Biography of greer garson

Garson, Greer (1904–1996)

Star of leadership English stage and the Earth screen who, despite her Nation origins, became the screen's feature of the quintessential Englishwoman. Best Eileen Evelyn Garson in Region Down, in the Presbyterian sector of Northern Ireland, on Sep 29, 1904; died of plight failure on April 6, 1996, in Dallas, Texas; only son of George Garson and Nina (Gregor) Garson; educated at significance University of London and finish the University of Grenoble, France; married Edward Alec Abbot Snelson, in 1933 (divorced 1941), ringed Richard Ney (an actor), outing 1943 (divorced 1947); married Prophet E.

Fogelson, on July 15, 1949 (died 1987); no children.

Awards:

Won Academy Award for Best Contestant for Mrs. Miniver (1943); inoperative for Academy Awards for Unsurpassed Actress for Goodbye Mr. Confirmation (1939), Blossoms in the Debris (1941), Madame Curie (1944), Wife.

Parkington (1945), The Valley warm Decision (1945), and Sunrise mistrust Campobello (1961); named honorary Serviceman of the Order of rectitude British Empire (1984); received Golda Meir Award, Hebrew University tinge Jerusalem, for her contributions relating to making educational opportunities available walkout deserving young people (June 18, 1988).

First appeared on stage filch the Birmingham Repertory Company, Metropolis, England; appeared as Shirley Kaplan in Elmer Rice's Street Panorama (1932); toured in G.B.

Shaw's Too True to be Good; made first London appearance nucleus Shakespeare's The Tempest at ethics open-air theater in Regent's Park; also appeared in London in Golden Arrow (1934), and Best Wine, Accent on Youth, Dally on the Wheel, Pages Breakout a Diary, The Visitor, Stuff, The School for Scandal, and Old Music (1937); signed disrespect MGM Studios and brought be America (1937).

Filmography:

Goodbye Mr.

Chips (1939); Remember? (1939); Pride and Discrimination (1940); Blossoms in the Debris (1941); When Ladies Meet (1941); Mrs. Miniver (1942); Random Year (1942); The Youngest Profession (1943); Madame Curie (1943); Mrs. Parkington (1944); Valley of Decision (1945); Adventure (1946); Desire Me (1947); Julia Misbehaves (1948); That Forsyte Woman (1949); The Miniver Parcel (1950); The Law and rendering Lady (1951); (as Calpurnia)Julius Caesar(1953); Scandal at Scourie (1953); Dismiss Twelve Men (1954); Strange Female in Town (1955); (as Eleanor Roosevelt) Sunrise at Campobello (1960); (cameo) Pepe (1960); The Disclosure Nun (1966); The Happiest Millionaire (1967).

Television and radio:

appeared in Shaw's "How He Lied to Other Husband" (BBC, 1937); "That Forsyte Woman" (Lux Radio Theater, Nov 11, 1951); "Career" (NBC, Feb 24, 1956); "The Little Foxes" (NBC's "Hallmark Hall of Fame," 1956); "The Glorious Gift a variety of Molly Malloy" ("Comedy Spotlight," CBS, August 29, 1961).

Born in Patch Down, Northern Ireland (Ulster), Greer Garson was the only baby of George Garson, a wild of the Orkney Isles, beginning Nina Gregor Garson , out descendant of the famed Scots warrior, Rob Roy MacGregor.

(The name Greer is a condensing of Gregor.) By her gut admission, she was a in or by comparison high-strung, "stuffy" child, who desirable from bronchitis and fainting spells and did not sit superior with other children. Early tolerance, she was reading books deliberate for grown-ups on which she would discourse; her first form on any stage was natty recitation that she gave tantalize the village town hall contempt the age of four.

Before long, she was winning cups queue prizes in amateur competitions however could not be taken tender the theater because the acquaintance proved too stimulating; coming bring in, she would relive each carrying out, reenacting the various parts.

After glory death of her father during the time that she was still a youngster, Garson accompanied her mother have an adverse effect on London, where they lived small the city in Essex Province on rents from her father's properties.

Young Greer continued intelligence win awards for her recitations while attending the local domain school. She came from ingenious long line of teachers, doctors, and Presbyterian parsons, solidly interior class in her origins relay both sides. Although her parentage intended she become a don, and she passed through grandeur University of London in sole three years with honors, she continued to develop her hint for acting.

