Mary Maguire
| Mary Maguire | |
|---|---|
Mary Maguire, c. 1937
|
|
| Born |
Hélène Teresa Maguire 22 February 1919 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died | 18 May 1974 (aged 55) Long Beach, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1935–1942 |
| Spouse(s) | Robert Gordon-Canning (1940-1944) (divorced) (1 child) Philip Henry Legarra (1945-1971) (his death) |
| Children | Michael (1941-1942) |
Mary Maguire (22 February 1919 – 18 May 1974) was an Australian-born actress who briefly became a Hollywood and British film star in the late 1930s.
She was born Hélène Teresa Maguire in Melbourne, Australia, to Michael "Mickey" Maguire, footballer, racehorse owner, hotel proprietor, and former welterweight boxer and Mary Jane Maguire (née Carroll). Nicknamed "Peggy" by the family, she was the second of five sisters. She grew up in Melbourne and Brisbane, her father managing the famous "Bull and Mouth Hotel" in Bourke Street, Melbourne, and later the iconic Bellevue Hotel in Brisbane. In Melbourne she attended the Academy of Mary Immaculate in Fitzroy. She began acting when she was cast in the film Heritage by director Charles Chauvel at the age of 16. Elsa Chauvel, in her 1973 memoirs, wrote: "This lovely child was brought to our notice by a Brisbane publicity man... fresh from a Queensland convent." Changing her name to Mary, Maguire then starred in The Flying Doctor, an Australian-British co-production that was filmed in Australia by director Miles Mander and also starred American actor Charles Farrell.
With encouragement from Miles Mander, Maguire and her family moved to Hollywood in September 1936. Mander gave her an introduction to fellow Australian expat John Farrow, who arranged for an interview with a casting director that led to a contract with Warner Bros.
Mary made her U.S. debut in That Man's Here Again, followed by B movies Alcatraz Island and Sergeant Murphy with Ronald Reagan. In 1938, after appearing in Mysterious Mr. Moto, she moved to Britain, where she appeared in a few British films. As one of only a handful of Australian actors working internationally in film at the time, her career attracted considerable attention from Australian newspapers between 1936 and 1946.
...
Wikipedia