Mary Wickes started her acting career in early 1930s with theater performances. Her first screen appearance was in the short film ‘Watch the Birdie’ (1935), followed by other shorts ‘Too Much Johnson’ (1938) by Orson Welles and ‘Keeping Fit’ (1942).
Her first feature-film was an adaption of the Broadway play ‘The Man Who Came to Dinner’ (1942) wherein Wickes reprised her role of ‘Nurse Preen.’ That same year she also appeared in the comedy film ‘Blondie’s Blessed Event,’ the comedy-musical ‘Private Buckaroo,’ the Oscar-nominated ‘The Mayor of 44th Street,’ the drama film ‘Now, Voyager’ as wisecracking nurse (which brought her recognition), and the Abbot & Costello comedy mystery ‘Who Done it?’
Mary next appeared in ‘Rhythm of the Islands’ (1943), the war drama ‘Happy Land’ (1943), the musical‘Higher and Higher’ (1944), the comedy ‘June Bride’ (1948), the film-noir ‘Anna Lucasta’ (1949), and the musical romantic comedy ‘The Pretty Girl’ (1950). She played a hassled housekeeper in several films, including musical ‘On Moonlight Bay’ (1951) and its sequel, ‘By the Light of the Silvery Moon,’ (1953), and the TV sitcom ‘Bonino’ (1953).
Wickes’ first TV appearance was as a guest on ‘Actor Studio’ (1948), while she played her first substantial role in the ‘Westinghouse Studio One’ (1949) version of ‘Mary Poppins.' She was part of the main cast for the sitcom ‘The Danny Thomas Show/Make Room for Daddy’ (1953-1964), ‘The Halls of Ivy’ (1954-1955), ‘Annette’ on Mickey Mouse Club (1958), and ‘Dennis the Menace’ (1959-1962).
Wickes’ other film appearances came in the holiday musical ‘White Christmas’ (1954), the drama film ‘Good Morning, Miss Dove’ (1955), and the romantic comedy ‘It Happened to Jane’ (1959). She was the animation model for ‘Cruella de Vil’ in ‘101 Dalmatians’ (1961). Next, she appeared in the musical film ‘The Music Man’ (1962), the comedy film ‘The Trouble with Angels’ (1966), and its sequel, ‘Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows’ (1968).
Wickes received Emmy nomination for ‘Outstanding Supporting Actress’ for the TV series ‘Mrs. G. Goes to College’ (1961-1962). She played regular roles on the series ‘Temple Houston’ (1963-1964), children’s series ‘Sigmund & the Sea Monsters’ (1973-1975), sitcom ‘Doc’ (1975-1976), ‘The Father Dowling Mysteries’ (1987-1991). She appeared on several episodes of ‘Here’s Lucy’ and ‘Life with Louie,’ and also, as a guest star on numerous TV series.
Wickes’ later movies include the 1980 drama film ‘Touched by Love,’ Carrie Fisher’s semi-autobiographical story, ‘Postcards from the Edge,’ (1990), as ‘Sister Lazarus’ in the comedy film  ‘Sister Act’ (1992) and its sequel, ‘Sister Act-2: Back in the Habit’ (1993), 1994 version of ‘Little Women,’ and a voice role in the musical drama ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ (1996-released posthumously).