Norris Church Mailer: Difference between revisions

Norris Church Mailer (born Barbara Jean Davis, January 31, 1949, in Arkansas – died November 21, 2010, in [[w:Brooklyn Heights|Brooklyn Heights, New York City]]) was an American artist, actress, model, and author of several books. Her publications include the memoir, ''A Ticket to the Circus'' and the novels ''Cheap Diamonds'' and ''Windchill Summer''.  

Originally from [[w:Atkins, Arkansas|Atkins, Arkansas]], Norris Church Mailer had successful careers in various fields. After graduating from [[w:Arkansas Tech University|Arkansas Polytechnic College]], she became an art teacher and, later, a successful model for the [[w:Wilhelmina Models|Wilhelmina modeling agency]]. She held several one-woman shows featuring her paintings and also acted in television and features films, including [[w:Ragtime (film)|''Ragtime'']] (1981) and [[w:The Executioner's Song (film)|''The Executioner's Song'']] (1982), and the television soap opera, [[w:All My Children|''All My Children'']].  

Norris Church Mailer's near 33-year marriage to her second husband, [[Norman Mailer|Norman Mailer]], is frequently the focus of reviews about her life. She described Mailer as "the [[w:Henry Higgins|Henry Higgins]] to my [[w:Eliza Doolittle|Eliza Doolittle]]", often seeking his advice on drafts of her novels and defending him against critics who claimed he was misogynistic. ''A Ticket to the Circus'' in part chronicles her relationship with Mailer. She was the mother of two children and stepmother of Norman Mailer's five children.  

In 2004, [[w:Wilkes University|Wilkes University]] established the Norris Mailer Church Fellowship in creative writing in her honor. She died in 2010 of complications from [[w:Gastrointestinal cancer|gastrointestinal cancer]].