Harriet MacGibbon | |
---|---|
Born |
Harriet E. McGibbon October 5, 1905 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Died | February 8, 1987 Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
(aged 81)
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills), Los Angeles, California |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1925–1987 |
Spouse(s) | William R. Kane (divorced) Charles Corwin White, Jr. (1942-1967; his death) |
Children | 1 |
Harriet MacGibbon (October 5, 1905 – February 8, 1987) was an American actress.
Harriet E. McGibbon was born in Chicago to Dr. Walter Peter McGibbon and Gertrude L. (née Crary) McGibbon. It is not known why she amended her surname by adding an "a", but she was credited a few times as McGibbon. She was "finished" at Knox School, Cooperstown, New York, where she prepared for Vassar. Without staying to receive a diploma, she left to fulfill her desire for the footlights and studied with Franklin H. Sargent at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.
Later, MacGibbon joined the stock company of Edward Clarke Lilley at Akron, Ohio. She then went to San Francisco and played leading roles for Henry Duffy. In Louisville, Kentucky, she acted with Wilton Lackaye, Edmund Breese, William Faversham, Tom Wise and Nance O'Neil. There were regular productions, including Ned McCobb's Daughter, The Front Page, The Big Fight, and a "transcontinental tour" starring MacGibbon in The Big Fight, which began in Boston, took in New Haven and Hartford, and ended at Caine's storehouse. Jack Dempsey was also in the cast.
During that time, MacGibbon stopped off in Boston long enough to study the harp with Alfred Holy, harpist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. She later said that when she gave up the instrument, Mr. Holy, "with unconscious humor", remarked, "What a pity, Miss MacGibbon, you look so lovely with a harp."