • Hill Street Blues

    Hill Street Blues

  • The Twilight Zone

    The Twilight Zone

  • Family Ties

    Family Ties

  • Hazel

    Hazel

  • Highway to Heaven

    Highway to Heaven

  • Hart to Hart

    Hart to Hart

  • Route 66

    Route 66

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • The F.B.I.

    The F.B.I.

  • Cannon

    Cannon

  • L.A. Law

    L.A. Law

  • Hunter

    Hunter

  • The Rookies

    The Rookies

  • The Jeffersons

    The Jeffersons

  • Cagney & Lacey

    Cagney & Lacey

  • The Mary Tyler Moore Show

    The Mary Tyler Moore Show

  • Scarecrow and Mrs. King

    Scarecrow and Mrs. King

  • The Outer Limits

    The Outer Limits

  • The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

    The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis

  • Hardcastle and McCormick

    Hardcastle and McCormick

  • The Streets of San Francisco

    The Streets of San Francisco

  • The Bionic Woman

    The Bionic Woman

  • Faerie Tale Theatre

    Faerie Tale Theatre

  • Alfred Hitchcock Presents

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents

  • The Invaders

    The Invaders

  • The Invaders

    The Invaders

  • The Barbara Stanwyck Show

    The Barbara Stanwyck Show

  • Stoney Burke

    Stoney Burke

  • Lancer

    Lancer

  • The Exorcist III

    The Exorcist III

  • A Small Killing

    A Small Killing

  • The Manhunter

    The Manhunter

  • Between Two Brothers

    Between Two Brothers

  • Leap of Faith

    Leap of Faith

  • CBS Playhouse

    CBS Playhouse

  • The Second Hundred Years

    The Second Hundred Years

  • Christy

    Christy

  • Parenthood

    Parenthood

  • Targets

    Targets

  • The Case of the Hillside Stranglers

    The Case of the Hillside Stranglers

  • Our Time

    Our Time

  • Coming Home

    Coming Home

  • Friendly Persuasion

    Friendly Persuasion

  • Some Kind of Hero

    Some Kind of Hero

  • Audrey Rose

    Audrey Rose

  • Airport

    Airport

  • The Failing of Raymond

    The Failing of Raymond

  • When the Whistle Blows

    When the Whistle Blows

  • Meet the Munceys

    Meet the Munceys

  • A Wedding on Waltons Mountain

    A Wedding on Waltons Mountain

  • The Runaways

    The Runaways

  • Kid Blue

    Kid Blue

  • Open All Night

    Open All Night

  • General Electric Theater

    General Electric Theater

  • Fun with Dick and Jane

    Fun with Dick and Jane

  • Big Top Pee-wee

    Big Top Pee-wee

  • The Two Lives of Carol Letner

    The Two Lives of Carol Letner

  • Blume in Love

    Blume in Love

  • Skinned Alive

    Skinned Alive

  • A Family Thing

    A Family Thing

  • Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

    Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

  • Terror at Red Wolf Inn

    Terror at Red Wolf Inn

  • Ozone

    Ozone

  • Letters from Frank

    Letters from Frank

  • Wild Rovers

    Wild Rovers

  • A Day for Thanks on Waltons Mountain

    A Day for Thanks on Waltons Mountain

  • A Death in Canaan

    A Death in Canaan

  • My Town

    My Town

  • A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion

    A Walton Thanksgiving Reunion

  • The Snow Queen

    The Snow Queen