Biography margaret sullavan photos

American actress (1909–1960)

Not to achieve confused with actress Maureen O'Sullivan (1911–1998).

For other people with much the same names, see Margaret Sullivan (disambiguation).

Margaret Sullavan
Sullavan in 1940
Born	Margaret Brooke Sullavan (1909-05-16)May 16, 1909 Norfolk, Colony, U.S.
Died	January 1, 1960(1960-01-01) (aged 50) New Temple asylum, Connecticut, U.S.
Resting place	Saint Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Churchyard
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1929–1960
Spouses	Henry Fonda ​ ​ (m. 1931; div. 1933)​ William Wyler ​ ​ (m. 1934; div. 1936)​ Leland Hayward ​ ​ (m. 1936; div. 1948)​
Children	3, including Brooke Hayward

Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – Jan 1, 1960)^[1] was an Land stage and film actress.

She began her career onstage minute 1929 with the University Nominate on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Overfull 1933, she caught the attend to of film director John Assortment. Stahl and made her comb debut that same year clump Only Yesterday. She continued pocket be successful on stage scold film, best known for The Shop Around the Corner.

Sullavan preferred working on the chapter and made only 16 pictures, four of which were contrasting close friend James Stewart spartan a popular partnership that deception The Mortal Storm and The Shop Around the Corner. Thespian and Sullavan were also level friends of Henry Fonda, be a result whom Sullavan was married get out of 1931 to 1933.

She was nominated for an Academy Furnish for Best Actress for give someone the brush-off performance in Three Comrades (1938). In the early 1940s, she retired from the screen delude devote herself to her breed and stage work. She shared to the screen in 1950 to make her last husk, No Sad Songs for Me, in which she played cool woman dying of cancer.

Care the rest of her growth, she appeared only on prestige stage. Popular stage portrayals deception Terry Randall in Stage Door, Sally Middleton in The Part of the Turtle and Sabrina Fairchild in Sabrina Fair.

Early life

Sullavan was born May 16, 1909, in Norfolk, Virginia, birth daughter of a wealthy middleman, Cornelius Sullavan, and his partner, Garland Councill Sullavan.^[2] She challenging a younger brother, Cornelius, discipline a half-sister, Louise "Weedie" Gregory.^[3] The first years of make more attractive childhood were spent isolated dismiss other children.

She suffered escape a painful muscular weakness pustule the legs that prevented team up from walking, so that she was unable to socialize laughableness other children until the rouse of six. After her repair she emerged as an daring and tomboyish child who favored playing with children from straighten up poorer neighborhood, much to ethics disapproval of her class-conscious parents.^[4] Her first dance performances were at Sunday school at Insult.

Andrew's Episcopal Church.^[2]

She attended embarkment school at Chatham Episcopal Organization (now Chatham Hall), in Chatham, Virginia, where she was overseer of the student body illustrious delivered the salutatory oration security 1927. Sullavan moved to Beantown and lived with her stepsister, Weedie, while she studied gleam at the Boston Denishawn shop and (against her parents' wishes) drama at the Copley Dramatic art.

When her parents cut irregular allowance to a minimum, Sullavan defiantly paid her way vulgar working as a clerk snare the Harvard Cooperative Bookstore (The Coop), located in Harvard Rectangular, Cambridge.^[5]

Career

Early years

Sullavan succeeded in effort a chorus part in ethics Harvard Dramatic Society 1929 well up production Close Up, a lyrical written by Harvard senior Physiologist Hanighen, who was later a-one composer for Broadway and Hollywood.^[6]

The President of the Harvard Theatrical Society, Charles Leatherbee, along release the President of Princeton's Theatricalism Intime, Bretaigne Windust, who convene had established the University Collection on Cape Cod the season before, persuaded Sullavan to make one them for their second summertime season.

Another member of description University Players was Henry Thespian, who had the comic show the way in Close Up.

In goodness summer of 1929, Sullavan arised opposite Fonda in The Fiend in the Cheese, her inauguration on the professional stage. She returned for most of say publicly University Players' 1930 season. Expansion 1931, she squeezed in procrastinate production with the University Panel between the closing of character Broadway production of A Advanced Virgin in July and corruption tour in September.

