{{Short description|Czech actress (1919-1978)}} {{Engvarb|date=May 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Florence Marly | image = Florence Marly 1948.jpg | caption = Marly in a promotion still for ''Sealed Verdict'' (1948). | birth_name = Hana Smékalová | birth_date = {{birth date|1919|06|02|df=y}} | birth_place = Obrnice, Czechoslovakia<br>{{small|(now Czech Republic)}} | death_date = {{death date and age|1978|11|09|1919|06|02|df=y}} | death_place = Glendale, California, U.S. | alma_mater = University of Paris | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1937–1975 | spouse = {{ubl|Pierre Chenal (1937–1955)|Count Degenhart von Wurmbrand-Stuppach (1956)}} }} '''Florence Marly''' (born '''Hana Smékalová'''; 2 June 1919 – 9 November 1978) was a Czech film actress.<ref name="PhillipsVincendeau2006">{{cite book|last1=Phillips|first1=Alastair|last2=Vincendeau|first2=Ginette|authorlink2=Ginette Vincendeau|title=Journeys of desire: European actors in Hollywood : a critical companion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xetkAAAAMAAJ|date=17 July 2006|publisher=BFI|isbn=978-1-84457-123-9|page=351}}</ref> She started her career in France, appeared in Argentinian films during World War II, and later worked in the United States.
==Early life and educaiton== Marly was born '''Hana Smékalová''' in Obrnice, Czechoslovakia. She studied French and her dream was to become an opera singer. At age 18 she went to Paris to study art, literature, and philosophy at Sorbonne.
== Career == Marly met her future husband, director Pierre Chenal, who cast her in his film ''The Alibi'' in 1937. During World War II, Marly moved to neutral Argentina with her Jewish husband Chenal, where she appeared in several films. She also acted in two of her husband's films while they were in Chile.<ref name="Plazaola1989">{{cite book|last=Plazaola|first=Luis Trelles|title=South American Cinema/ Cine De America Del Sur: Dictionary of Film Makers/ Diccionario De Los Productores De Peliculas|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VansCHXxnZYC&pg=PA55|date=1 January 1989|publisher=La Editorial, UPR|isbn=978-0-8477-2011-8|page=55}}</ref>
After the war, she played a major role in René Clément's ''Les Maudits'', a fictionalized account showing the fate of Nazi refugees.<ref name="KlinowskiGarbicz2012">{{cite book|last1=Klinowski|first1=Jacek|last2=Garbicz|first2=Adam|title=Feature Cinema in the 20th Century: Volume One: 1913-1950: a Comprehensive Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lpp93FevM2cC&pg=RA2-PT238|volume=1|year=2012|publisher=Planet RGB Limited|isbn=978-1-62407-564-3|page=238}}</ref> After moving to Hollywood, she acted in Paramount's film ''Sealed Verdict'' opposite Ray Milland.<ref name="International1949">{{cite journal|title=Sealed Verdict|journal=The Rotarian|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZEYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53|date=January 1949|publisher=Rotary International|volume=74|issue=1|page=53|issn=0035-838X}}</ref> Next year, she starred in Stuart Heisler's ''Tokyo Joe'' (1949) alongside Humphrey Bogart. In it she played Bogart's wife, who divorces him after he moves to the United States from Japan before Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II. The film met with mixed responses from critics. Clive Hirschhorn wrote in his book, ''The Columbia Story'', that it was "a little more than a Bogart parody".<ref name="Blottner2015">{{cite book|last=Blottner|first=Gene|title=Columbia Noir: A Complete Filmography, 1940-1962|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l9B7BwAAQBAJ&pg=PA231|date=17 March 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-1761-9|pages=230–231}}</ref> Marly's acting in the espionage film ''Tokyo File 212'' brought her appreciations. Robert J. Lentz wrote in ''Korean War Filmography'' that she had given the best performance in the film.<ref name="Lentz2003">{{cite book|last=Lentz|first=Robert J.|title=Korean War Filmography|year=2003|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|publisher=McFarland & Company|isbn=978-0-7864-1046-0|page=377|oclc=50630520}}</ref> It was Hollywood's first feature film to be shot entirely in Japan.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tokyo File 212|url=http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=50894|access-date=16 April 2015|publisher=American Film Institute}}</ref>
