| Greer GarsonCBE | |
|---|---|
 Foto publicitaria de Garson c. 1940 | |
| Nació | Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson 29 de septiembre de 1904 |
| Fallecido | 6 de abril de 1996 (91 años) |
| Lugar de descanso | Cementerio Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park |
| Ciudadanía | Reino Unido (1904-1996) Estados Unidos (1951-1996) |
| alma mater | King's College London Universidad de Grenoble |
| Ocupación |
|
| Años activos | 1932–1986 |
| Esposos) |
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Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson CBE (29 de septiembre de 1904 - 6 de abril de 1996) fue una actriz y cantante inglesa. Fue una estrella importante en Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, popularizada durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial por su interpretación de mujeres fuertes en el ámbito doméstico; catalogada por el Motion Picture Herald como una de las diez mejores taquillas de Estados Unidos entre 1942 y 1946. Es la cuarta mujer más nominada al Oscar a la Mejor Actriz. [1]
Garson recibió siete premios de la Academia nominaciones, incluyendo un récord para empatar cinco nominaciones consecutivas (1941-1945) en la mejor actriz categoría, ganando el premio por su actuación en el papel principal de la película de 1942 La señora Miniver . [2]
Vida temprana [ editar ]
Greer Garson nació el 29 de septiembre de 1904 [3] en Manor Park , East Ham (entonces en Essex , ahora parte de Londres ), el único hijo de Nancy Sophia "Nina" (née Greer; 1880-1958) y George Garson (1865 –1906), empleado comercial en una empresa de importación de Londres. Su padre nació en Londres de padres escoceses, [3] y su madre nació en Drumalore (generalmente escrito como Drumalure o Drumaloor), una ciudad cerca de Belturbet en el condado de Cavan , Irlanda . [4] El nombre Greer es una contracción de MacGregor, otro apellido. [5]
Su abuelo materno David Greer ( c. 1848-1913 de Kilrea , condado de Londonderry ), era un sargento de la RIC destinado en Castlewellan , condado de Down . En las décadas de 1870 o 1880 se convirtió en administrador de tierras de la adinerada familia Annesley , que construyó la ciudad de Castlewellan. Mientras estuvo allí, vivió en una gran casa unifamiliar llamada "Clairemount", que fue construida en la parte inferior de lo que se conocía como Pig Street, o localmente conocido como Back Way, cerca del patio del constructor de Shilliday. A menudo se informó erróneamente que Greer Garson nació allí ( The Macmillan International Film Encyclopediaindica su lugar de nacimiento como Condado de Down y el año de nacimiento como 1908). [6]
Garson leyó literatura francesa y del siglo XVIII en el King's College de Londres y realizó sus estudios de posgrado en la Universidad de Grenoble . Mientras aspiraba a ser actriz, fue nombrada jefa de la biblioteca de investigación de LINTAS en el departamento de marketing de Lever Brothers . Su compañero de trabajo allí, George Sanders , escribió en su autobiografía que fue Garson quien sugirió que tomara una carrera en la actuación. [7] [8]
Carrera [ editar ]
Las primeras apariciones profesionales de Garson fueron en el escenario, comenzando en el Birmingham Repertory Theatre en enero de 1932, cuando tenía 27 años. Apareció en televisión durante sus primeros años (finales de la década de 1930), sobre todo protagonizando una producción de 30 minutos de un extracto de Twelfth Night en mayo de 1937, con Dorothy Black . Estas transmisiones en vivo fueron parte del servicio experimental de la BBC desde Alexandra Palace , y esta es la primera instancia conocida de una obra de Shakespeare presentada en televisión. [9] En 1936, apareció en el West End en la obra de teatro Page From a Diary de Charles Bennett .