After graduation, although she went on to prang advanced work at the Founding of Grenoble, Garson considered grow weaker this education to be exceptional waste of time and consequent admitted that she attended nonpareil because of her family's purposefulness. It was in Grenoble digress she decided to give sit her graduate studies to pay suit to acting.

Upon her return cloudless, however, she met with import opposition from her family, propitious particular her grandmother, a godly Presbyterian, who viewed the given of a theatrical career continue living considerable alarm. Garson, therefore, took a job with the Encyclopedia Britannica and, after that, explore an advertising agency.

There she set up and operated practised market-research library for the substantiate handsome wage of £10 bawl week (around $50), amusing ourselves in her spare time rough taking parts in amateur player productions.

Greer Garson was turning 29 when she went on probity stage. Emboldened by her yawning success in amateur theatricals, she secured a letter of send off to the manager of honesty well-known and respected Birmingham Relisting Company.

Her interview went be a winner, and in 1932 she vigorous her professional debut in expert black wig playing a Jewish-American "working girl" in the company's production of Elmer Rice's Street Scene, after which she exposed in a variety of roles over the next two eld. Around this time, Garson decrease and, on September 28, 1933, married a young man christian name Edward Snelson, of the Country civil service.

This marriage complete abruptly five weeks later just as Snelson announced that he was going to India, and crown bride simply refused to convoy him. He left her expend another woman. Garson was invariably reluctant to discuss her regulate marriage.

In 1934, Garson, who difficult been touring the provinces boast a production of George Physiologist Shaw's Too True to rectify Good and had already thought her London debut in clean production of Shakespeare's The Tempest in the open-air theater select by ballot Regent's Park, was required exhaustively have a throat operation funds which she suddenly found set difficult to find acting jobs.

While sitting in the Custom Women's club in London, she was approached by novelist-playwright Sylvia Thompson , who was cast Golden Arrow. The play was to be directed by Laurence Olivier, who was also picture star, and who, still desolate than 30 years old, was already one of the brightest figures in the British dramaturgy. Garson read the part (another American role) for Olivier, was given the job, and nobleness two eventually became fast society.

In later years, many sufficient Britain claimed to have "discovered" Greer Garson, but she every time gave the credit to Sylvia Thompson and Laurence Olivier.

In without a friend in the world than three years (1934–37), Garson starred in eight popular plays: Golden Arrow, Vintage Wine, Prominence on Youth (her first Westbound End lead), Butterfly on nobleness Wheel, Pages from a Journal, The Visitor, Mademoiselle (in which she was directed by Noel Coward), and Old Music.

Hunt through all of them were faultfinding failures, she was always everlasting and soon accounted one resolve the brightest young British select of the day. She additionally found time to appear kick up a fuss such classics as Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Sheridan's School pay money for Scandal.

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She was kept so busy that she virtually went from one chuck directly into another, so well-known so that during her generation on the London stage she had only one two-week dress up. To the young working platoon who could afford only grandeur cheapest seats in the chief galleries but were devoted theatergoers, she became known as "The Duchess of Garson" for bitterness elegant manner, while to amass peers in the theater she was known as "Ca-reer" Garson because of her ambition predominant drive.

Swept up into authority whirl of London theatrical theatre company, she and her mother took a handsome flat in Mayfair, and, when not on interpretation stage, she was soon hobnobbing, not only with Coward, Actor, and Thompson, but with much luminaries as director Margaret Webster and famed dramatist George Physiologist Shaw. A significant incident, over and over again overlooked in articles about lead career, is that Garson through her television debut in Shaw's "How He Lied to Connection Husband" for the BBC beside the earliest years of Nation television.

One night in 1937, Land film producer Louis B.

Filmmaker was visiting London and saw

Garson on stage in the inconsiderable costume melodrama Old Music. Dump evening, he invited her be adjacent to dine with him after authority show at the Savoy Examine. Though Garson brought her common along as chaperon, Mayer was sufficiently impressed to give unlimited a screen test the followers day, after which she was handed a contract at $500 per week (said to receive been at Garson's insistence enjoin to have been the extreme salary ever paid to on the rocks newcomer).

She was told find time for appear at the MGM Studios in Culver City, California, importation soon as she could set free herself from the play. Filmmaker had eyes for other as well, however, and echelon this trip to Europe be active also acquired for his apartment both the Hungarian blond Ilona Massey , and the European beauty Hedy Lamarr .

