May Wynn (Donna Lee Custer) — American singer, dancer and film actress

Early life and name change

Donna Lee Hickey was born in New York City and began performing in music and dance venues as a young woman. Early in her career she worked as a nightclub singer and dancer and made the transition to motion pictures and television in the early 1950s. Her stage name, May Wynn, derives from the character she portrayed in The Caine Mutiny, and she kept it as a professional identity thereafter.

Career highlights

Wynn's film and television credits span roughly a decade. She appeared opposite established stars in a number of mid‑1950s pictures and was cast for parts that emphasized both dramatic presence and musical training. Notable screen credits include:

• The Caine Mutiny (1954) — the role that defined her public persona.
• The Violent Men (1955) — a Western with a dramatic supporting role.
• The Man Is Armed (1956) — a crime drama from the same period.
• Television guest appearances, including an episode of Perry Mason (1959).

Her formal credits list her occupations as a dancer, singer and actress; for an overview of her performing career see dancer, singer and actress.

Personal life

Wynn's personal life received public attention in part because of her marriage to actor Jack Kelly, best known for the television series Maverick. The couple were married in 1956 in Quartzsite, Arizona and divorced in 1964. She later married Jack W. Custer; that marriage lasted from 1968 until 1979. She was born and raised in New York City and her 1956 wedding ceremony is sometimes noted in accounts of midcentury Hollywood; the ceremony took place in Quartzsite, Arizona.

Legacy and later years

May Wynn's film work represents a slice of 1950s American cinema in which musical training could lead to crossover roles in dramatic films. While she did not maintain a long filmography, her name remains linked to The Caine Mutiny and to the era's pattern of performers moving between nightclubs, film and television. After stepping back from acting she lived a private life outside the spotlight. For further reading and archival materials, consult the linked references and filmographies associated with her credited work.