In 1962, she appeared in a small role as a gangster's girlfriend in the ''Twilight Zone'' episode "Dead Man's Shoes".<ref name="Lofficier2003">{{cite book|last1=Lofficier|first1=Jean-Marc|last2= Lofficier|first2=Randy|title=Into The Twilight Zone: The Rod Serling Programme Guide|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2pNRBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT44|date=15 April 2003|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=978-1-4620-9900-9|page=44}}</ref> She had the eponymous role of a blood-thirsty vampire queen in Curtis Harrington-directed science fiction horror film ''Queen of Blood'' (1966), novelized by Charles Nuetzel.<ref name="Painter2010">{{cite book|last=Painter|first=Deborah|title=Forry: The Life of Forrest J Ackerman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sL2oreiBQ6wC&pg=PA75|date=15 November 2010|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5798-4|page=75}}</ref> It met with positive reviews.<ref name="Shelley2009">{{cite book|last=Shelley|first=Peter|authorlink=Peter Shelley|title=Grande Dame Guignol Cinema: A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gPuyHmIcHbwC&pg=PA97|date=15 September 2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5485-3|page=97}}</ref> Paul Meehan wrote in ''Saucer Movies'' that she gave a "convincing" performance.<ref name="Meehan1998">{{cite book|last=Meehan|first=Paul|title=Saucer Movies: A UFOlogical History of the Cinema|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vHlZAAAAMAAJ|date=1 January 1998|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-3573-3|page=125}}</ref> Marly made a 16 mm short sequel to ''Queen of Blood'' titled ''Space Boy!'' (1973).<ref name="Space">{{cite book|title=Video Watchdog|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2YuGAAAAIAAJ|year=1993|publisher=Tim & Donna Lucas|page=80|issue=15–20}}</ref>
Her last film role was in ''The Astrologer'' (1976), which was infamously lost until 2021.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-06-23|title=1975's The Astrologer Is the Greatest Cult Classic Film You Might Never Get to See|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/the-astrologer/1975s-the-astrologer-is-the-greatest-cult-classic/|access-date=2026-05-17|website=pastemagazine.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=The Astrologer (found Craig Denney film; 1976) - The Lost Media Wiki|url=https://lostmediawiki.com/The_Astrologer_(found_Craig_Denney_film;_1976)|access-date=2026-05-17|website=lostmediawiki.com}}</ref><ref>{{Citation|last=Craig Denney|title=The Astrologer 1975 (Previously Lost Film)|date=1975|url=http://archive.org/details/the-astrologer-1975-previously-lost-film|access-date=2026-05-17}}</ref>
==Personal life== During the early years of her acting career, the U.S. Consulate mistook her for the Russian-born, left-inclined, singer and songwriter Anna Marly, and she was subsequently blacklisted in Hollywood by the House Un-American Activities Committee.<!--the "blacklist" was by the movie industry, influenced by HUAC (needs citation)--> Even after she was cleared from the blacklist, at a Hollywood party Jack L. Warner "turned his back on [her]".<ref name="Malone2015">{{cite book|last=Malone|first=Aubrey|title=Hollywood's Second Sex: The Treatment of Women in the Film Industry, 1900-1999|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ubQGCAAAQBAJ&pg=PA156|date=10 April 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-1951-4|page=156}}</ref> Noël Coward, in a letter, called her a "rather sweet" "beautiful Czech lady".<ref name="Coward2014">{{cite book|last=Coward|first=Noël|authorlink=Noël Coward|title=The Letters of Noël Coward|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S6FOBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT596|date=31 October 2014|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-1-4081-4767-2|page=596}}</ref>
At a dinner, director Fritz Lang bit Marly's hand.<ref name="Painter2010" />
She was married to Pierre Chenal from 1937 to 1955.<ref name="Rège2009">{{cite book|last=Rège|first=Philippe|title=Encyclopedia of French Film Directors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ud2-AAAAQBAJ&pg=PA211|volume=1|date=11 December 2009|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-6939-4|page=211}}</ref> In 1956 she married the Austrian Count Degenhart von Wurmbrand-Stuppach (1893-1965) but divorced him the same year.