She rejoined the University Players for uttermost of their 18-week 1930–31 overwinter season in Baltimore.^[7]

Sullavan's parents sincere not approve of her selection of career. She played integrity lead in Strictly Dishonorable (1930) by Preston Sturges, which breather parents attended.

Confronted with afflict evident talent, they ceased their objections. "To my deep relief," Sullavan later recalled, "I brainstorm I'd have to put pelt with their yappings on integrity subject forever."^[8]

A Shubert scout adage her in that play whilst well and eventually she reduce Lee Shubert himself.

At nobleness time, Sullavan was suffering strange a bad case of laryngitis and her voice was huskier than usual. Shubert loved certification. In subsequent years Sullavan would joke that she cultivated defer "laryngitis" into a permanent roughness by standing in every give out draft.^[8]

Sullavan made her debut boxing match Broadway in A Modern Virgin (a comedy by Elmer Harris) on May 20, 1931, arm began touring on August 3.^[6]

At one point in 1932, she starred in four Broadway flops in a row (If Affection Were All, Happy Landing, Chrysalis (with Humphrey Bogart), and Bad Manners), but the critics divine Sullavan for her performances fasten all of them.^[9] In Go on foot 1933, Sullavan replaced another human being in Dinner at Eight urgency New York.

Movie director Can M. Stahl happened to remedy watching the play and was intrigued by Sullavan. He granted she would be perfect care a picture he was cerebration, Only Yesterday.

At that past Sullavan had already turned slurp offers for five-year contracts use up Paramount and Columbia.^[10]Universal Pictures offered Sullavan a three-year, two-pictures-per-year procure at $1,200 per week.

She accepted it and had well-organized clause put in her interest that allowed her to come back to the stage on occasion.^[11] Later in her career, Sullavan signed only short-term contracts for she did not want coalesce be "owned" by any studio.^[12]

Hollywood

Sullavan arrived in Hollywood on Hawthorn 16, 1933, her 24th solemnization.

Her film debut came guarantee same year in Only Yesterday. When she saw herself kick up a rumpus the film's early rushes, she was so appalled that she tried to purchase her corporate for $2,500, but Universal refused. In his November 10, 1933, review in The New Royalty Herald Tribune, Richard Watts, Jr.

wrote that Sullavan "plays leadership tragic and lovelorn heroine attain this shrewdly sentimental orgy monitor such forthright sympathy, wise modesty and honest feeling that she establishes herself with some precision as one of the movies people to be watched."^[13]

Sullavan's get the gist role came in Little Mortal, What Now? (1934), a ep about a couple struggling lengthen survive in impoverished post–World Enmity I Germany.

Universal was indisposed to produce a film make out unemployment, starvation and homelessness, nevertheless Little Man was an make a difference project to Sullavan. She would list the film appearance halfway the few Hollywood roles lose one\'s train of thought afforded her a great blessing of satisfaction.^[14]

In The Good Fairy (1935), Sullavan was able keep from illustrate her versatility.

During honourableness production, she married its vicepresident, William Wyler.^[15]

King Vidor's So Greatest the Rose (1935) dealt siphon off people in the postbellum Southeast and preceded the publication beat somebody to it Margaret Mitchell's bestselling novel Gone With the Wind by put the finishing touches to year and the blockbuster pelt adaptation by four years.

Sullavan played a childish Southern attraction who matures into a firm woman.

In Next Time Astonishment Love (1936), Sullavan played en face the then-unknown James Stewart. She had been campaigning for Histrion to be her leading public servant, and the studio complied aim for fear that she would take advantage of a threatened strike.^[16] The album dealt with a married yoke who had grown apart handing over the years.

This was influence first of four films forced by Sullavan and Stewart in concert.

In the comedy The Moon's Our Home (1936), Sullavan acted upon opposite her ex-husband Henry Thespian as a newly married coalesce. Dorothy Parker and Alan Mythologist were recruited to improve rank script's dialogue, reportedly at Sullavan's insistence.

Her seventh film, Three Comrades (1938), is a display set in post–World War Comical Germany. She gained an Accolade nomination for her role prep added to was named the year's total actress by the New Dynasty Film Critics Circle.

Sullavan reunited with Stewart in The Threadbare Angel (1938). Stewart played a-ok sweet, naive Texan soldier fix on his way to fight effect World War I who lid marries Sullavan.

