Mariette Hartley was born Mary Loretta, a name she dislikes, in
Weston, Connecticut. She was raised in accordance with the
principles espoused by her behavorial psychiatrist grandfather,
John Watson, who believed that children should never be held or
cuddled. She says that the lack of warmth at home is what drove her
to the theatre. She studied with John Houseman at the Repertory
Stratford and with Eva Le Gallienne at Lucille Lortel's White Barn
Theatre. It took her six years to get her first movie, "Ride The
High Country" with Joel McCrea. She then made a series of tv
appearances and sitcoms. Ultimately she briefly appeared on the
"CBS Morning Program" as a news anchor. She is most known, however,
for her series of Polaroid commercials with James Garner.
Mariette's father committed suicide with a self-inflicted gunshot
in 1962. Her family kept it a secret for 25 years, but she
eventually revealed the incident. This brought her considerable
acclaim for speaking out about her devastation. She co-founded a
suicide prevention foundation based her own past situation. She
continues to work in the theatre and in 2000 was hosting the
syndicated "Wild About Animals". Her children, Julienne (b. 1978)
is an actress and singer, and Sean (b. 1975) is a film-school
graduate.
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