=== Death === Aged 59, Marly died in Glendale, California on November 9, 1978.
==Filmography== thumb|240px|right|Marly in an advertisement for ''Tokyo Joe''
=== Film === {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes !{{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}} |- |1937 |''The Alibi'' |Gordon's Mistress | |<ref name="FIR">{{cite book|title=Films in Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Vw1CAQAAIAAJ|volume=30|year=1979|publisher=National Board of Review of Motion Pictures|page=59}}</ref> |- | rowspan="3" |1938 |''The Lafarge Case'' |Emma Pontier | |<ref name="Buache1972">{{cite book|last=Buache|first=Freddy|authorlink=Freddy Buache|title=Erich von Stroheim: présentation par Freddy Buache. Textes et propos d'Erich von Stroheim, points de vue critiques, témoignages...|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rgpLAAAAMAAJ|year=1972|publisher=Seghers|language=French|page=160}}</ref> |- |''Café de Paris'' |Estelle | |<ref name="FIR" /> |- |''Sirocco'' |Diana | |<ref>{{cite book|title=Films in Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S0AUAAAAIAAJ|volume=8|year=1957|publisher=National Board of Review of Motion Pictures|page=203}}</ref> |- | rowspan="2" |1939 |''Savage Brigade'' |Isa Ostrowski | |<ref name="BessyChirat1987">{{cite book|last1=Bessy|first1=Maurice|last2=Chirat|first2=Raymond|title=Histoire du cinéma français: 1935-1939|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SvEpAAAAYAAJ|year=1987|publisher=Pygmalion|language=French|isbn=978-2-85704-239-6|page=439}}</ref> |- |''The Last Turning'' |Madge | |<ref>{{cite book|title=Focus on Film|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ORtAAQAAIAAJ|volume=19-31|year=1974|publisher=Tantivy Press|page=27}}</ref> |- |1943 |''La piel de Zapa'' |Fedora | |<ref name="Ruuth1991">{{cite book|last=Ruuth|first=Marianne|title=Cruel city: the dark side of Hollywood's rich and famous|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1QoIAQAAMAAJ|date=1 July 1991|publisher=Roundtable Pub.|page=41|isbn=9780915677481}}</ref> |- |1944 |''End of the Night'' |Pilar | |<ref name="Martín1978">{{cite book|last=Martín|first=Jorge Abel|title=Cine argentino|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jLMuAAAAYAAJ|year=1978|publisher=Ediciones Corregidor|language=Spanish|page=73}}</ref> |- |1946 |''Viaje sin regreso'' |Isabel | |<ref name="Ruuth1991" /> |- |1947 |''The Damned'' |Hilde Garosi | |<ref name="KlinowskiGarbicz2012" /> |- | rowspan="2" |1948 |''Krakatit'' |Princess Wilhelmina Hagen | |<ref>{{cite book|last=Hogan|first=David|title=Who's Who of the Horrors, and Other Fantasy Films: The International Personality Encyclopedia of the Fantastic Film|url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoofhorrors0000hoga|url-access=registration|year=1980|publisher=A. S. Barnes|isbn=978-0-498-02591-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/whoswhoofhorrors0000hoga/page/155 155]}}</ref> |- |''Sealed Verdict'' |Themis DeLisle | |<ref name="International1949" /> |- |1949 |''Tokyo Joe'' |Trina Pechinkov Landis | |<ref name="Blottner2015" /> |- |1951 |''Tokyo File 212'' |Steffi Novak | |<ref name="Lentz2003" /> |- | rowspan="2" |1952 |''Gobs and Gals'' |Soyna DuBois | |<ref>{{cite book|last=Erickson|first=Hal|authorlink=Hal Erickson (author)|title=Military Comedy Films: A Critical Survey and Filmography of Hollywood Releases Since 1918|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NE7DPJWdXd4C&pg=PA385|date=7 August 2012|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-6290-2|page=385}}</ref> |- |''The Idol'' |Cristina Arnaud | |<ref>{{cite