Mara Corday, Iconic ‘Tarantula’ Star, Passes Away at 95: A Hollywood Legend Remembered

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Actress Mara Corday, famously terrorized by a giant, hairy spider in the classic horror film “Tarantula” and known for her collaborations with Clint Eastwood, who she referred to as a “blessing,” passed away at the age of 95.

On February 9, Corday passed away at her residence in Valencia, California, as stated on a death certificate submitted to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and made available to The Washington Post. The underlying reason was heart disease caused by hardening of the arteries.

Once upon a time, I graced the Universal-International roster as a contract player, but my acting career extended far beyond that. I had the pleasure of appearing in numerous Westerns, such as “Drums Across the River” (1954), where I shared the screen with the legendary Audie Murphy; “Man Without a Star” (1955), directed by the esteemed King Vidor and featuring Kirk Douglas; and “The Quiet Gun” (1957), co-starring Forrest Tucker.

She expressed great pride in portraying a lively, French character in the vibrant, romantic musical comedy film “So This Is Paris” (1954), which was helmed by director Richard Quine and featured Tony Curtis and Gloria DeHaven as the main leads.

From 1957 up until Richard Long’s passing in 1974, at the age of 47 due to heart issues, Corday was wedded to the actor who was famously known for his roles in ‘Bourbon Street Beat’, ’77 Sunset Strip’, ‘The Big Valley’, and ‘Nanny and the Professor’.

In the 1955 film “Tarantula,” directed by Jack Arnold and featuring John Agar, actor Mara Corday takes on the role of Stephanie “Steve” Clayton, a lab assistant who travels to Arizona to work for a scientist (Leo G. Carroll). This scientist has created an extraordinary, super-nutrient using radioactivity that triggers rapid growth at an unprecedented rate.

In an interview for Tom Weaver’s 1996 book It Came From Horrorwood, Corday stated that the film lacked a substantial storyline. He explained that the film relies heavily on the scares and special effects, with the success of the movie depending largely on the skill of the special effects team. For example, he mentioned The Giant Claw as an instance where if the special effects weren’t well-executed, the entire movie would flop.

Absolutely, Corday appeared in the giant bird-themed horror film from 1957, titled “The Black Scorpion“.

When Eastwood, a Universal Studios colleague who initially had minor roles in “Man Without a Star” and “Tarantula”, rose to stardom, he helped Corday secure roles in “The Gauntlet” (1977), “Sudden Impact” (1983), “Pink Cadillac” (1989) and her final film, “The Rookie” (1990).

1983 saw her character portraying an overly-sweet coffee shop waitress who added excess sugar to Dirty Harry’s beverage. Later, this role required her to be held hostage at gunpoint by a menacing figure.

Hey buddy! One of my most cherished companions, almost like a miracle – Eastwood, she referred to him back in 1996 during an interview for the Western Clippings website. When my Screen Actors Guild (SAG) coverage expired, he gave me a chance in ‘The Gauntlet’. After that, things were good. But when my insurance lapsed again, he cast me in ‘Sudden Impact’. I was the hostage, and it’s there that Clint uttered the iconic line, “Make my day!

Marilyn Joan Watts was born on January 3, 1930, in Santa Monica. At a young age, she started working as an usherette at the Mayan Theater in Los Angeles. Later, when she was seventeen, she was employed by the Earl Carroll Revue in Hollywood. She spent approximately two years there, transitioning from a showgirl to acting in skits alongside vaudeville legend Pinky Lee.

She adopted Mara as a nickname, originally bestowed upon her by a bongo player, and Corday from a fragrance. She then secured representation with esteemed Hollywood agent Paul Kohner, who facilitated her debut on television in both The Adventures of Kit Carson and Craig Kennedy, Criminologist, and subsequently in films such as Two Tickets to Broadway (1951) and Problem Girls (1953).

The captivating actress secured a contract with Universal for $175 per week, featuring in “Yankee Pasha” (1954), “Playgirl” (1954) – where she initially crossed paths with Long – “Francis Joins the WACS” (1954), “Foxfire” (1955), and Arnold’s “The Man From Bitter Ridge” (1955).

Following her departure from Universal, where she and Mamie Van Doren garnered the highest volume of fan mail among all contract players, she went on to star in movies such as ‘Naked Gun’ (1956), ‘Raw Edge’ (1956), ‘A Day of Fury’ (1956), ‘Undersea Girl’ (1957) and ‘Girls on the Loose’ (1958). Additionally, she was featured in Playboy magazine.

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After parting ways with Universal, where they were the most popular among all contract players for fan mail according to her, she starred in films like ‘Naked Gun’ (1956), ‘Raw Edge’ (1956), ‘A Day of Fury’ (1956), ‘Undersea Girl’ (1957) and ‘Girls on the Loose’ (1958). To add, she was showcased in Playboy magazine.

She made appearances as a guest star in various TV Western series, such as “The Restless Gun”, “Tales of Wells Fargo”, “Wanted: Dead or Alive” and “Laramie”.

Following the death of his first wife, actress Suzan Ball, from cancer at the age of 22 in 1955, Corday and Long tied the knot in Las Vegas in January 1957. “I believed our union would be a powerful force in show business,” she shared, “but Richard didn’t want me involved in the industry.

She secured roles in the movies “Night Passage” (1957) and “The Oregon Trail” (1959), as well as an episode of “The Big Valley” in 1966. However, these opportunities were thwartled by Long. Eventually, she decided to forgo her acting career and focus on raising their three children, Carey, Valerie, and Greg.

In her interview for “Western Clippings,” Corday expressed that Richard Long was a puzzle. During the first year of their marriage, she divorced him no less than 10 times, complete with legal representation. The following year, she initiated divorce 13 times. Despite this, he would beg for forgiveness, often on his knees, confessing not to understand his actions and asking for another chance. Remarkably, Corday had feelings for him that persist even 22 years after his demise.

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2025-05-24 17:55