Greer Garson
| Greer Garson | |
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Greer Garson, circa 1940s
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| Born |
Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson 29 September 1904 Manor Park, East Ham, Essex, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | 6 April 1996 (aged 91) Dallas, Texas |
| Resting place | Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas, Texas |
| Occupation | Actress, singer, philanthropist |
| Years active | 1932–1986 |
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Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson, CBE (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996), was a British-American actress who was very popular during the Second World War, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top-ten box office draws from 1942-46.
A major star at MGM during the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award nominations, including a record five consecutive nominations, winning the Best Actress award for Mrs. Miniver (1942).
Greer Garson was born on 29 September 1904 in Manor Park, East Ham, Essex, the only child of Nina (née Nancy Sophia Greer; died 1958) and George Garson (1865–1906), a commercial clerk in a London importing business. Her father was born in London, to Scottish parents, and her mother was from Drumaloor, Casar, County Down, Northern Ireland. The name "Greer" is a contraction of "MacGregor", another family name.
Her maternal grandfather was David Greer, an RIC sergeant in Castlewellan, County Down, Northern Ireland, in the 1880s, who later became a land steward to the Annesley family, wealthy landlords who built the town of Castlewellan. David Greer lived in a large detached house built on the lower part of what was known as Pig Street or known locally as the Back Way near Shilliday's builder's yard. The house was called "Claremount" and today the street is named Claremount Avenue. It was often reported that Garson was born in this house.
Garson was educated at King's College London, where she earned degrees in French and 18th-century literature, and at the University of Grenoble in France at a time when few actors had university degrees. She had intended to become a teacher, but instead began working with an advertising agency, and appeared in local theatrical productions.
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