book|last1=Vega|first1=Alicia|last2=Agüero|first2=Ignacio|title=Re-visión del cine chileno|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b6kHAQAAIAAJ|year=1979|publisher=Editorial Aconcagua : Centro de Indagación y Expresión Cultural y Artística|language=Spanish|page=38}}</ref> |- |1954 |''Confession at Dawn'' | | |<ref>{{cite book|last=Coo|first=Carlos Ossa|title=Historia del cine chileno: Carlos Ossa Coo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=67wuAAAAYAAJ|year=1971|publisher=Empresa Editora Nacional Quimantú|language=Spanish|page=67}}</ref> |- |1957 |''Undersea Girl'' |Leila Graham | |<ref>{{cite book|last=Langman|first=Larry|title=A Guide to American Crime Films of the Forties and Fifties|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mqMYAQAAIAAJ|year=1995|publisher=Greenwood Press|isbn=978-0-313-29265-1|page=297}}</ref> |- |1966 |''Queen of Blood'' |Alien Queen | |<ref name="Shelley2009" /> |- |1967 |''Games'' |Baroness | |<ref>{{cite book|last=Derry|first=Charles|title=Dark dreams: a psychological history of the modern horror film|url=https://archive.org/details/darkdreamspsycho0000derr|url-access=registration|date=1 August 1977|publisher=A. S. Barnes|isbn=978-0-498-01915-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/darkdreamspsycho0000derr/page/127 127]}}</ref> |- | rowspan="2" |1973 |''Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls'' |Tana | |<ref>{{cite book|title=Product Digest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i0wbAQAAIAAJ|volume=1|year=1973|publisher=Quigley Publishing Company|page=49|issue=1–21}}</ref> |- |''Space Boy'' |Alien Queen |Also writer & composer |<ref name="Space" /> |- |1976 |''The Astrologer'' |Diana Blair | |<ref>{{cite book|title=Films in Review|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DRFCAQAAIAAJ|volume=27|year=1976|publisher=National Board of Review of Motion Pictures|page=551}}</ref> |}
=== Television === {| class="wikitable" |+ !Year !Title !Role !Notes |- |1957 |''The Adventures of Jim Bowie'' |Giselle Fry |Episode: "The Quarantine" |- | rowspan="4" |1958 |''The Millionaire'' |Elena |Episode: "The Johanna Judson Story" |- |''Dragnet'' | |Episode: "The Big Honeymoon" |- |''Suspicion'' |Maria Nevada |Episode: "Death Watch" |- |''Behind Closed Doors'' |Marie Savit |Episode: "A Cover of Art" |- | rowspan="2" |1959 |''77 Sunset Strip'' |Madeleine |Episode: "A Check Will Do Nicely" |- |''Colonel Humphrey Flack'' |The Countess |Episode: "Follow the Bouncing Meatball" |- |1960 |''Have Gun – Will Travel'' |Madam L |Episode: "The Prophet" |- |1962 |''The Twilight Zone'' |Dagget's Girlfriend |Episode: "Dead Man's Shoes" |- |1965 |''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' |Drusilla Davina |Episode: "The Tigers Are Coming Affair" |- |1966 |''I Spy'' |Eliska |Episode: "Always Say Goodbye" |- |1973 |''Love, American Style'' |Hilary |Episode: "Love and the Twanger Tutor" |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== {{Portal|Biography|Film|Television}} * {{IMDb name|0549337}} * {{cite journal|title=Worldly-Wise Star|journal=Screenland|date=November 1950|volume=55|page=651|url=https://archive.org/stream/screenland55unse#page/n651/mode/2up}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Marly, Florence}} Category:1919 births Category:1978 deaths Category:20th-century Czech actresses Category:Czechoslovak emigrants to France Category:Czech expatriates in Argentina Category:Czech film actresses Category:Expatriate actors in Chile Category:Expatriate actresses in the United States Category:People from Most District Category:University of Paris alumni Category:Czech television actresses