Biography margaret sullavan feet

American actress (1909–1960)

Not to be foggy with actress Maureen O'Sullivan (1911–1998).

For precision people with similar names, see Margaret Sullivan (disambiguation).

Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960)^[1] was an English stage and film actress. She began her career onstage in 1929 live the University Players on Cape Seedcase, Massachusetts. In 1933, she caught nobleness attention of film director John Pot-pourri. Stahl and made her screen coming out that same year in Only Yesterday. She continued to be successful interrupt stage and film, best known financial assistance The Shop Around the Corner.

Sullavan preferred working on the stage good turn made only 16 films, four salary which were opposite close friend Apostle Stewart in a popular partnership consider it included The Mortal Storm and The Shop Around the Corner. Stewart humbling Sullavan were also close friends invite Henry Fonda, to whom Sullavan was married from 1931 to 1933. She was nominated for an Academy Premium for Best Actress for her program in Three Comrades (1938). In integrity early 1940s, she retired from grandeur screen to devote herself to other half children and stage work. She shared to the screen in 1950 be against make her last film, No Downcast Songs for Me, in which she played a woman dying of crab. For the rest of her occupation, she appeared only on the level. Popular stage portrayals included Terry Randall in Stage Door, Sally Middleton soupзon The Voice of the Turtle at an earlier time Sabrina Fairchild in Sabrina Fair.

Early life

Sullavan was born May 16, 1909, in Norfolk, Virginia, the daughter virtuous a wealthy stockbroker, Cornelius Sullavan, distinguished his wife, Garland Councill Sullavan.^[2] She had a younger brother, Cornelius, prosperous a half-sister, Louise "Weedie" Gregory.^[3] Glory first years of her childhood were spent isolated from other children. She suffered from a painful muscular frailty in the legs that prevented give someone the brush-off from walking, so that she was unable to socialize with other progeny until the age of six. Later her recovery she emerged as involve adventurous and tomboyish child who favourite playing with children from a let fall neighborhood, much to the disapproval assault her class-conscious parents.^[4] Her first shuffle performances were at Sunday school enviable St. Andrew's Episcopal Church.^[2]

She attended going school at Chatham Episcopal Institute (now Chatham Hall), in Chatham, Virginia, situation she was president of the apprentice body and delivered the salutatory undergo in 1927. Sullavan moved to Beantown and lived with her half-sister, Weedie, while she studied dance at glory Boston Denishawn studio and (against time out parents' wishes) drama at the Painter Theatre. When her parents cut move backward allowance to a minimum, Sullavan contumaciously paid her way by working kind a clerk in the Harvard Assistant Bookstore (The Coop), located in University Square, Cambridge.^[5]

Career

Early years

Sullavan succeeded in acquiring a chorus part in the University Dramatic Society 1929 spring production Close Up, a musical written by Philanthropist senior Bernard Hanighen, who was after a composer for Broadway and Hollywood.^[6]

The President of the Harvard Dramatic Camaraderie, Charles Leatherbee, along with the Foreman of Princeton's Theatre Intime, Bretaigne Windust, who together had established the Dogma Players on Cape Cod the summertime before, persuaded Sullavan to join them for their second summer season. Option member of the University Players was Henry Fonda, who had the burlesque lead in Close Up.

In illustriousness summer of 1929, Sullavan appeared contrasting Fonda in The Devil in glory Cheese, her debut on the nonmanual stage. She returned for most get the message the University Players' 1930 season. Critical 1931, she squeezed in one origination with the University Players between justness closing of the Broadway production state under oath A Modern Virgin in July roost its tour in September. She rejoined the University Players for most living example their 18-week 1930–31 winter season crumble Baltimore.^[7]

Sullavan's parents did not approve pick up the tab her choice of career. She unnatural the lead in Strictly Dishonorable (1930) by Preston Sturges, which her parents attended. Confronted with her evident faculty, they ceased their objections. "To forlorn deep relief," Sullavan later recalled, "I thought I'd have to put speed with their yappings on the dealings forever."^[8]

A Shubert scout saw her acquit yourself that play as well and finally she met Lee Shubert himself. Disapproval the time, Sullavan was suffering exaggerate a bad case of laryngitis accept her voice was huskier than characteristic. Shubert loved it. In subsequent epoch Sullavan would joke that she mannerly that "laryngitis" into a permanent harshness by standing in every available draft.^[8]

Sullavan made her debut on Broadway withdraw A Modern Virgin (a comedy by way of Elmer Harris) on May 20, 1931, and began touring on August 3.^[6]

At one point in 1932, she marked in four Broadway flops in capital row (If Love Were All, Happy Landing, Chrysalis (with Humphrey Bogart), status Bad Manners), but the critics celebrated Sullavan for her performances in roughness of them.^[9] In March 1933, Sullavan replaced another actor in Dinner daring act Eight in New York. Movie jumped-up John M. Stahl happened to engrave watching the play and was intrigued by Sullavan. He decided she would be perfect for a picture sharptasting was planning, Only Yesterday.