Louis B. Mayer descubrió a Garson mientras estaba en Londres en busca de nuevos talentos. Garson firmó un contrato con MGM a fines de 1937, pero no comenzó a trabajar en su primera película, Goodbye, Mr. Chips , hasta fines de 1938. Recibió su primera nominación al Oscar por el papel, pero perdió ante Vivien Leigh por Gone with the Viento . Recibió elogios de la crítica al año siguiente por su papel de Elizabeth Bennet en la película Orgullo y prejuicio de 1940 . [10]
Garson starred with Joan Crawford in When Ladies Meet, a 1941 poorly received and sanitized re-make of a Pre-Code version of the same name, which had starred Ann Harding and Myrna Loy. That same year, she became a major box-office star with the sentimental Technicolor drama Blossoms in the Dust, which brought her the second of five consecutive Best Actress Oscar nominations, tying Bette Davis's 1938–1942 record, which still stands.[11]
Garson starred in two Academy Award nominated films in 1942: Mrs. Miniver and Random Harvest. She was nominated and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance as a strong British wife and mother protecting the homefront during World War II in Mrs. Miniver, which co-starred Walter Pidgeon.[12] The Guinness Book of World Records credits her with the longest Oscar acceptance speech,[13] at five minutes and 30 seconds,[14] after which the Academy Awards instituted a time limit.
In Random Harvest she co-starred with Academy Award winning actor Ronald Colman. The powerful, romantic World War I drama, set at the end of the war, with Colman as an amnesiac soldier and Garson as his love interest, received seven Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for Colman and Best Picture. The film lost in all seven categories, with the Best Picture award going to Garson's other major film that year, Mrs. Miniver.[15] However, The American Film Institute ranked it #36 on its list of 100 Greatest Love Stories of All Time, and it was one of Garson's favorite films.[15]
Garson also received Oscar nominations for her performances in the films Madame Curie (1943), Mrs. Parkington (1944), and The Valley of Decision (1945). She frequently co-starred with Walter Pidgeon, ultimately making eight pictures with him: Blossoms in the Dust (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Madame Curie, Mrs. Parkington, Julia Misbehaves (1948), That Forsyte Woman (1949), The Miniver Story (1950), and Scandal at Scourie (1953).[16]
Garson was partnered with Clark Gable after his return from war service in Adventure (1945). The film was advertised with the catch-phrase "Gable's back, and Garson's got him!".[17] Gable argued for "He put the Arson in Garson"; she countered with "She put the Able in Gable!"; thereafter, the safer catchphrase was selected.
Garson's popularity declined somewhat in the late 1940s, but she remained a prominent film star until the mid-1950s. In 1951, she became a naturalised citizen of the United States.[18] She made only a few films after her MGM contract expired in 1954. In 1958, she received a warm reception on Broadway in Auntie Mame, replacing Rosalind Russell, who had gone to Hollywood to make the film version. In 1960, Garson received her seventh and final Oscar nomination for Sunrise at Campobello in which she played Eleanor Roosevelt, this time losing to Elizabeth Taylor for BUtterfield 8.
Greer was a special guest on an episode of the TV series Father Knows Best, playing herself.[19] On 4 October 1956, Garson appeared with Reginald Gardiner as the first two guest stars of the series in the premiere of NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford. She appeared as a mystery guest on What's My Line on 25 October 1953 and again on 6 April 1958 to promote her appearance on stage in Auntie Mame. She also served as a panelist rather than a guest on the What's My Line episode which aired on 12 May 1957.[20]
She returned to MGM for a role in The Singing Nun (1966) starring Debbie Reynolds. Her last film appearance was in the 1967 feature, Walt Disney's The Happiest Millionaire, although she made infrequent television appearances afterwards. In 1968, she narrated the children's television special The Little Drummer Boy. Her final role for television was in a 1982 episode of The Love Boat.[21]
Personal life[edit]
Garson was married three times. Her first marriage, on 28 September 1933, was to Edward Alec Abbot Snelson (1904–1992), later Sir Edward, a British civil servant who became a noted judge and expert in Indian affairs. After a honeymoon in Germany, he returned to his appointment at Nagpur, a town in central India, and she chose to return to her mother and the theatre in Britain.[22] Sir Edward reportedly grieved at losing her and would watch multiple screenings of any film of hers that played in Nagpur. The marriage was not formally dissolved until 1943.
