Laura Devon
American actress and singer (1931–2007)
title: "Laura Devon" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1931-births", "2007-deaths", "american-film-actresses", "american-television-actresses", "wayne-state-university-alumni", "actresses-from-chicago", "20th-century-american-singers", "20th-century-american-women-singers", "20th-century-american-actresses", "21st-century-american-women", "jarre-family"] description: "American actress and singer (1931–2007)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laura_Devon" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American actress and singer (1931–2007) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Laura Devon |
| image | Laura Devon - Publicity Photograph - The Lieutenant, Season 1 - Episode 5, A Very Private Affair (1964).jpg |
| caption | Devon (age 32) in The Lieutenant (1963) |
| birth_name | Mary Louise Briley |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| death_date | |
| death_place | Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| yearsactive | 1960–1967 (actor) |
| resting_place | Westwood Memorial Park |
| occupation | |
| spouse | {{plainlist |
| * {{marriage | Peter Kosiba |
| * {{marriage | Cleland Clark |
| * {{marriage | Brian Kelly |
| * {{marriage | Maurice Jarre |
| children | Kevin Jarre |
| :: |
| name = Laura Devon | image = Laura Devon - Publicity Photograph - The Lieutenant, Season 1 - Episode 5, A Very Private Affair (1964).jpg | caption = Devon (age 32) in The Lieutenant (1963) | birth_name = Mary Louise Briley | birth_date = | birth_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | yearsactive = 1960–1967 (actor) | resting_place = Westwood Memorial Park | occupation = | spouse = {{plainlist|
| children = Kevin Jarre
Laura Devon (born Mary Louise Briley; May 23, 1931 – July 19, 2007) was an American actress and singer.
Early life
Laura Devon was born May 23, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois. Her birth name has been given as either Mary Lou Briley or Mary Laura Briley. Her father was identified in the press as Merrill Devon, an automotive engineer, and her mother as Velma Prather.
Devon attended school in Chicago and Grosse Pointe.
In 1954, Devon gave birth to her only child, Kevin, who would become a noted screenwriter. After performing in amateur theatricals and light opera, her first professional part was a lead in a production of The Boy Friend at the Vanguard Playhouse in Detroit.
In 1962, Devon married Brian Kelly, son of Justice Harry F. Kelly, then a member of the Michigan Supreme Court and a former Michigan governor. Kelly was a fellow actor and, a month after their wedding, he and Devon appeared together on stage in Lillian Hellman's Toys in the Attic at the Laguna Beach Summer Theater. Two years later, he was to become well known for his role as Porter Ricks on the TV series Flipper. They divorced in January 1966.
Screen career
In 1961, Devon was discovered by Bob Goldstein of 20th Century Fox while she was singing at the London Chop House in Detroit. She tells the story of her coming to Hollywood in this way:
During an eight-year period, from 1960 to 1967, Devon had featured roles in numerous popular TV shows. A 1962 appearance in Route 66 (S3E1) was her first significant part.
In addition, Devon appeared in five feature-length commercial films, playing Rusty Sartori in Goodbye Charlie (1964), Julie Kazarian in Red Line 7000 (1965), Marie Champlain in Chamber of Horrors (1966), Rosemary in A Covenant with Death (1967) and Edie Hart in Gunn (1967).
Singing career
Devon released only one professional recording, a single: "I Like the Look" (A side)/"Dreamsville" (B side). Both songs were composed by Henry Mancini and were featured in the film Gunn, Devon's last film. She can be heard on the soundtrack to the 1975 film Mr. Sycamore, performing the song "Time Goes By", written by her then husband, Maurice Jarre, and lyricist Paul Francis Webster.
Marriage
Devon was married and divorced four times. Her second marriage produced one child, Kevin, born in 1954. Her third husband was actor Brian Kelly, from 1962 to 1966, during which time he was starring in the television series Flipper. In 1967, she married film composer Maurice Jarre and retired from acting. Jarre adopted Devon's then 13-year-old son, giving the future screenwriter and actor his better known name, Kevin Jarre. Devon and Jarre divorced in 1984.
Later life and death
Devon died of heart failure in Beverly Hills on July 19, 2007, aged 76.
Selected filmography
-
The Twilight Zone (1963) (Season 4 Episode 7: "Jess-Belle") as Ellwyn Glover
-
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (1963) (Season 1 Episode 27: "Death and the Joyful Woman") as Kitty Norris
-
The Invaders (1967) (Season 1 Episode 11: "The Betrayed") as Susan Carver
References
References
- "The Private Life and Times of Laura Devon". Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen.
- Hopper, Hedda. (August 9, 1964). "Laura Devon, Born With a Silver Spoon, Strikes Gold in Motion Picture Debut". Los Angeles Times.
- (June 15, 1966). "Laura Devon Wins 5-Picture Contract". Calgary Herald.
- Nelson, Valerie J.. (2011-04-22). "Kevin Jarre dies at 56; screenwriter of 'Glory' and 'Tombstone'". Los Angeles Times.
- Heffernan, Harold. (1966-07-29). "Don't Call Laura Devon 'Pretty'". Toledo Blade.
- "I Like the Look/Dreamsville". Rate Your Music.
- (1988). "Film, television, and stage music on phonograph records: a discography". McFarland.
- (January 13, 1968). "Marriage Announcement 3 – No Title". Chicago Tribune.
- (2007-07-27). "Passings; Laura Devon, 76; had a brief TV and film acting career in the 1960s". Los Angeles Times.
- "Laura Devon". Turner Classic Movies.
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