Mary Wickes, 85, Veteran Comedienne

LOS ANGELES - Mary Wickes, the veteran comedienne who most recently delighted audiences as Aunt March in the feature film "Little Women" and as a tough-as-nails singing nun in "Sister Act" and its sequel, has died. She was 85.

Miss Wickes, an actress on stage, screen and television for 67 years, died Sunday night at UCLA Medical Center of complications following hip surgery.

Miss Wickes appeared in 50 feature films, 27 major Broadway productions and 10 television series.

"She has been called the last of the great character actors, and that was right," said writer-producer Madelyn Pugh Davis, a long-time friend.

She kept house on the TV series "The Peter and Mary Show" in 1950, "Bonino" in 1953, "The Halls of Ivy" in 1954, "Annette" in 1958, "Sigmund & the Sea Monsters" in 1973-75, and "The Father Dowling Mysteries" in 1989-91.