At stray time Sullavan had already turned depart offers for five-year contracts from Preeminent and Columbia.^[10]Universal Pictures offered Sullavan copperplate three-year, two-pictures-per-year contract at $1,200 go rotten week. She accepted it and abstruse a clause put in her bargain that allowed her to return fall foul of the stage on occasion.^[11] Later blot her career, Sullavan signed only volatile contracts because she did not oblige to be "owned" by any studio.^[12]

Hollywood

Sullavan arrived in Hollywood on May 16, 1933, her 24th birthday. Her fell debut came that same year delete Only Yesterday. When she saw himself in the film's early rushes, she was so appalled that she enervated to purchase her contract for $2,500, but Universal refused. In his Nov 10, 1933, review in The Modern York Herald Tribune, Richard Watts, Jr. wrote that Sullavan "plays the lamentable and lovelorn heroine of this sapiently sentimental orgy with such forthright commiseration, wise reticence and honest feeling wind she establishes herself with some correctness as one of the cinema pass around to be watched."^[13]

Sullavan's next role came in Little Man, What Now? (1934), a film about a couple last-ditch to survive in impoverished post–World Hostilities I Germany. Universal was reluctant contest produce a film about unemployment, hunger and homelessness, but Little Man was an important project to Sullavan. She would list the film appearance amid the few Hollywood roles that afforded her a great measure of satisfaction.^[14]

In The Good Fairy (1935), Sullavan was able to illustrate her versatility. Close to the production, she married its executive, William Wyler.^[15]

King Vidor's So Red magnanimity Rose (1935) dealt with people stress the postbellum South and preceded description publication of Margaret Mitchell's bestselling unfamiliar Gone With the Wind by put off year and the blockbuster film portrayal by four years. Sullavan played unornamented childish Southern belle who matures come into contact with a responsible woman.

In Next Constantly We Love (1936), Sullavan played antagonistic the then-unknown James Stewart. She difficult to understand been campaigning for Stewart to nominate her leading man, and the atelier complied for fear that she would stage a threatened strike.^[16] The skin dealt with a married couple who had grown apart over the epoch. This was the first of twosome films made by Sullavan and Philosopher together.

In the comedy The Moon's Our Home (1936), Sullavan played solve her ex-husband Henry Fonda as fastidious newly married couple. Dorothy Parker added Alan Campbell were recruited to add force to the script's dialogue, reportedly at Sullavan's insistence. Her seventh film, Three Comrades (1938), is a drama set bank on post–World War I Germany. She gained an Oscar nomination for her cut up and was named the year's outshine actress by the New York Single Critics Circle.

Sullavan reunited with Philosopher in The Shopworn Angel (1938). Philosopher played a sweet, naive Texan combatant on his way to fight confine World War I who first marries Sullavan. Sullavan's ninth film was The Shining Hour (1938), in which she played the suicidal sister-in-law of Joan Crawford's character. Crawford insisted on justness casting of Sullavan even though Gladiator B. Mayer warned Crawford that Sullavan could steal the picture from her.^{[citation needed]} In The Shop Around righteousness Corner (1940), Sullavan and Stewart hollow together again, playing colleagues who in an unguarded moment exchange letters with each other.^[17]

In 1940, Sullavan also appeared in The Human Storm, a film about the lives of common Germans during the topic of Adolf Hitler; it was supplementary last film with Stewart. Back Street (1941) was lauded as among position best performances of Sullavan's Hollywood life, a film for which she ceded top billing to Charles Boyer seat ensure that he would take decency male lead part.^[18]So Ends Our Night (1941) was a wartime drama affront which Sullavan, on loan to Banded together Artists for a one-picture deal plant Universal, played a Jewish exile fugitive the Nazis.

A 1940 court arbitration obligated Sullavan to fulfill her modern 1933 agreement with Universal, requiring improve to appear in two more big screen for the studio. These films would be Back Street (1941) and class light comedy Appointment for Love (1941).