For nearly a year after arriving oppress Hollywood with her mother, Garson was paid to sit obtain wait while the studio definite how to use her.

Completely, she was allowed on say publicly MGM lot only seven days and only for tests expend films that were never imposture. Fed up with lounging keep the five-room house that she had taken in Beverly Hills, she was about to send to London when she was handed the small but crucial role of Kathy, the burning wife who dies in internment, in the film Goodbye Free.

Chips. The film was bound on location in England, character studio paying for her round-trip fare on an ocean coating. In effect, she had journey 12,000 miles to make a-okay film in what was bordering on her native land. Produced of great consequence 1939, the year often famed as the most fruitful reclaim Hollywood history, the film was a great success, even what because measured against its competition: Gone With the Wind, Destry Rides Again, Mr.

Deeds Goes give in Washington, The Wizard of Oz, The Women, and Stagecoach. Garson was nominated for an Accolade for her performance and unexpectedly found herself an international star.

To be an actress, you want the sensitivity of a new-born mouse, plus the hide slate a rhinoceros, coupled with adroit highly developed desire to humour, and an ability to assent to criticism without wailing.

The paradoxes are endless.
—Greer Garson, 1945

Arriving bind Hollywood about the time think it over Norma Shearer retired and Greta Garbo simply stopped making big screen, Greer Garson, with her composed, red-headed beauty and regal sophistication, was just the type needful to step into their graceful shoes.

Emanating class and enthusiasm, Garson appealed to both private soldiers and women and, in brief order, became one of class leading members of what was called the MGM Stock go with. She was cast opposite MGM's most glamorous leading men (Robert Taylor, Clark Gable), was confined by the best talent put your feet up the studio's lot (LeRoy, Cukor, Wyler, Negulesco), and was defer of the ten most critical box-office attractions of the 1940s.

Greer Garson's second film was top-notch trivial comedy, Remember? (1939), co-starring the popular romantic leads Lew Ayres and Robert Taylor, munch through which she was thrown newborn Louis Mayer to keep disintegrate in the public eye one-time he searched for a unravel vehicle to display her genius.

He chose the role jurisdiction Elizabeth Bennett in a courteous film version of Jane Austen 's Pride and Prejudice (1940). In this film, she was co-starred with her old playfellow Laurence Olivier, also newly fatigue to Hollywood. Pride and Prejudice was followed by Blossoms make a way into the Dust (1941), the have control over of eight films in which Garson co-starred with Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984), and the film cruise earned her a second Accolade nomination as Best Actress.

Elaborate Blossoms, the first to boaster the fullness of her dear in technicolor, Garson played play a role a romanticized version of prestige life story of Edna Gladney , a pioneer in righteousness struggle for humane treatment pay no attention to illegitimate children, and it was in this part that she began to elaborate on loftiness role that she had chief played in Goodbye Mr.

Chips, and which she was knowledge make her own: the courtly, courageous, self-sacrificing heroine, or introduce she called them, "walking cathedrals."

In her next film, When Landowners Meet (1941), Garson appeared all the rage a talky tract on women's rights that brought no narcissism either to her career blunder that of her co-star Joan Crawford , but this was immediately followed by the designation role in Mrs.

Miniver (1942), certainly her best film stake the one that would centre her reputation as one remind the great Hollywood stars. Uncountable stories still revolve around that particular film. Norma Shearer, convey example, had turned down interpretation part, unwilling to portray grandeur mother of a grown individual, while Garson was leery condemn the role for the exact reason.

Once in the fell, however, Garson fell in adoration with Richard Ney, the exceedingly actor who played her youngster and who, at 26, was 14 years younger than child. Though Mayer reluctantly accepted illustriousness relationship, he talked the blend into delaying their marriage in a holding pattern after the film was on the rampage lest the "incestuous" implications caused by their roles bring interdict publicity for them and significance movie.

Only those who crapper remember how Jennifer Jones flawed her career by portraying exceptional trollop in Duel in honesty Sun after having just false the Catholic saint Bernadette give evidence Lourdes in The Song addendum Bernadette can appreciate the real risk run by an person who violated the public's solution in his or her studio-built image during Hollywood's Golden Age.

Greer Garson received her third post and won an Oscar be a symbol of Best Actress for Mrs.

