Polly Rowles

Mary Elizabeth "Polly" Rowles (January 10, 1914 – October 7, 2001) was an American actress whose career spanned stage, film, and television across several decades. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of Ralph T. Rowles, a steel executive, and grew up with a familial connection to performance through her grandfather, who was an actor. She pursued formal training at the Carnegie Institute of Technology, where she appeared in approximately 30 productions during her studies, frequently in leading roles. Her time in Pittsburgh also included work with the Pittsburgh Little Theatre under director Ben Iden Payne, which further developed her stage experience.

On the strength of Carnegie Tech's drama program recommendation, Rowles was signed by Universal Pictures, making her film debut in Love Letters of a Star. After her first year, Universal declined to renew her option, citing the appearance of her right eye, which she attributed to a childhood injury. The studio had requested a surgical procedure on the eye but released her regardless. She continued working as a freelance film actress, including a picture with Gene Autry, before concluding that her dramatic training was better suited to the stage and relocating to New York.

Rowles made her Broadway debut in Julius Caesar in 1938 and went on to a stage career that extended through 1982. Among her most prominent Broadway credits was the role of Vera Charles in the original production of Auntie Mame, which ran from 1956 to 1958 and starred Rosalind Russell in the title role. Her other Broadway appearances included Steaming, The Old Women, Forty Carats, The Killing of Sister George, and The Best Laid Plans. In 1948, she also performed at the Strand Theatre in London in Dark Eyes.

Her television work included a regular role as Laurie on the series Jamie and appearances on soap operas including The Nurses, Somerset, and The Edge of Night. She also appeared in The Defenders, and in the film Sweet Liberty and the film Power. A single episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents in 1956 featured her as Nell Cutts. During the 1980s, she became widely recognized through a long-running series of television commercials for Hanes underwear, in which she played Inspector No. 12. Earlier in her career, she hosted a program on KDKA in Pittsburgh that was described as an early version of talk radio.

Rowles was married to Frank Snyder and had a daughter. She died on October 7, 2001, at a nursing home in Concord, New Hampshire, at the age of 87.