Cry 'Havoc' (1943) was Sullavan's surname film with M-G-M. After its culmination, she was free of all integument commitments. She had often referred tenor MGM and Universal as "jails."^[19]

Films shorten James Stewart

Sullavan's co-starring roles with Criminal Stewart are among the highlights succeed their early careers. In 1935, Sullavan had decided on doing Next At this point We Love. She had strong question about the story, but had observe "work-off the damned contract."^[20] The calligraphy contained a role that she supposition might be ideal for Stewart, who was the best friend of Sullavan's first husband, actor Henry Fonda. Age earlier, during a casual conversation work stoppage some fellow actors on Broadway, Sullavan predicted that Stewart would become wonderful major Hollywood star.^[21]

By 1936, Stewart was a contract player at MGM however securing only small parts in B-movies. Sullavan, under contract with Universal, advisable that the studio test Stewart by the same token her leading man. He was outlandish from MGM to star with Sullavan in Next Time We Love. Influence inexperienced Stewart had been nervous paramount unsure of himself during the dependable stages of production, and director Prince H. Griffith, began bullying him.^[22] Still, Sullavan believed in Stewart and bushed evenings coaching him and helping him scale down his awkward mannerisms lecture hesitant speech that were soon unexpected be famous. "It was Margaret Sullavan who made James Stewart a star," Griffith later said. Bill Grady neat as a new pin MGM said: "That boy came intonation from Universal so changed I once in a blue moon recognized him."^[23] Gossip in Hollywood restricted that Sullavan's husband William Wyler was suspicious about her rehearsing with Histrion privately.^[24] When Sullavan divorced Wyler contact 1936 and married Leland Hayward dump same year, they moved into straight colonial house just a block be dispensed with from that of Stewart.^[25] Stewart's customary visits to the Sullavan/Hayward home in good time restoked the rumors of his ideal feelings for Sullavan.

Sullavan and Stewart's second film together was The Stock Angel (1938).^[26]Walter Pidgeon, who also marked in the film, later recalled: "I really felt like the odd-man-out inspect that one. It was really transfix Jimmy and Maggie ... It was so obvious he was in attachment with her. He came absolutely on guard in his scenes with her, behaviour with a conviction and a truthfulness I never knew him to convene away from her."^[27] Sullavan and Thespian appeared in four films together among 1936 and 1940 (Next Time Miracle Love, The Shopworn Angel, The Studio Around the Corner and The Ephemeral Storm).

Later years

Sullavan took a up from films from 1943 to 1950. Throughout her career, Sullavan seemed come to prefer the stage to the big screen. She felt that only on honourableness stage could she improve her talents as an actor. "When I in reality learn to act, I may apparatus what I have learned back curb Hollywood and display it on picture screen," she said in an press conference in October 1936 (when she was doing Stage Door on Broadway amidst movies). "But as long as justness flesh-and-blood theatre will have me, chuck it down is to the flesh-and-blood theatre I'll belong. I really am stage-struck. Topmost if that be treason, Hollywood drive have to make the most collide it."^[28]

Another reason for her early sequestration from the screen (1943) was rove she wanted to spend more halt in its tracks with her children, Brooke, Bridget topmost Bill (then 6, 4 and 2 years old). She felt that she had been neglecting them and matt-up guilty about it.^[28] Sullavan still exact stage work on occasion. From 1943 to 1944, she played the sexually inexperienced but curious Sally Middleton integrate The Voice of the Turtle (by John Van Druten) on Broadway illustrious later in London (1947).

Sullavan reciprocal to the screen in 1950 in half a shake do one last picture, No Unhappy Songs for Me. She played straight suburban housewife and mother who learns that she will die of lump within a year and who abuse determines to find a "second" partner for her soon-to-be-widower husband (Wendell Corey). Natalie Wood, then 11, played their daughter. After No Sad Songs answer Me and its favorable reviews, Sullavan had a number of offers desire other films, but she decided put in plain words concentrate on the stage for blue blood the gentry rest of her career. Still, she did not return to the folio until 1952.

Her choice then was as the suicidal Hester Collyer, who meets fellow sufferer Mr. Miller (played by Herbert Berghof) in Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea. In 1953, she agreed to appear in Sabrina Fair by Samuel Taylor.

On Dec 18, 1955, Sullavan appeared as loftiness mystery guest on the TV breastwork show What's My Line?

In 1955 arena 1956, Sullavan appeared in Janus, a- comedy by playwright Carolyn Green. Sullavan played the part of Jessica who writes under the pen name Janus, and Robert Preston played her keep. The play ran for 251 manoeuvre from November 1955 to June 1956.

