Mary Louise Weller
Encyclopedia
Mary Louise Weller is an American
actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mandy Pepperidge in the popular 1978
film Animal House. She has also guest-starred in such television series as Starsky & Hutch, Fantasy Island
, and CHiPs
as well as appearing in Larry Cohen
's cult classic film, Q
.
and was raised in Los Angeles' Westwood area. The onetime top New York
model made her film debut with an uncredited role in the 1973
Al Pacino
cop drama Serpico
. In 1978
Weller starred as a beautiful marine biologist in the made-for-TV film, Hunters of the Reef and then as professor Andrew Prine's college student lover in the haunted house horror film The Evil. Mary Louise achieved perhaps her greatest enduring cult movie popularity with her performance as snooty and uptight sorority snob Mandy Pepperidge in the hit comedy Animal House. Her performance is highlighted by a nude scene in which her character disrobes in her room unaware she is being watched by peeping Tom "Bluto", played by John Belushi. In an interview with James M. Tate, Weller admitted that she wasn't the first choice for the part of Mandy Pepperidge.
After Animal House Weller went on to play the sole non-suicidal character in The Bell Jar
, Martin Kove's wife in the monster movie Blood Tide, Chuck Norris
' girlfriend in the martial arts action film Forced Vengeance
, and a small part in Larry Cohen
's tongue-in-cheek monster-on-the-loose film Q - The Winged Serpent.
She acted in several plays in New York and wrote the play Four Alone, which was performed at the Greenhouse Theater in Pasadena
. Moreover, Mary Louise trained with the U.S. Equestrian Team as a teenager and has participated in horse-riding competitions. Weller tried to get a movie based on her own original script made about jockey Mary Bacon
, but it never materialized. She's a first cousin to writer Sheila Weller, who mentioned Mary Louise in her 2003 book Dancing at Ciro's. As of 2007, Mary Louise Weller is retired from acting.
According to Dancing at Ciro's, Mary Louise Weller is of Lithuanian Jewish descent.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress. She is perhaps best known for her role as Mandy Pepperidge in the popular 1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
film Animal House. She has also guest-starred in such television series as Starsky & Hutch, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, and CHiPs
CHiPs
CHiPs is an American television drama series produced by MGM Studios that originally aired on NBC from September 15, 1977, to July 17, 1983. CHiPs followed the lives of two motorcycle police officers of the California Highway Patrol...
as well as appearing in Larry Cohen
Larry Cohen
Lawrence G. "Larry" Cohen is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known as a B-Movie auteur of horror and science fiction films - often containing a police procedural element - during 1970s and 1980s...
's cult classic film, Q
Q (film)
Q is a 1982 horror film written and directed by Larry Cohen and starring Michael Moriarty, Candy Clark, David Carradine, and Richard Roundtree.-Plot:...
.
Biography
Mary Louise Weller was born on September 1, 1946 in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was raised in Los Angeles' Westwood area. The onetime top New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
model made her film debut with an uncredited role in the 1973
1973 in film
The year 1973 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces his second wife, Barbara Blakely. Blakely would later marry actor/singer Frank Sinatra....
Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
cop drama Serpico
Serpico
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and...
. In 1978
1978 in film
The year 1978 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 1 - Bob Dylan's film Renaldo and Clara, a documentary of the "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour premieres in Los Angeles, California....
Weller starred as a beautiful marine biologist in the made-for-TV film, Hunters of the Reef and then as professor Andrew Prine's college student lover in the haunted house horror film The Evil. Mary Louise achieved perhaps her greatest enduring cult movie popularity with her performance as snooty and uptight sorority snob Mandy Pepperidge in the hit comedy Animal House. Her performance is highlighted by a nude scene in which her character disrobes in her room unaware she is being watched by peeping Tom "Bluto", played by John Belushi. In an interview with James M. Tate, Weller admitted that she wasn't the first choice for the part of Mandy Pepperidge.
After Animal House Weller went on to play the sole non-suicidal character in The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar
The Bell Jar is American writer and poet Sylvia Plath's only novel, which was originally published under the pseudonym "Victoria Lucas" in 1963. The novel is semi-autobiographical with the names of places and people changed...
, Martin Kove's wife in the monster movie Blood Tide, Chuck Norris
Chuck Norris
Carlos Ray "Chuck" Norris is an American martial artist and actor. After serving in the United States Air Force, he began his rise to fame as a martial artist and has since founded his own school, Chun Kuk Do...
' girlfriend in the martial arts action film Forced Vengeance
Forced Vengeance
Forced Vengeance is a 1982 motion picture action drama. When the owner and proprietor of the Lucky Dragon casino in Hong Kong refuses to let mobsters take over his business he and his family are hit...
, and a small part in Larry Cohen
Larry Cohen
Lawrence G. "Larry" Cohen is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known as a B-Movie auteur of horror and science fiction films - often containing a police procedural element - during 1970s and 1980s...
's tongue-in-cheek monster-on-the-loose film Q - The Winged Serpent.
She acted in several plays in New York and wrote the play Four Alone, which was performed at the Greenhouse Theater in Pasadena
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
. Moreover, Mary Louise trained with the U.S. Equestrian Team as a teenager and has participated in horse-riding competitions. Weller tried to get a movie based on her own original script made about jockey Mary Bacon
Mary Bacon
Mary Steedman Bacon Anderson, born 1948 in Chicago, Illinois and died Fort Worth, Texas was an American thoroughbred jockey and model. She was raised in Toledo, Ohio by her father a one-time big band pianist later involved in construction and her mother who was a stay at home mother...
, but it never materialized. She's a first cousin to writer Sheila Weller, who mentioned Mary Louise in her 2003 book Dancing at Ciro's. As of 2007, Mary Louise Weller is retired from acting.
According to Dancing at Ciro's, Mary Louise Weller is of Lithuanian Jewish descent.
External links
- http://www.tv.com/mary-louise-weller/person/61779/summary.html
- http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/mary_louise_weller/