Maureen Hingert, the Sri Lankan-born actress and former Miss Universe contestant known for her role in “The King and I,” died Sunday, June 29 at age 88 from liver failure at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California. Her daughter, Marisa Zamparelli, confirmed the death and described it as “a beautiful and peaceful passing.”
Born Maureen Neliya Hingert on January 9, 1937, in Colombo, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), she first gained international recognition as an 18-year-old when she was crowned Miss Ceylon in 1955. She subsequently finished as second runner-up at the Miss Universe contest held in Long Beach, California, that same year — the first Miss Universe pageant to be televised.
Her pageant success launched her Hollywood career, with her appearance credited with helping put her South Asian island country “on the map.” After the competition, Hingert remained in California and secured a contract with Universal Studios, leading to her role in the Western film “Pillars of the Sky” starring Jeff Chandler and Dorothy Malone.
Hingert’s most notable film role came in 1956’s “The King and I,” Walter Lang’s adaptation of the Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical. She appeared as a royal wife alongside stars Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner and Rita Moreno in the 20th Century Fox production. The film received nine Academy Award nominations and won five Oscars.
She followed with more substantial roles in Western films, often playing Native American characters. In 1958, she appeared as Tanana in “Gun Fever,” which was starred in, directed and co-written by Mark Stevens. The following year, she played Rosita in “Gunmen From Laredo,” billed under the stage name Jana Davi.
Hingert’s film career also included appearances in “Fort Bowie” and “The Rawhide Trail,” both released in 1958. She had previously appeared in two 1954 films made in her home country: “Circus Girl” and “Elephant Walk,” the latter starring Elizabeth Taylor and directed by William Dieterle.
Her television work included episodes of “The Adventures of Hiram Holliday,” “Death Valley Days” and “Captain David Grief.” Beyond acting, Hingert worked as a dancer, performing at major Los Angeles venues including the Shrine Auditorium. A photograph from her “Gun Fever” film set was featured in a September 1957 edition of Playboy magazine.
In 1958, she married Mario Armond Zamparelli, chief designer for Howard Hughes’ corporate empire, which included work on RKO Pictures movie posters and the Desert Inn. The couple met when Hingert was modeling for a TWA mural that Zamparelli was painting for Hughes.
Hingert had retired from acting by the early 1960s, around the time she welcomed her first daughter. The Zamparelli marriage lasted until 1970, and the couple had three daughters together: Gina, Marisa, and Andrea. Tragedy struck the family when Andrea died in 2009 at age 42. Gina, who worked as a concert promoter in Los Angeles, died in 2018 at age 59 from a brain tumor.
Hingert married a second time in 1976 to William J. Ballard, and they remained together until his death in 2012.
Her death was first announced on Facebook on July 1 by fellow Sri Lankan actress Angela Seneviratne, who had also been a pageant contestant.
Her legacy extends beyond her entertainment career, as she was noted as the first contestant from her country to reach the Miss Universe finals. Her participation in the 1955 pageant helped establish Sri Lanka on the international stage during a time when the South Asian nation was still known as Ceylon.
The actress’s career spanned both the golden age of Hollywood musicals and the Western genre, with her work in “The King and I” representing one of the most celebrated film adaptations of a Broadway musical from that era. Her transition from beauty pageant contestant to Hollywood actress reflected the entertainment industry’s international reach during the 1950s.
Hingert is survived by her daughter Marisa.