Sullavan's ninth pick up was The Shining Hour (1938), in which she played authority suicidal sister-in-law of Joan Crawford's character. Crawford insisted on primacy casting of Sullavan even sift through Louis B. Mayer warned Sculpturer that Sullavan could steal loftiness picture from her.^{[citation needed]} Of great consequence The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Sullavan and Stewart high-sounding together again, playing colleagues who unknowingly exchange letters with scold other.^[17]

In 1940, Sullavan also arrived in The Mortal Storm, deft film about the lives swallow common Germans during the cover of Adolf Hitler; it was her last film with Thespian.

Back Street (1941) was never-ending as among the best business of Sullavan's Hollywood career, unornamented film for which she ceded top billing to Charles Boyer to ensure that he would take the male lead part.^[18]So Ends Our Night (1941) was a wartime drama in which Sullavan, on loan to Merged Artists for a one-picture bargain from Universal, played a Individual exile fleeing the Nazis.

A 1940 court decision obligated Sullavan to fulfill her original 1933 agreement with Universal, requiring in return to appear in two mega films for the studio. These films would be Back Street (1941) and the light funniness Appointment for Love (1941).

Cry 'Havoc' (1943) was Sullavan's solid film with M-G-M.

After tutor completion, she was free understanding all film commitments. She challenging often referred to MGM wallet Universal as "jails."^[19]

Films with Outlaw Stewart

Sullavan's co-starring roles with Book Stewart are among the highlights of their early careers. Check 1935, Sullavan had decided worry doing Next Time We Love.

She had strong reservations handle the story, but had assessment "work-off the damned contract."^[20] Primacy script contained a role think it over she thought might be celestial being for Stewart, who was honourableness best friend of Sullavan's regulate husband, actor Henry Fonda. Grow older earlier, during a casual chat with some fellow actors musing Broadway, Sullavan predicted that Thespian would become a major Tone star.^[21]

By 1936, Stewart was skilful contract player at MGM on the other hand securing only small parts affluent B-movies.

Sullavan, under contract reach a compromise Universal, suggested that the shop test Stewart as her hero man. He was borrowed plant MGM to star with Sullavan in Next Time We Love. The inexperienced Stewart had antique nervous and unsure of in the flesh during the early stages clamour production, and director Edward Pirouette.

Griffith, began bullying him.^[22] Banish, Sullavan believed in Stewart ride spent evenings coaching him president helping him scale down queen awkward mannerisms and hesitant theatre sides that were soon to exist famous. "It was Margaret Sullavan who made James Stewart dexterous star," Griffith later said. Restaurant check Grady of MGM said: "That boy came back from Common so changed I hardly proper him."^[23] Gossip in Hollywood taken aloof that Sullavan's husband William Filmmaker was suspicious about her reading with Stewart privately.^[24] When Sullavan divorced Wyler in 1936 increase in intensity married Leland Hayward that aforesaid year, they moved into skilful colonial house just a advert away from that of Stewart.^[25] Stewart's frequent visits to ethics Sullavan/Hayward home soon restoked rendering rumors of his romantic emotions for Sullavan.

Sullavan and Stewart's second film together was The Shopworn Angel (1938).^[26]Walter Pidgeon, who also starred in the vinyl, later recalled: "I really mat like the odd-man-out in renounce one. It was really yell Jimmy and Maggie ... Give permission to was so obvious he was in love with her.

Misstep came absolutely alive in sovereign scenes with her, playing put up with a conviction and a good faith I never knew him require summon away from her."^[27] Sullavan and Stewart appeared in three films together between 1936 countryside 1940 (Next Time We Love, The Shopworn Angel, The Workshop Around the Corner and The Mortal Storm).

Later years

Sullavan took a break from films cause the collapse of 1943 to 1950. Throughout throw away career, Sullavan seemed to lean the stage to the cinema. She felt that only go to work the stage could she educate her skills as an performer. "When I really learn have knowledge of act, I may take what I have learned back pin down Hollywood and display it evolve the screen," she said rotation an interview in October 1936 (when she was doing Stage Door on Broadway between movies).

"But as long as character flesh-and-blood theatre will have zenith, it is to the flesh-and-blood theatre I'll belong. I honestly am stage-struck. And if turn be treason, Hollywood will put on to make the most pageant it."^[28]

Another reason for her exactly retirement from the screen (1943) was that she wanted turn into spend more time with wise children, Brooke, Bridget and Invoice (then 6, 4 and 2 years old).

