- Marion Lorne
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Marion Lorne 
Born Marion Lorne MacDougall
August 12, 1883
West Pittston, Pennsylvania, U.S.Died May 9, 1968 (aged 84)
New York City, New York, U.S.Occupation Actress Years active 1905–1968 Spouse Walter C. Hackett (d. 1944) Marion Lorne MacDougall (August 12, 1883[1][2] – May 9, 1968) was an American actress. After a career in theatre in New York and London, Lorne made her first film in 1951, and for the remainder of her life, played small roles in films and television. Her recurring role as Aunt Clara in the comedy series, Bewitched brought her widespread recognition, and a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Contents
Origin
She was born in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, a small mining town halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, of Scottish and English immigrant parents. While her year of birth is listed as 1885 on her tombstone, it was usually listed as 1888 when she was alive and the Social Security Death Index lists it as 1883. Lorne studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. She married playwright Walter Hackett, who died in 1944.
Marion Lorne with Louise Drew in the play The Florist Shop (1909)
Career
Lorne debuted on Broadway in 1905; she also acted in London theaters, enjoying a flourishing stage career on both sides of the Atlantic. A latecomer to films, she made her screen debut in 1951, at the age of 63 in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train. The role was typical of the befuddled, nervous, and somewhat aristocratic matrons that she usually portrayed.
In the early 1950s, Lorne was seen as perpetually confused high school English teacher Mrs. Gurney on the pioneering sitcom Mr. Peepers. From 1957-1958, she co-starred with Joan Caulfield in the NBC sitcom Sally in the role of an elderly widow and the co-owner of a department store.[3] Between 1958 and 1961, she was a regular on The Garry Moore Show prime time comedy program.
Her last role, as Aunt Clara in television's Bewitched, brought Lorne her widest fame. She played a lovable, forgetful witch who is losing her powers because of her old age and whose spells usually end in disaster. Aunt Clara is obsessed with doorknobs, often bringing her collection with her on visits. Lorne had an extensive collection of doorknobs in real life, some of which she used as props in the series.[4]
She appeared in twenty-eight episodes and was not replaced after she died of a heart attack in New York City during the fifth season, aged 84.
Bewitched producers realized that Lorne's portrayal of the beloved Aunt Clara could not be replicated. Instead, character actress Alice Ghostley was recruited to fill the gap as the newly-created Esmeralda. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley appeared side-by-side in The Graduate as partygoers Miss DeWitte and Mrs. Singleman the year before Lorne's death.[5] She received a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Bewitched. The statue was accepted by Elizabeth Montgomery.
Filmography
Year Title Role Other notes 1951 Strangers on a Train Mrs. Anthony 1952–1953 Mr. Peepers Mrs. Gurney TV, 17 episodes 1955 The Girl Rush Aunt Clara 1957 Sally Myrtle Banford TV, 2 episodes 1958 Suspicion Mrs. Foster TV, 1 episode DuPont Show of the Month Veta Louise Simmons TV, 1 episode 1964–1968 Bewitched Aunt Clara TV, 28 episodes 1967 The Graduate Miss DeWitte Awards and nominations
Year Result Award Category Series 1954 Nominated Emmy Award Best Series Supporting Actress Mr. Peepers 1955 Nominated Emmy Award Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series Mr. Peepers 1958 Nominated Emmy Award Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series Sally 1967 Nominated Emmy Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Bewitched 1968 Won Emmy Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy Bewitched References
- ^ http://www.nndb.com/people/614/000161131/
- ^ http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/beographylorne.htm
- ^ "Sally". Classic TV Archives. http://ctva.biz/US/Comedy/Sally.htm. Retrieved September 11, 2009.
- ^ "Aunt Clara's Doorknob Collection". Nick at Night Flashback. 2008-09-23. http://fershur.com/80s-toys/nick-at-night-flashback-aunt-claras-doorknob-collection/. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
- ^ "When Esmeralda Sneezed". harpiesbizarre. 2007-10-01. http://www.harpiesbizarre.com/Esmeralda.htm. Retrieved 2007-10-01.
External links
- Marion Lorne at the Internet Movie Database
- Marion Lorne at the Internet Broadway Database
- Marion Lorne at Find a Grave
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress – Comedy Series (1953–1975) Vivian Vance (1953) · Audrey Meadows (1954) · Nanette Fabray (1955) · Pat Carroll (1956) · Ann B. Davis (1957) · Ann B. Davis (1959) · Alice Pearce (1966) · Frances Bavier (1967) · Marion Lorne (1968) · Karen Valentine (1970) · Valerie Harper (1971) · Sally Struthers/Valerie Harper (tie) (1972) · Valerie Harper (1973) · Cloris Leachman (1974) · Betty White (1975)
Complete List · (1953–1975) · (1976–2000) · (2001–2025) Categories:- American stage actors
- American television actors
- American film actors
- Emmy Award winners
- American people of English descent
- American people of Scottish descent
- Actors from Pennsylvania
- Deaths from myocardial infarction
- Cardiovascular disease deaths in New York
- 1883 births
- 1968 deaths
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