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Maggie McNamara

 
Actor: Maggie McNamara
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: 1928
  • Died: 1978
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '50s-'60s
  • Major Genres: Romance, Drama
  • Career Highlights: The Cardinal, Three Coins in the Fountain, Prince of Players
  • First Major Screen Credit: The Moon Is Blue (1953)

Biography

A former teen fashion model, Maggie McNamara first appeared on Broadway in 1951 when she took over Barbara Bel Geddes' role in The Moon Is Blue. She played the same role in the 1953 film version and became a star, earning an Oscar nomination in the process. With such an auspicious start, McNamara's prospects looked bright. She then signed to Fox but only starred in two films during the mid-'50s and then inexplicably disappeared until 1963, when she popped up in a supporting role in The Cardinal. The year before she had appeared in a Broadway play. McNamara was not heard of again until early 1978 when she died of a drug overdose. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
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Wikipedia: Maggie McNamara
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Maggie McNamara
Born Marguerite McNamara
June 18, 1928(1928-06-18)
New York City, New York
Died February 18, 1978 (aged 49)
New York City, New York
Spouse(s) David Swift

Marguerite "Maggie" McNamara (June 18, 1928 – February 18, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actress.

Contents

Career

Born in New York City, McNamara was one of four children born to Irish American parents. She attended Textile High School in New York and worked as a teen model while studying drama and dance.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[1] According to police reports, she left a suicide note and had a history of mental illness.[3]

Maggie McNamara is interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.

Filmography

Film
Year Film Role Notes
1953 The Moon Is Blue Patty O'Neill
Die Jungfrau auf dem Dach Tourist Uncredited
Alternative title: The Girl on the Roof
1954 Three Coins in the Fountain Maria Williams
1955 Prince of Players Mary Devlin Booth
1963 The Cardinal Florrie Fermoyle
Television
Year Title Role Notes
1963 Ben Casey Dede Blake 1 episode
The Twilight Zone Barbara "Bunny" Blake 1 episode
1964 The Great Adventure Laura Drake
The Greatest Show on Earth Moira O'Kelley 1 episode
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour Camilla 1 episode

Award nominations

Year Award Result Category Film
1954 Academy Award Nominated Best Actress in a Leading Role The Moon Is Blue
1955 BAFTA Award Most Promising Newcomer to Film The Moon Is Blue

References

  1. ^ 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. 
  2. ^ Brennan, Sandra. "Maggie McNamara biography". http://movies.nytimes.com/person/47955/Maggie-McNamara/biography. Retrieved 2008-01-18. 
  3. ^ 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


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