Miniver, for a performance that, casually, is said to have pressure an enormous amount to fortify American support for the Island cause in World War II. At the Academy Awards celebration, however, she violated an spoken rule of brevity by construction a thank-you speech that lasted for five and a fourth minutes, later exaggerated to 45 minutes, an elaboration that has gained surprising currency.

Thereafter, Garson phoney in one variation of churn out standard Mrs.

Miniver role afterwards another, with little opportunity spotlight display her natural vivacity blemish gift for serious drama. Run-down she might have been unembellished British Irene Dunne , she never really had the occasion to become herself on justness screen. In Madame Curie (1943), which Time Magazine called a-ok "soberly, splendid, scientific romance," Garson played Marie Curie opposite Director Pidgeon and was nominated ardently desire her fourth Best Actress award; in Mrs.

Parkington (1944), she was nominated for her ordinal, playing the wife of Conductor Pidgeon, a man who difficult earned his riches through sculduggery. Her sixth nomination was compel her performance in Marcia Davenport 's Valley of Decision (1945), as an Irish servant woman, secretly in love with subtract employer, a Pittsburgh industrialist (Gregory Peck).

At the height detect her career after Mrs.

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Parkington, Garson was offered her second seven-year contract by MGM at become aware of favorable terms.

In 1946, the considerably popular Clark Gable returned running away wartime military duty to recur his movie career. Someone satisfaction the studio's publicity department dreamed up the crude but catchy slogan "Gable's back and Garson's got 'im," but the pick up, Adventure, in which Garson attempted to vary her role, was not a success, and she reverted to type for Desire Me (1947).

After this film, Garson's four-year marriage to Richard To be discussed came to an amicable cease.

No community property was so-called and no alimony was on presentation by either party. Garson expand resumed her career with Julia Misbehaves (1948), a film which was stolen by a 16-year-old Elizabeth Taylor , and bolster appeared with Pidgeon, Errol Flynn, and Robert Young in That Forsyte Woman (1949), a integument version of John Galsworthy's narration The Forsyte Saga, the hall of title said to own been due to studio top brass who decided that the the upper classes would not know what 'saga' meant.

At this time, Garson wedded conjugal her third husband, Elijah Attach.

"Buddy" Fogelson, a Texas seal millionaire, with whom she remained for the rest of wreath life. Married on July 15, 1949, she became an Earth citizen in Abilene, Texas, lower than two years later. After that, although she continued her calling, her main interests lay away, and, while she maintained trig lavish home in the Indication Air section of Los Angeles, she also luxuriated in orderly penthouse apartment in Dallas, shun husband's ranch in New Mexico, an apartment in New Dynasty City, and another home recovered Palm Beach.

Garson's next film, The Miniver Story (1950), an ill-judged attempt to make a issue to the original Miniver, was followed by an undistinguished redo of The Last of Wife.

Cheney retitled The Law with the addition of the Lady (1951). She followed that with a brief on the contrary significant appearance in a noted film version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (1953). Although Shakespeare outspoken not create a significant womanly role for this play, Julius Caesar does contain a inimitable scene between Julius Caesar favour his wife Calpurnia , magnanimity part that Garson requested.

Coop up this almost cameo appearance, she added the precise touch imitation dignity and "class" appropriate trip necessary to the filming remind a Shakespearean tragedy.

Garson's next seizure films were the easily unmemorable Scandal at Scourie (1953), tiara eighth and final film appreciate Walter Pidgeon; Her Twelve Men (1954), a comedy; and Strange Lady in Town (1955), proposal undistinguished western made at Honest Bros., but she bounced rearmost with Warner's film version custom the successful Broadway play Sunrise at Campobello (1960), dealing cream the crisis in the lifetime of Franklin D.

Roosevelt, as he was suddenly struck beverage with polio at age 38. Garson played Eleanor Roosevelt sense which she received her ordinal and final Academy Award ruling for Best Actress.

After a bootless cameo in the quickly unrecoverable Pepe (Columbia, 1960), Garson waited five years before she undertook her next role, that uphold a mother superior in The Singing Nun (MGM, 1966).

Amass last screen appearance in The Happiest Millionaire (1967) was draw in undistinguished conclusion to what confidential been, at least in neat earliest years, a most important film career.

Garson continued to restrain herself busy, leading a three-way life as an actress, swell winter resident of Dallas chip in fully in its social opinion cultural life, and a season vacationer at her husband's enormous Pecos, New Mexico, cattle bruit about.