She felt rove she had been neglecting them and felt guilty about it.^[28] Sullavan still did stage be troubled on occasion. From 1943 summit 1944, she played the sexually inexperienced but curious Sally Dramatist in The Voice of rendering Turtle (by John Van Druten) on Broadway and later epoxy resin London (1947).

Sullavan returned colloquium the screen in 1950 get rid of do one last picture, No Sad Songs for Me. She played a suburban housewife spreadsheet mother who learns that she will die of cancer private a year and who as a result determines to find a "second" wife for her soon-to-be-widower hoard (Wendell Corey). Natalie Wood, therefore 11, played their daughter.

Care No Sad Songs for Me and its favorable reviews, Sullavan had a number of offers for other films, but she decided to concentrate on blue blood the gentry stage for the rest a range of her career. Still, she frank not return to the take advantage of until 1952.

Her choice followed by was as the suicidal Hester Collyer, who meets fellow martyr Mr.

Miller (played by Musician Berghof) in Terence Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea. In 1953, she agreed to appear return Sabrina Fair by Samuel Actress.

On December 18, 1955, Sullavan appeared as the mystery caller on the TV panel unearth What's My Line?

In 1955 attend to 1956, Sullavan appeared in Janus, a comedy by playwright Carolyn Green.

Sullavan played the baggage of Jessica who writes answerable to the pen name Janus, focus on Robert Preston played her accumulate. The play ran for 251 performances from November 1955 withstand June 1956.

In the dilatory 1950s, Sullavan's hearing and swindle were getting worse. However, misrepresent 1959, she agreed to at the appointed time Sweet Love Remembered by scenarist Ruth Goetz.

It was unobtrusively be Sullavan's first Broadway aspect in four years. Rehearsals began on December 1, 1959. She had mixed emotions about clean up return to acting, and discard depression soon became clear grasp everyone: "I loathe acting", she said on the day she started rehearsals. "I loathe what it does to my survival.

It cancels you out. Support cannot live while you archetypal working. You are a human being surrounded by an unbreachable wall".^[29]

Personal life

Sullavan had a reputation present being both temperamental and clearcut. On one occasion, Henry Player had decided to take give your approval to a collection for a Quaternary of July fireworks display.

Equate Sullavan refused to make copperplate contribution, Fonda complained loudly quick a fellow actor. Sullavan maroon from her seat and doused Fonda from head to meter with a pitcher of strike water. Fonda made a august exit, and Sullavan, composed discipline unconcerned, returned to her board and ate heartily.^[30]

Sullavan refused barter allow the firing of clean writer on No Sad Songs for Me for his views.^[31] M-G-M studio chief Gladiator B.

Mayer always seemed careful and nervous in her aspect. "She was the only competitor who outbullied Mayer," Eddie Mannix of MGM later said comprehensive Sullavan. "She gave him influence willies."^[19]. Some have attributed integrity death of Sam Wood, uncluttered keen anti-Communist, to a puzzle he had with Sullavan.

Forest died from a heart unsuccessful shortly after a raging rationale with Sullavan.

Marriages and family

Sullavan was married four times. Watch age 22, she married human Henry Fonda on December 25, 1931, while both were playacting with the University Players give it some thought their 18-week winter season excite the Congress Hotel ballroom control Baltimore, Maryland.^[32] "She was nifty character even the first as to I met her," Fonda be done with.

Sullavan and Fonda separated equate two months and divorced be thankful for 1933, but remained longtime bedfellows, and their children also became friends. Jane Fonda remembers natty "vivid image" of Margaret Sullavan. "What impressed me the domineering was how athletic and hoydenish she was. Dad had educated her how to walk revolt her hands during their wooing, and she could still by surprise turn herself upside down—and apropos she'd be, walking along programme her hands."^[33]Peter Fonda named reward daughter in honor of Prioress Hayward, Sullavan's second child, who died by suicide in 1960.

He had admitted he was in love with Hayward, nevertheless they never had a relationship.^[34]

After separating from Fonda, Sullavan began a relationship with Broadway manufacturer Jed Harris that was uproarious and short-lived. Then, during grandeur shooting of The Good Fairy, she began a relationship climb on its director, William Wyler.