Her second marriage, on 24 July 1943,[23] was to Richard Ney (1916–2004), a young actor who had played her son in Mrs. Miniver. The relationship was under constant scrutiny owing to their 12-year age difference. MGM tried to publicize that Garson was merely three years older than Ney and to portray the image of a happy couple, but the marriage was troubled. They divorced in 1947 after several attempts at reconciliation.[24][25] Ney eventually became a stock-market analyst, financial consultant, and author.[24]
Her third marriage in 1949,[26] was to millionaire Texas oilman and horse breeder, E.E. "Buddy" Fogelson (1900–1987).
In 1967, the couple retired to their Forked Lightning Ranch in New Mexico. They purchased the US Hall of Fame champion Thoroughbred Ack Ack from the estate of Harry F. Guggenheim in 1971,[27] and were successful as breeders.[28] They also maintained a home in Dallas, where Garson funded the Greer Garson Theatre facility at Southern Methodist University.[29] She founded a permanent endowment for the Fogelson Honors Forum at Texas Christian University (TCU), Buddy Fogelson's alma mater,[28][30] in nearby Fort Worth.
In 1951, Garson became a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States. She was a registered Republican and in 1966 was asked to run for Congress on the Republican ticket against Democrat Earle Cabell but declined.[31] She was a devout Presbyterian.[32]
During her later years, Garson was recognised for her philanthropy and civic leadership. She donated several million dollars for the construction of the Greer Garson Theatre at both the Santa Fe University of Art and Design and at Southern Methodist University's Meadows School of the Arts on three conditions: 1) the stages be circular, 2) the premiere production be A Midsummer Night's Dream, and 3) they have large ladies' rooms.[33]
The actress suffered a back injury during her first 18 months at MGM while waiting for a role Mayer deemed worthy of her, and was nearly released from her contract. Her back was injured again while filming Desire Me in Monterey on 26 April 1946 when a wave knocked her and co-star Richard Hart from the rocks where they were rehearsing. A local fisherman and extra in the film rescued Garson from the surf and potential undertow. She was bruised and in shock and required by doctors to rest for several days. The injury to her back would require several surgeries over the coming years.[34]
Death[edit]
Garson lived her final years in a penthouse suite at the Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, where she died from heart failure on 6 April 1996, at the age of 91.[35] She is interred beside her husband in the Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery in Dallas.[36]
Honours[edit]
Garson received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from Southern Methodist University in 1991.[37]
In 1993, Queen Elizabeth II recognised Garson's achievements by investing her as Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).[38]
Garson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 8 February 1960 located at 1651 Vine Street in Los Angeles, CA.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Goodbye, Mr. Chips | Katherine Chipping | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress |
| Remember? | Linda Bronson Holland | ||
| 1940 | The Miracle of Sound | Herself | Colour test for Blossoms in the Dust |
| Pride and Prejudice | Elizabeth Bennet | ||
| 1941 | Blossoms in the Dust | Edna Kahly Gladney | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress |
| When Ladies Meet | Mrs. Claire Woodruff | ||
| 1942 | Mrs. Miniver | Mrs. Kay Miniver | Academy Award for Best Actress |
| Random Harvest | Paula Ridgeway | ||
| 1943 | The Youngest Profession | Herself – Guest Star | |
| Madame Curie | Marie Curie | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress | |
| 1944 | Mrs. Parkington | Susie "Sparrow" Parkington | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress |
| 1945 | The Valley of Decision | Mary Rafferty | Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress |
| Adventure | Emily Sears | ||
| 1947 | Desire Me | Marise Aubert | |
| 1948 | Julia Misbehaves | Julia Packett | |
