Clint Eastwood and his colleagues from countless westerns and other movies were shocked to learn of the death of a staple in the industry.
According to Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health revealed that actress Mara Corday has died. She was 95.
The actress appeared in several hit films, including the classic cult horror film "Tarantula," and alongside Eastwood in a number of movies.
Corday once described Eastwood as a "Godsend" for her career in the movie industry.
The Washington Post obtained a death certificate via the L.A. County Department of Health confirming that Corday died in early February at her residence in Valencia, California.
According to Corday's formal death certificate, the late actress died of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease.
RIP Mara Corday who has passed away at the age of 95 🕊💔 pic.twitter.com/vR3Mp95c0l
— ClassicActorsOfHollywood (@CAOH110291) May 25, 2025
The Hollywood Reporter noted:
A onetime contract player at Universal-International, Corday also worked in many Westerns, among them Drums Across the River (1954), starring Audie Murphy; King Vidor’s Man Without a Star (1955), starring Kirk Douglas; and The Quiet Gun (1957), starring Forrest Tucker.
Notably, Corday was married to actor Richard Long from 1954 to 1974, until he passed away due to heart issues.
Corday once gave an interview regarding her hit horror film, Tarantual, noting that movies like that at the time really boiled down to the special effects side of the production.
The outlet noted:
There’s not much of a plot,” Corday said in an interview for Tom Weaver’s 1996 book It Came From Horrorwood. “You’re at the mercy of the ‘fright,’ the ‘horror,’ or whatever. You’re at the mercy of the special effects people, because if they don’t do a good job, then the whole picture goes in the toilet. For instance, The Giant Claw!”
Given her Hollywood status and resume, it shouldn't come as a surprise that many of her fans across social media paid tribute to her.
"RIP Mara Corday, 95. Of course, we love her for TARANTULA, THE GIANT CLAW and THE BLACK SCORPION, but here she is in a low-budget 1956 Ron Ormond-produced Western, with a title that would serve Leslie Nielsen well decades later," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Our farewell tribute to the beautiful Universal actress of colorful westerns and creature features."
Clearly, her legacy will live on and her films will be enjoyed for a long time to come.
