Marilyn Strauss was born on 1 March 1927 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. She was married to Leonard Strauss and Dale McCall. She died on 15 September 2018 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
She was a Broadway producer, Tony Award winner, and founder of the Heart of American Shakespeare Festival in Kansas City. The festival is free of admission and outdoors, with performances each summer in Southmoreland Park.