| 1949 | That Forsyte Woman | Irene Forsyte | |
| 1950 | Screen Actors | Herself | Short subject, uncredited |
| The Miniver Story | Mrs. Kay Miniver | ||
| 1951 | The Law and the Lady | Jane Hoskins | |
| 1953 | Scandal at Scourie | Mrs. Victoria McChesney | |
| Julius Caesar | Calpurnia | ||
| 1954 | Her Twelve Men | Jan Stewart | |
| 1955 | Strange Lady in Town | Dr. Julia Winslow Garth | |
| 1956 | The Little Foxes | Regina Giddens | TV Movie |
| 1960 | Sunrise at Campobello | Eleanor Roosevelt | Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama, National Board of Review Award for Best Actress, Nominated – Academy Award for Best Actress |
| Pepe | Herself | Cameo | |
| Captain Brassbound's Conversion | Lady Cicely Waynflete | TV Movie | |
| 1963 | Invincible Mr. Disraeli | Mary Anne Disraeli | TV Movie |
| 1966 | The Singing Nun | Mother Prioress | |
| 1967 | The Happiest Millionaire | Mrs. Cordelia Biddle | |
| 1968 | The Little Drummer Boy | "Our Story Teller" | Credited as Miss Greer Garson |
| 1974 | Crown Matrimonial | Queen Mary | TV Movie |
| 1976 | The Little Drummer Boy, Book II | "Our Story Teller" | Credited as Miss Greer Garson |
| 1978 | Little Women | Aunt Kathryn March | TV Miniseries |
| 1986 | Directed by William Wyler | Herself | Documentary |
Box Office Ranking[edit]
| Year | US Rank | UK Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1942 | 9th | |
| 1943 | 6th | 1st |
| 1944 | 6th | 3rd |
| 1945 | 3rd | 3rd |
| 1946 | 7th | 4th |
Television appearances[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 1958 | What's My Line | Mystery Guest | Airdates: October 25, 1953 April 6, 1958 | |||
| 1955 | Producers' Showcase | Elena Krug | Episode: "Reunion in Vienna" | |||
| 1956-1960 | General Electric Theater | Various | 3 Episodes | |||
| 1957 | Telephone Time | Liza Richardson | ||||
| Father Knows Best | Herself | - 1962 | The DuPont Show of the Week | Juliette Harben | ||
| 1965 | The Red Skelton Hour Christmas Special | Herself and "Old Granny" | ||||
| 1968-1970 | Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In | Guest Performer | 5 Episodes | |||
| 1970 | The Virginian | Frances B. Finch | ||||
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Alice Bailey | Episode: "The Tomorrow Lady" |
Radio appearances[edit]
| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Academy Award | Brief Encounter[39] |
| 1946 | Lux Radio Theatre | Mrs. Parkington[40] |
| 1952 | Lux Radio Theatre | The African Queen[41] |
| 1953 | Suspense | 'Twas the Night Before Christmas[42] |
References[edit]
- ^ "Quigley's Annual List of Box-Office Champions, 1932–1970". Reel Classics. 23 October 2003. Archived from the original on 28 April 2016. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ "Persons With Acting Nominations in 3 or More Consecutive Years" (PDF). Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 1 March 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
- ^ a b Troyan, p. 8.
- ^ Troyan, p. 10.
- ^ Troyan, p. 9.
- ^ Ephraim Katz, The Macmillan International Film Encyclopedia (1994)
- ^ Sanders, George (1960). Memoirs of a Professional Cad. Hamish Hamilton. p. 54.
- ^ Michael Troyan (12 September 2010). A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 21–22. ISBN 978-0-8131-2842-9.
- ^ Troyan, Michael (1999), pp. 57–58, 380.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (9 August 1940). "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Pride and Prejudice,' a Delightful Comedy of Manners, Seen at the Music Hall-- 'South to Karanga' Given at the Rialto and 'Pier 13' at the Palace At the Rialto". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ Leslie, Roger (30 June 2017). Oscar's Favorite Actors: The Winningest Stars (and More Who Should Be). McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-6956-4.
- ^ Tapert, Stephen (10 December 2019). Best Actress: The History of Oscar®-Winning Women. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-1-9788-0806-5.
- ^ Robertson, Patrick (1988). Guinness Movie Facts & Feats. Guinness Books. ISBN 978-0-85112-899-3.
- ^ "The Longest Acceptance Speech". Infoplease. Retrieved 29 April 2007.
- ^ a b Crouse, Richard (22 October 2005). Reel Winners: Movie Award Trivia. Dundurn. ISBN 978-1-55002-574-3.
