Biography

Merry Anders

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Merry Anders practically grew up in local bijous watching films and their accompanying stage shows with her movie-crazy mother and grandmother. The family relocated to Los Angeles in 1949 and, while attending John Burroughs Junior High School, Anders made the acquaintance of Rita La Roy, an old-time film actress who convinced her to take a modeling course. Later, to help her with her modeling, she took dramatic lessons at the Ben Bard Playhouse and was "spotted" by a 20th Century-Fox talent scout in a Playhouse stage presentation. After several years at Fox, Anders turned freelancer, working in TV as well as starring in a string of modestly budgeted Western, science fiction and horror films.
- IMDb mini biography by: Tom Weaver <TomWeavr@aol.com>

Although she was actually a blonde, Jack Webb insisted that she wear a brunette wig during her appearances on the second Dragnet 1967 (1967) series (1967-70) on the grounds that it made her look more serious.
Retired after 25 years at Litton Data Systems as a Customer Relations coordinator
She continued acting in the 1970s by registering for at least one class at Los Angeles Valley College each year in order to appear in a college play. Among her credits was "The Glass Menagerie", and playing her daughter was the soon-to-be-famous TV actress Christopher Norris.
In 2005, resided in Encino, California, with her husband.
Honorary mayor of Mission Hills, California, for several years during the 1960s.

I come on the set with my lines learned and then I read them like Merry Anders. Usually that's enough, but if the director wants something more, then we go to work. After that the lines come out like Merry Anders working.
[on quitting her acting career] I had a couple of years where I only grossed about three thousand dollars and I couldn't make a living. Dad wrote me a letter and said, "Get out of that movie business, get yourself a decent job, girl!" I was divorced and it's hard to raise a child, have a nice home, put up the appearance of success, drive a car in perfect running shape and everything when you're on unemployment.
[on working with Ted de Corsia in The Quick Gun (1964)] He was just great, though. Just perfect as his character. It helped me in a way because I was supposedly so terrified of him I was speechless.