- Maggie McNamara
-
Maggie McNamara 
Born Marguerite McNamara
June 18, 1928
New York City, New York, U.S.Died February 18, 1978 (aged 49)
New York City, New York, U.S.Spouse David Swift Marguerite "Maggie" McNamara (June 18, 1928 – February 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actress.[1]
Contents
Early life
Born in New York City, McNamara was one of four children born to Irish American parents. Her mother was born in England to Irish parents.[2] She attended Textile High School in New York and worked as a teen model while studying drama and dance.[3] McNamara became one of the most successful models of John Robert Powers' modeling agency, and she commented on her modeling days:
- "I was terrible shy and I used to work on myself to keep from showing it. When I was facing a camera I pretended that neither it nor the photographer were there. I played a game with myself according to the clothes I was wearing. [..] You have to feel right in what you are wearing, to have it look right. Just as each period has its own fashion, each person has his own style. When you find it I think you should stay with it. When I was modeling I had to dress exactly as Vogue wanted the picture to be. But any good quality becomes something else when it is overdone and I feel that this applies to being too clothes conscious. I don't care what the fashion dictator says. I will not follow if it's not right for me. But your over-all impression consists of more than clothes. Your grooming, posture, the sound of your voice and your perfume play a part in the total picture you create."[2]
Career
In 1951, she began her acting career when she took over Barbara Bel Geddes' role as Patty O'Neill in the stage production of The Moon Is Blue.[4] Later that year, she made her Broadway debut in The King of Friday's Men.
In 1953, she went to Hollywood to reprise her role in Otto Preminger's film version of The Moon Is Blue. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a BAFTA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer to Film. McNamara's second film role was in Three Coins in the Fountain (1954). Although her career started off well, she made only two more films after Three Coins. In the early 1960s, she appeared in several television shows including an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "Ring-a-Ding Girl." McNamara's last onscreen role was in a 1964 episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour entitled "The Body in the Barn."
Personal life and death
McNamara was married to actor/director David Swift. The marriage ended in divorce and McNamara never remarried.[5] After her last onscreen role in 1964, McNamara fell out of public view and spent her later years working as a typist in New York City. In February 1978, she was found dead after a deliberate overdose of sleeping pills.[3] According to police reports, she had a history of mental illness and left a suicide note.[5]
Maggie McNamara is interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes 1953 The Moon Is Blue Patty O'Neill Nominated: Best Actress in a Leading Role
Nominated: Most Promising Newcomer to Film BAFTA Award1953 Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach Tourist Uncredited
Alternative title: The Girl on the Roof1954 Three Coins in the Fountain Maria Williams 1955 Prince of Players Mary Devlin Booth 1963 The Cardinal Florrie Fermoyle 1963 Ben Casey Dede Blake Episode: "The Last Splintered Spoke of the Old Burlesque Wheel" 1963 The Twilight Zone Barbara "Bunny" Blake Episode: "Ring-a-Ding Girl" 1964 The Great Adventure Laura Drake Episode: "The Colonel from Connecticut" 1964 The Greatest Show on Earth Moira O'Kelley Episode: "Clancy" 1964 The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Camilla Episode: "Body in the Barn" References
- ^ Obituary Variety, March 22, 1978, page 46.
- ^ a b "Maggie McNamara Is Just as on Screen" by Lydia Lane, San Antonio Express-News, June 11, 1954, p. 29
- ^ a b Brettell, Andrew; King, Noel; Kennedy, Damien; Imwold, Denise (2005). Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies. Leonard, Warren Hsu; von Rohr, Heather. Barrons Educational Series. pp. 277. ISBN 0-764-15858-9.
- ^ Brennan, Sandra. "Maggie McNamara biography". The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/person/47955/Maggie-McNamara/biography. Retrieved 2008-01-18.
- ^ a b Katz, Ephraim (1994). The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume (2 ed.). HarperCollins Publishers. pp. 877. ISBN 0-062-73089-4.
External links
Categories:- 1928 births
- 1978 deaths
- Actors from New York City
- Actors who committed suicide
- American female models
- American film actors
- American people of Irish descent
- American stage actors
- Burials at Saint Charles Cemetery
- Drug-related suicides in New York
- Models who committed suicide
- People from New York City
- Female suicides
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