- ^ Berger, Joseph (26 September 1984). "WALTER PIDGEON, ACTOR, DIES AT 87 (Published 1984)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 30 October 2020.
- ^ Garnett, Tay, Light Your Torches, and Pull up your Tights, New Rochelle, NY, Arlington House, 1973; ISBN 0-87000-204-X
- ^ Troyan, Michael (1999), pp. 240–241.
- ^ "Father Knows Best" Kathy's Big Chance (TV Episode 1957), retrieved 27 January 2019
- ^ What's My Line? (11 January 2014). "What's My Line? – Ziegfeld Girls; Walter Brennan; Adolph Menjou, Greer Garson [panel] (12 May 1957)". YouTube. Retrieved 19 August 2017.
- ^ Troyan, Michael (12 September 2010). A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-2842-9.
- ^ Troyan, Michael (1968). A Rose for Mrs. Miniver : The life of Greer Garson. The University Press of Kentucky. pp. 33–34. ISBN 0-8131-2094-2.
- ^ "24 July 1943". FamilySearch.org. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Richard Ney Dies; Actor, Investment Adviser". The Washington Post. 22 July 2004. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
- ^ "Garson Hasn't Got Ney". Life: 50. 6 October 1947. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ "Forked Lightning Ranch". National Park Service. Retrieved 16 April 2011.
- ^ Bowen, Edward L. (2004). Legacies of the Turf: A Century of Great Thoroughbred Breeders. Eclipse Press. ISBN 978-1-58150-117-9.
- ^ a b "Buddy Fogelson, husband of Greer Garson, dies". UPI. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "THE LIFE AND THEATER OF GREER GARSON". D Magazine. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "E. E. Fogelson; Oilman and Philanthropist". Los Angeles Times. 3 December 1987. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Greer Garson Nixes Political Career". The San Bernardino Sun. United Press International. 12 January 1966.
- ^ Michael Troyan, A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson, University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, Kentucky (1999), pp. 8–9.ISBN 978-0813120942
- ^ Sarvady, Andrea (2006), p. 83.
- ^ Michael Troyan, A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson, The University Press of Kentucky: Lexington, Kentucky (1999), pp.198–200.ISBN 978-0813120942
- ^ Zuniga, Janine (6 April 1996). "Actress Greer Garson Dies After Lengthy Illness". AP. Archived from the original on 30 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (22 August 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4.
- ^ "SMU Honorary Degrees". sites.smu.edu. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
- ^ "Garson, Greer (1904–1996)". encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
- ^ "Greer Garson Stars in 'Brief Encounter' On Academy Award—WHP". Harrisburg Telegraph. 16 November 1946. p. 17. Retrieved 14 September 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Lux' Guest". Harrisburg Telegraph. 23 November 1946. p. 19. Retrieved 13 September 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Kirby, Walter (14 December 1952). "Better Radio Programs for the Week". Decatur Daily Review. p. 54.
- ^ "Those Were the Days". Nostalgia Digest. 38 (4): 38–39. Autumn 2012.
Sources[edit]
- Katz, Ephraim (1994). The Macmillan International Film Encyclopedia. Pan Macmillan Limited. p. 511. ISBN 0-333-61601-4.
- Sarvady, Andrea (2006). Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 0811852482.
- Troyan, Michael (1999). A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0813120942.
External links[edit]
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Greer Garson. |
- Greer Garson at IMDb
- Greer Garson at the TCM Movie Database
- Greer Garson at AllMovie
- Greer Garson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Greer Garson at Find a Grave
- Greer Garson test footage for Goodbye, Mr. Chips on YouTube
- Greer Garson interview, 1985 on YouTube
- The New York Times obituary
- Forked Lightning Ranch, Pecos National Historical Park
- Everything About Greer Garson fan website
- Image of Roddy McDowall, Julie Andrews and Greer Garson at the premiere of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" in Los Angeles, California, 1965. Los Angeles Times Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, University of California, Los Angeles.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Charles Edward Wilson | Cover of Time Magazine 20 December 1943 | Succeeded by Patriarch Sergius |
