Margia Dean was a stunning, dark-haired leading lady of the 1940s and 1950s. Born Marguerite Louise Skliris on April 7, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois, she was the youngest of three girls to Greek lawyer parents who moved to the US in 1913.
Growing up in San Francisco, Margia began her acting career at the age of 7, performing in stage productions such as "Uncle Tom's Cabin," "The Blue Bird," and "Tom Sawyer." She won talent scholarships and a national Shakespearean performance contest, and by 15, she was a dazzling beauty, winning pageant titles like "Miss San Francisco" and "Miss California," which led to a first-prize talent in the "Miss America" contest.
Margia made her film debut at Republic Pictures in 1944, but was not signed to a contract. She went on to freelance in other films, including "Shep Comes Home" (1948),"Red Desert" (1949),"The Lonesome Trail" (1955),"Villa!!" (1958),"The Quatermass Xperiment" (1955),"7 Women from Hell" (1961),and "Moro Witch Doctor" (1964).
She also appeared in numerous TV and theater productions, and had an enviable social life, with escorts including Prince Aly Khan. However, she often found herself in "B" film ranks, playing temptresses or villainesses, although she occasionally appeared in "A" pictures, including "Living in a Big Way" (1947),"Take Care of My Little Girl" (1951),"Mitzi Gaynor" (1951),and "The Revolt of Mamie Stover" (1956).
Margia expanded her interests to include producing, becoming the executive producer of "The Long Rope" (1961) and associate producer on a couple of minor films made in England. She also produced a TV pilot and eventually left the business.
After marrying Felipe Alvarez, an architect, in 1965, Margia went on to become the vice-president of a major real estate firm, a Beverly Hills restaurateur, and a Brentwood dress shop owner. She and Alvarez retired to the Southern California area, where she remains a viable and entertaining footnote in Hollywood's past.