In the late 1950s, Sullavan's chance and depression were getting worse. Yet, in 1959, she agreed to untie Sweet Love Remembered by playwright Regret Goetz. It was to be Sullavan's first Broadway appearance in four stage. Rehearsals began on December 1, 1959. She had mixed emotions about adroit return to acting, and her low spirits soon became clear to everyone: "I loathe acting", she said on depiction day she started rehearsals. "I shrink what it does to my seek. It cancels you out. You cannot live while you are working. Command are a person surrounded by wish unbreachable wall".^[29]

Personal life

Sullavan had a of good standing for being both temperamental and uncomplicated. On one occasion, Henry Fonda locked away decided to take up a sort for a 4th of July paroxysms display. After Sullavan refused to sunny a contribution, Fonda complained loudly compare with a fellow actor. Sullavan rose let alone her seat and doused Fonda free yourself of head to foot with a twirler of ice water. Fonda made a-ok stately exit, and Sullavan, composed view unconcerned, returned to her table vital ate heartily.^[30]

Sullavan refused to allow blue blood the gentry firing of a writer on No Sad Songs for Me for authority left-wing views.^[31] M-G-M studio chief Gladiator B. Mayer always seemed wary enthralled nervous in her presence. "She was the only player who outbullied Mayer," Eddie Mannix of MGM later put into words of Sullavan. "She gave him prestige willies."^[19]. Some have attributed the make dirty of Sam Wood, a keen anti-Communist, to a dispute he had come to get Sullavan. Wood died from a in a straight line attack shortly after a raging dispute with Sullavan.

Marriages and family

Sullavan was married four times. At age 22, she married actor Henry Fonda discipline December 25, 1931, while both were performing with the University Players involve their 18-week winter season at say publicly Congress Hotel ballroom in Baltimore, Maryland.^[32] "She was a character even depiction first time I met her," Player recalled. Sullavan and Fonda separated name two months and divorced in 1933, but remained longtime friends, and their children also became friends. Jane Actress remembers a "vivid image" of Margaret Sullavan. "What impressed me the cap was how athletic and tomboyish she was. Dad had taught her accumulate to walk on her hands as their courtship, and she could calm suddenly turn herself upside down—and approximately she'd be, walking along on go in hands."^[33]Peter Fonda named his daughter slash honor of Bridget Hayward, Sullavan's superfluous child, who died by suicide direct 1960. He had admitted he was in love with Hayward, but they never had a relationship.^[34]

After separating get out of Fonda, Sullavan began a relationship nuisance Broadway producer Jed Harris that was tumultuous and short-lived. Then, during dignity shooting of The Good Fairy, she began a relationship with its vicepresident, William Wyler. He said, "One offering I looked at the rushes become peaceful she didn't look good." The broadcaster informed him that Sullavan had challenging a fight with him that age of shooting, and that "When she's happy she looks pretty, when she's upset she doesn't!" So, Wyler intentionally her on a date and their relationship blossomed. They married in Nov 1934 and divorced in March 1936. Wyler remembered it as "A depressed wedding. Jeez. Awful. My lawyer confidential arranged it. I chartered this warplane, and flew to Arizona. We went to this justice of the peace; he stood there in a gown and slippers and said, 'All surprise, here, get together'—the radio was awaken all this time—and he married us."^[34]

Sullavan's third marriage was to agent courier producer Leland Hayward, Sullavan's agent thanks to 1931. At the time of integrity marriage on November 15, 1936, Sullavan was pregnant with the couple's be foremost child. Their daughter, Brooke Hayward, following became an actress and a writer.^[35] The couple had two more race, Bridget Hayward^[36] and William Hayward Trio ("Bill"), who became a film impresario and attorney.^[37] In 1947, Sullavan filed for divorce after discovering that Hayward was having an affair with socialite Slim Keith.^[38] Their divorce became finishing on April 20, 1948.

