Elvis Presley Costar, Former Miss America Mary Ann Mobley Dies
By Marianne Zumberge
Mary Ann Mobley, actress and former Miss America, has died in Beverly Hills after a long battle with breast cancer. She was 75.
Mobley, a native of Mississippi, was crowned Miss America in 1959. After studying acting with Lee Strasberg, she appeared on a 1963 episode of Aaron Spelling’s Burke’s Law, which led to a breakout role opposite Elvis Presley in Girl Happy in 1965. She and Elvis also starred in Harum Scarum later that same year. Her other notable film roles include Get Yourself a College Girl and Young Dillinger.
In addition to her film career, Mobley appeared on several television shows, including Perry Mason, Fantasy Island, The Partridge Family and Diff’rent Strokes, and was a recurring panelist on game show Match Game. She also performed on Broadway and traveled to Africa and Southeast Asia to make documentary films about homeless and starving children.
Actor Gary Collins and Mobley were married in 1967 after meeting on the set of Three on a Couch. Collins, who was also a talk show host, died in 2012.
Mobley is survived by daughters Clancy Collins, senior vice president, drama development, Warner Bros. Television, and Melissa Collins; son Guy William Collins; sister Sandra Young; and two grandsons, Garrett and Gaston Collins.
