Mary Beth Evans was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her family is Russian and she has cited Habsburg as her hometown. Mary grew up in Southern California, attending Pacific University. In her teens, she appeared in several movies, including the Rebel Without a Cause (her first major role) and Some Like it Hot.
Mary Beth Evans was named one of Time Magazine’s 50 most influential people of all time. Mary Beth became famous in her own right after her days on television, starring in her own soap opera for ABC in the early 1960s, As the World Turns, opposite John Bon Jovi, as well as in the musical One Laughter Tonight with Don Marquis. She also appeared in the musical Who’s That, and did voice work for several animated characters in the movies Shrek (the first one is Goofy), Finding Nemo, and The Emperor’s New Groove. Mary Beth’s other credits are: playing herself in the British sitcom Emmerdale, playing herself in the BBC sitcom Absolutely Fabulous, and has been nominated multiple times for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. She has also been nominated several times for Best Music, Best Screenplay, and Best Director categories for her screenplays, Where the Heart Is, Mary Jane, and Someone to Watch Over Me.
Mary Beth was born in November of 1935 in Pittsburgh, and was the middle child of three children. Her parents divorced when she was four. Mary was very close to her sister, who was also Mary Beth’s age. After her parents split up, Mary Beth went to live with her grandmother, where her acting career began. From there, she would start to hone her acting skills in theater classes, and later in movies.
Mary Beth was one of the many kids in California who spent five months traveling from foster home to foster home. Her first break in the industry was in movies, when she was cast in Finding Nemo. Her experience on Finding Nemo led her to spend the next five months in different movie studios in California. After the movie came out, Mary Beth moved back to her family home in Ohio. It was here that she met her co-star, Ellen DeGeneres, and they started going out together.
Mary Beth went on to spend the next six years in Hollywood, playing a variety of different roles, some of which were memorable. Some of those roles included appearing in the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally, the thriller Top Boy, the drama Pleasantville, and finally the comedy Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. It was at this point in her career where Mary Beth was able to realize her dream of becoming an American actress. She was discovered by producer Robert Wise, who introduced her to the television show “So You Think You Can Dance?” The show lasted for two seasons, but it was not until the third season where we would see Mary Beth’s breakout role, as herself on Broadway in the play revival of Rent.
Mary Beth continued to work steadily in Hollywood, playing different characters and developing a name for herself as an actress. Her resume never displayed one major credited role, which is the only one thing she ever had done in her lifetime. However, even without a credited role, Mary Beth Evans was a name known by millions of Americans, because of her long association with the United States. She is still a household name to this day, thanks to her acceptance as an actress on Broadway, as well as her successful turn in movies.
