Mary Louise Weller, best known for her role as Mandy Pepperidge in the 1978 comedy 'Animal House', has died at 79 following a long illness. Her career also included films like 'The Bell Jar' and TV shows like 'Kojak' and 'Starsky & Hutch'.

Mary Louise Weller, best known for playing sorority sister Mandy Pepperidge in the 1978 comedy classic ‘Animal House’, has died at the age of 79 following a long illness, Variety reported.

Early Life

Weller died on Thursday, with her longtime partner Michael Roy Curtis and multiple reports confirming her death. Born in New York City on October 2, 1946, Weller was raised in Westwood, California. Actor and singer Danny Kaye was her godfather and a friend of her father. As a teenager, she trained with the U.S. Equestrian Team.

Career and 'Animal House' Stardom

Weller made her film debut in the 1972 political comedy ‘Hail!’. She went on to appear in the 1978 TV film ‘Hunters of the Reef’ and ‘The Evil’ before landing the role of Mandy Pepperidge in John Landis' ‘Animal House’, Variety reported.

The actress played Mandy, a Pi Beta Phi sorority sister and love interest in the film, which became a major comedy hit.

Reflecting on the film's success in a 2012 interview, Weller said she had a strong feeling that ‘Animal House’ would become a hit. “I’m pretty sure all of us knew that the movie would be a huge hit… The script was simply brilliant…” she said, Variety reported.

Weller also recalled showing the script to then-ABC head Brandon Stoddard, who, according to the actress, also believed the film would be successful but cautioned her about the lasting impact of the role. “He also knew it would be an enormous hit… but he warned me that it would be the movie I would always be known for…” Weller recalled.

Post-'Animal House' Career

Following ‘Animal House’, Weller appeared in films including Larry Peerce's adaptation of Sylvia Plath's ‘The Bell Jar’, ‘Once Upon a Spy’, ‘Forced Vengeance’, ‘Blood Tide’ and ‘Q’. Her television credits included popular shows such as ‘Baretta’, ‘Kojak’, ‘ChiPs’ and ‘Starsky & Hutch’. Her final on-screen appearance came in 1983 in ‘Quincy, M.E,’ Variety reported.

Beyond acting, Weller performed in several plays in New York and also wrote the play ‘Four Alone’, which was staged at the Greenhouse Theater in Pasadena, California.

Survivors

Weller is survived by her cousin Sheila Weller, an author whose books include the 2003 memoir ‘Dancing at Ciro’s: A Family’s Love, Loss, and Scandal on the Sunset Strip’, which chronicles her family's life in 1950s Hollywood, Variety reported.

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