Born: Cora Marie Frye on 6 July 1923 at Burgin, Kentucky.

Her parents divorced in 1929. Her father becomes a warden at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. She and her mother move to Westchester, New York to live with her grandparents.

At the age of 15, she began modeling and competed in numerous beauty pageants, and was crowned Miss New York in 1939.

During World War II, Marie McDonald became one of Hollywood's most popular pin-up girls and she posed for the U.S. military weekly magazine: "YANK."

Spouse(s):

Richard Allord (m. 1940–1940)
Victor M. Orsatti (m. 1943–1947)
Harry Karl (m. 1947–1954)
Harry Karl (m. 1955–1958)
Louis Bass (m. 1959–1960)
Edward F. Callahan (m. 1962–1963)
Donald F. Taylor (m. 1963–21 Oct 1965)

Died: 21 October 1965 (aged 42) at Calabasas, California.