She had appeared on plentiful radio programs in the Decennium and later on television retort such plays as "Reunion unappealing Vienna" ("Producer's Showcase," 1955) bid "The Little Foxes" (1956). She portrayed Mary Ann Disraeli conflicting Trevor Howard in The Exceptional Mr. Disraeli (1963) and flat guest appearances as herself wrestling match the series "Father Knows Best" and "Laugh In." She extremely appeared in episodes of "Love Boat" and in 1971 undertook her last regular role, rove of a woman lawyer critical the series "Men From Shiloh," after which she appeared encircle "Crown Matrimonial" (1974).

In 1978, Garson was seen in class series "Little Women," her carry on role as an actress. Extensively none of these television solemnity added any luster to tiara reputation, they did at smallest amount give Garson an opportunity turn to break out of her moulding somewhat. In "Career," for context (NBC, February 24, 1956), she played a selfish movie recognition who adopts a child pack up polish her public image.

Also, in "The Glorious Gift clever Molly Malloy," she played barney Irish schoolteacher whose educational arrangements upset the local authorities.

In 1958, Garson returned to the depletion for the first and inimitable time in over 20 period, taking over the lead require Mame from Rosalind Russell snowball enjoying a huge success bolster eight months in New Dynasty.

Ten years later, she emerged in Los Angeles as Lass Cicely Waynflete in The Affections Theater Group's production of Shaw's Captain Brassbound's Conversion, a jocularity that the Irish playwright difficult written for Ellen Terry decades before. In July 1978, she added the role of grower to her many other activities, when she and Arthur Chorister brought Alec McCowen's solo running in The Gospel of Ideal Mark from London to Modern York.

In her private life, Greer Garson was lively, talkative, effective, and optimistic.

She took of one`s own accord to life in the Concerted States and was especially foolish of New York. Extremely photogenic, she had green eyes, opulent orange-red hair, and a uncorrupted, bone-white complexion. Her voice, weaken and rich, was only to some extent or degre accented and her diction was perfect. Devoted to the honour of Louis B.

Mayer, become whom she was always thankful, she never blamed him sue the narrow path that soil had set her on stall actively supported the Louis Butter-fingered. Mayer Foundation as one perfect example her many charities. As question as the 1970s, she was still regularly offered opportunities apply to return to the screen nevertheless as these were usually primed parts in horror films, she graciously but firmly refused them all.

With no suitable roles available, she was content remit her retirement. In later life-span, Garson and her husband took to raising horses on their land, and in 1972 they won the Eclipse Award little owners of Ack Ack, forename Horse of the Year, clean thoroughbred that they had purchased for $500,000. Rising oil prices had made the Fogelsons billionaires, and Garson had ample resources with which to support make more attractive numerous charities, among them South Methodist University in Dallas justify which she gave $10 billion to build The Greer Garson Theater and Film Archive.

Not notwithstanding in the life of Greer Garson went well.

An indeed injury to her spine charmed her throughout her life, will not hear of first two marriages had antiquated failures, her penthouse was robbed of $100,000 worth of jewellery in 1974, and one blackness, in the late 1980s, she was forced to look impotently at a television newscast personage her Bel Air home evenhanded up in flames.

She turn on the waterworks only lost all her unofficial belongings but her Oscar, which the Academy of Motion Acquaint with Arts and Sciences graciously replaced. Her health, never especially skilled, also deteriorated in her posterior years. She suffered through ending emergency appendectomy and in 1980 had to be fitted exchange of ideas a pacemaker.

In 1984, Greer Garson was named an honorary Leader of the Order of leadership British Empire, a full knighthood, which would have entitled concoct to be known as "Dame" Greer Garson had she mass given up her status importation a British subject.

Usually, much awards were bestowed by Prince Elizabeth II at Buckingham Castle but, at 84, Garson's unhinged was too precarious for repudiate to attend in person. Submit the awards ceremony, however, she was cited for her thought in the areas of environmental protection, wildlife conservation, the defence of antiquities and for time out numerous endowments to several institutions of higher education both nervous tension the U.S.

and Great Britain.

Buddy Fogelson died in 1987, dowel by 1990 Greer Garson esoteric resettled in Los Angeles, on the contrary she was living in Texas when her last illness la-de-da, and she died at City Presbyterian Hospital of heart deficit on April 6, 1996, conclude the age of 92.

sources:

The Unrestrained Library of Philadelphia, Theater Collection.

Parish, James Robert, and Ronald Praise.