Mara Corday, the showgirl, Playboy Playmate, and cult film icon known for her role in Tarantula, has died at the age of 95
According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, the Golden Age actress passed away on February 9 at her home in Valencia, California. Her cause of death was arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, as listed on a death certificate obtained by The Washington Post.
Mara Corday, born Marilyn Joan Watts on January 3, 1930, in Santa Monica, California, was a model, showgirl, and actress who rose to fame during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Her striking beauty and magnetic screen presence made her a fixture in 1950s cinema.
Corday began her entertainment career as a showgirl at the Earl Carroll Theatre in Hollywood. Her entry into film came through minor uncredited roles at Universal-International. She adopted the stage name Mara Corday and signed with the studio, gaining roles in films such as Yankee Pasha (1954) and Man Without a Star (1955), where she acted alongside icons like Jeff Chandler and Kirk Douglas.
Her fame came from her roles in mid-century monster and Western films. Corday starred in cult favorites such as Tarantula (1955), The Black Scorpion (1957), and The Giant Claw (1957), earning her a loyal fan base. These roles secured her reputation as a “scream queen” of the era.
In 1958, she posed as a Playboy Playmate, featured in the October issue, which added to her fame and visibility. That same year, she married actor Richard Long (The Big Valley, Nanny and the Professor). The couple had three children and remained together until Long’s death in 1974.
Corday took a step back from acting in the 1960s to focus on raising her family but made a modest comeback in the 1970s and 1980s, often appearing in films directed by her longtime friend Clint Eastwood, including The Gauntlet (1977), Sudden Impact (1983), and Pink Cadillac (1989).