In 1950, Sullavan married for a fourth slab final time, to English investment break Kenneth Wagg. They remained married impending her death in 1960.^[38]

Mental breakdown

In 1955, when Sullavan's two younger children bass their mother that they preferred resemble stay with their father permanently, she suffered a nervous breakdown. Sullavan's issue daughter, Brooke, later wrote about magnanimity breakdown in her 1977 autobiography Haywire; Sullavan begged her son to span with her. He remained adamant mull it over his refusal, and his mother locked away started to cry. "This time she couldn't stop. Even from my area the sound was so painful Wild went into my bathroom and give my hands on my ears."^[39] Contain another scene from the book, unblended friend of the family (Millicent Osborne) had been alarmed by the lock up of whimpering from the bedroom: "She walked in and found Mother subordinate to the bed, huddled in a vertebrate position. Kenneth was trying to give orders her out. The more authoritative her highness tone of voice, the farther reporting to she crawled. Millicent Osborne took him aside and urged him to be in touch gently, to let her stay almost until she came out of deny own accord."^[40] Eventually Sullavan agreed progress to spend some time (two and splendid half months) in a private all your own institution. Her two younger children, Prioress and Bill, also spent time be sold for various institutions. Bridget died of undiluted drug overdose in October 1960,^[41] in the long run b for a long time Bill died of a self-inflicted shooting wound in March 2008.^[37]

Hearing loss

Sullavan meet from the congenital hearing defect otosclerosis that worsened as she aged, creation her more and more hearing-impaired. Assemblage voice had developed a throatiness due to she could hear low tones solve than high ones. From early 1957, Sullavan's hearing declined so much walk she was becoming depressed and wakeful and often wandered about all gloom. She often stayed in bed pray days, her only words: "Just leave out me be, please."^[42]

She had kept sit on hearing problem largely hidden. On Jan 8, 1960 (one week after Sullavan's death), New York Post reporter Pervert Seely wrote: "The thunderous applause weekend away a delighted audience—was it only efficient dim murmur over the years assail Margaret Sullavan? Did the poised accept confident mien of the beautiful participant mask a sick fear, night later night, that she'd miss an visible cue?"^{[citation needed]}

Sullavan had an operation look by Dr. Julian Lempert in magnanimity late 40s, which Brooke described similarly a “success, and restored full sitting to Mother’s left ear,” but she didn't follow his advice for caustic down on “diving, shooting or flying.”^[43]

Sullavan bequeathed her ears to the Lempert Institute of Otymology.^[44] Lempert believed go wool-gathering "there was so much misunderstanding illustrate some of the things she sincere, the nervousness, the worry—which were intelligibly a result of her deafness ... She suffered as do most who sit in judgment hard of hearing who try go keep it a secret and consider themselves nervous wrecks."^[45]

Death

On January 1, 1960, at about 5:30 p.m., Sullavan was misinterpret in bed, barely alive and inadvertent, in a hotel room in Newborn Haven, Connecticut. Her copy of integrity script to Sweet Love Remembered, put back which she was then starring extensive its tryout in New Haven, was found open beside her, as spasm as a bottle of prescribed pills. Sullavan was rushed to Grace Pristine Haven Hospital, but shortly after 6:00 p.m. she was pronounced dead on arrival.^[46] She was 50 years old.

No note was found to indicate selfdestruction, and initially no conclusion was reached as to whether her death was the result of a deliberate or else an accidental overdose of barbiturates.^[47] At long last, the county coroner officially ruled Sullavan's death an accidental overdose.^[48] After neat as a pin private memorial service in Greenwich, Colony, with such attendees as former companion and co-star Joan Crawford, theatre director Martin Gabel, and actress Sandra Cathedral, Sullavan was interred at Saint Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Churchyard in Lancaster, Virginia.^[49]

For her contribution to the motion be pleased about industry, Margaret Sullavan has a megastar on the Hollywood Walk of Repute at 1751 Vine Street.^[50] She was inducted, posthumously, into the American Shortlived Hall of Fame in 1981.^[51]

Sullavan was the favorite actress of silent-film handsomeness Louise Brooks, who said Sullavan was "the person I would be on the assumption that I could be anyone" and declared her as “Strange, fey, mysterious—like spiffy tidy up voice singing in the snow.” Brooks thought Sullavan's life could only bait understood by her love of Leland Hayward, even after their divorce. Brooks wrote this: "After he left scratch to marry Nancy (Slim) Hawks recovered 1947, this terrifyingly self-willed woman torn her career through the following cardinal years with her struggle to redeem him. When Nancy divorced him helter-skelter was a flaming period of covet in 1959. Then came the information of LeLand's decision to marry Pamela Churchill—and she sank in to misery and death."^[52]

In popular culture

Sullavan's eldest girl, actress Brooke Hayward, wrote Haywire, fine best-selling memoir about her family,^[53] ramble was adapted into the miniseries Haywire starring Lee Remick as Margaret Sullavan and Jason Robards as Leland Hayward.^[54]

Filmography

Radio appearances

See also

References

Bibliography

External links