Person Biography:
Mary Lou Briley, better known as Laura Devon, was a stunningly beautiful and talented singer/actress who arrived in Hollywood in the early 1960s. Born on May 23, 1931, in Chicago, Illinois, she was the daughter of Merrill Devon, an auto engineer of Swedish, Scottish, and Irish descent, and a mother of Dutch heritage. Her family later moved to Grosse Point, Michigan, where she attended University High School.
Laura's interest in singing began at a young age, and by her early teens, she was performing. After graduating from the University of Michigan, where she majored in journalism and political science, she began acting onstage in musicals such as "The Boyfriend" at the Vanguard Playhouse in Detroit.
In 1961, Laura was spotted singing at a Detroit night club by a 20th Century-Fox talent agent and given a screen test. She eventually signed with Universal and began intensive study in acting, singing, and dance before making her television debut. Her big break came when she was hired as an ensemble cast member on "The Richard Boone Show" (1963),an anthology TV series that also featured veterans Richard Boone, Warren Stevens, and Jeanette Nolan.
Laura's romance with actor Brian Kelly, whom she had dated in Detroit, rekindled when they both made it to Hollywood. They married in 1962 and became a part of the "in crowd" while moving up the acting ladder. Laura made her film debut in "Goodbye Charlie" (1964) and appeared in several other films, including "Red Line 7000" (1965) and "Gunn" (1967).
Laura's last three films were the horror opus "Chamber of Horrors" (1966),"A Covenant with Death" (1967),and "Gunn" (1967). She retired from acting after her fourth marriage to renowned French film composer Maurice Jarre, whom she divorced in 1984. Laura passed away in 2007 at the age of 76, leaving behind her screenwriting son Kevin Jarre.
