Editing Marie Windsor (section)

==Early years==
Windsor was born in 1919 in [[Marysvale, Utah]], the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lane Bertelsen.<ref>{{cite news| title=Beautiful 'Y' Coeds Vie For Carnival Queen Honors| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5489462/the_daily_herald/| newspaper=[[Daily Herald (Utah)|Daily Herald]]| date=April 14, 1938| location=Provo, Utah| page=2| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 4, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> She graduated from [[Piute County School District|Marysvale High School]] in 1934, doing a "musical reading" as part of the graduation exercises.<ref>{{cite news| title=School Gives out Diplomas| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5489358/the_salt_lake_tribune/| newspaper=[[The Salt Lake Tribune]]| date=May 20, 1934| page=53| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 4, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> She attended [[Brigham Young University]], where she participated in dramatic productions.<ref>{{cite news| title='Lost Horizons' to Be Staged| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5489418/the_daily_herald/| newspaper=Daily Herald| date=December 8, 1937| page=3| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 4, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| title='Lady of Lyons' Staged Tonight| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5489436/the_daily_herald| newspaper=Daily Herald| date=January 18, 1938| page=4| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 4, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> She was described in a 1939 newspaper article as "an accomplished athlete ... expert as a dancer, swimmer, horsewoman, and plays golf, tennis and skis."<ref name=slt/>

In 1939, Windsor was chosen from a group of 81 contestants<ref>{{cite news| title=B.Y.U. Girl Crowned Queen of S.L. Covered Wagon Days| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5489552/the_sunday_herald| work=The Sunday Herald| date=June 25, 1939| location=Provo, Utah| page=1| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 4, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> to be queen of Covered Wagon Days in [[Salt Lake City]], Utah.<ref name="slt">{{cite news| title=Marysvale Miss Wins Contest For Wagon Days Queen| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5489511/the_salt_lake_tribune/| newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune| date=June 24, 1939| page=15| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 4, 2016}} {{Open access}}</ref> She was unofficially appointed "Miss Utah of 1939" by her hometown’s [[Chamber of Commerce]],<ref name=piute>[http://www.piute.org/History/Marie_Windsor.htm "Marie Windsor"] on the [[Piute County, Utah]] website</ref> and trained for the stage under Hollywood actress and coach [[Maria Ouspenskaya]].<ref name=ous/> 

Voluptuous and leggy, but unusually tall (5'9") for a starlet of her generation, Windsor felt that she was handicapped when playing opposite actors of average stature (claiming she had to progressively bend at the knees walking across the room in scene with [[John Garfield]]).<ref name="Tell p.181">''Celebrity Diss and Tell: Stars Talk About Each Other'', Boze Hadleigh p. 181.</ref> As she later recalled, a production with the 6’5” [[Forrest Tucker]] as co-star made her happy with finally getting a male lead who was her 'own size'.<ref name="Tell p.181"/>

In later years, thanks to her early screen success, Windsor was able to pursue her studies more extensively, primarily with [[Stella Adler]]<ref name=piute/> and also at the [[Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute]].<ref>Arkatov, Janice. [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-04-23-ca-1228-story.html "Windsor's 'Star' Label Still Intact"]. ''The Los Angeles Times''. April 23, 1986; retrieved April 30, 2015. "Currently, the objects of that vitality include a son (Ricky, 23), tennis ('though lately I haven't been playing so well') and art (she's sold more than 100 of her paintings)--along with civic duties (the Thalians, John Tracy Clinic, Screen Actors Guild) and ongoing studies (Stella Adler, the Lee Strasberg Institute, Harvey Lembeck Workshop and a recent screen writing class at UCLA)."</ref>

Windsor worked in radio in Salt Lake City before moving to California.<ref name=first/> In California, she worked as a model for glamor photographer Paul Hesse.<ref name="utah">{{cite news| last1=Keele| first1=Beth| title=Utah Star Wows Filmland| url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/5495537/the_salt_lake_tribune| newspaper=The Salt Lake Tribune| date=June 24, 1948| page=39| via=Newspapers.com| access-date=June 5, 2016}}{{Open access}}</ref>