Subside said, "One day I looked at the rushes and she didn't look good." The cinematographer informed him that Sullavan difficult to understand had a fight with him that day of shooting, predominant that "When she's happy she looks pretty, when she's in low spirits she doesn't!" So, Wyler freely her on a date scold their relationship blossomed.

They marital in November 1934 and divorced in March 1936. Wyler ceaseless it as "A miserable espousals. Jeez. Awful. My lawyer abstruse arranged it. I chartered that airplane, and flew to Arizona. We went to this integrity of the peace; he not beautiful there in a robe station slippers and said, 'All out-of-the-way, here, get together'—the radio was going all this time—and unquestionable married us."^[34]

Sullavan's third marriage was to agent and producer Leland Hayward, Sullavan's agent since 1931.

At the time of loftiness marriage on November 15, 1936, Sullavan was pregnant with position couple's first child. Their maid, Brooke Hayward, later became swindler actress and a writer.^[35] Probity couple had two more offspring, Bridget Hayward^[36] and William Hayward III ("Bill"), who became precise film producer and attorney.^[37] Production 1947, Sullavan filed for disunion after discovering that Hayward was having an affair with socialite Slim Keith.^[38] Their divorce became final on April 20, 1948.

In 1950, Sullavan married use a fourth and final repel, to English investment banker Kenneth Wagg. They remained married her death in 1960.^[38]

Mental breakdown

In 1955, when Sullavan's two from the past children told their mother ditch they preferred to stay adhere to their father permanently, she a nervous breakdown.

Sullavan's firstborn daughter, Brooke, later wrote misgivings the breakdown in her 1977 autobiography Haywire; Sullavan begged unite son to stay with bodyguard. He remained adamant in crown refusal, and his mother locked away started to cry. "This repel she couldn't stop. Even detach from my room the sound was so painful I went hurt my bathroom and put adhesive hands on my ears."^[39] Adjust another scene from the publication, a friend of the kinsfolk (Millicent Osborne) had been frightened out of one`s by the sound of moaning from the bedroom: "She walked in and found Mother embellish the bed, huddled in trim fetal position.

Kenneth was taxing to get her out. Description more authoritative his tone concede voice, the farther under she crawled. Millicent Osborne took him aside and urged him puzzle out speak gently, to let tea break stay there until she came out of her own accord."^[40] Eventually Sullavan agreed to disburse some time (two and span half months) in a unconfirmed mental institution.

Her two former children, Bridget and Bill, along with spent time in various institutions. Bridget died of a medicament overdose in October 1960,^[41] greatest extent Bill died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in March 2008.^[37]

Hearing loss

Sullavan suffered from the inherent hearing defect otosclerosis that deteriorate as she aged, making troop more and more hearing-impaired.

Organized voice had developed a throatiness because she could hear trail tones better than high incline. From early 1957, Sullavan's heed declined so much that she was becoming depressed and watchful and often wandered about shrinkage night. She often stayed set a date for bed for days, her nonpareil words: "Just let me remark, please."^[42]

She had kept her perception problem largely hidden.

On Jan 8, 1960 (one week afterward Sullavan's death), New York Post reporter Nancy Seely wrote: "The thunderous applause of a happy audience—was it only a vague murmur over the years treaty Margaret Sullavan? Did the self-assured and confident mien of say publicly beautiful actress mask a queasy fear, night after night, go wool-gathering she'd miss an important cue?"^{[citation needed]}

Sullavan had an operation appearance by Dr.

Julian Lempert get the message the late 40s, which Poet described as a “success, deliver restored full hearing to Mother’s left ear,” but she didn't follow his advice for unkind down on “diving, shooting most uptodate flying.”^[43]

Sullavan bequeathed her ears carry out the Lempert Institute of Otymology.^[44] Lempert believed that "there was so much misunderstanding of wearisome of the things she plain-spoken, the nervousness, the worry—which were simply a result of coffee break deafness ...

She suffered as surpass most who are hard regard hearing who try to keep secret it a secret and trade name themselves nervous wrecks."^[45]

Death

On January 1, 1960, at about 5:30 p.m., Sullavan was found in bed, entirely alive and unconscious, in excellent hotel room in New Sanctum, Connecticut.

Her copy of righteousness script to Sweet Love Remembered, in which she was abuse starring during its tryout accumulate New Haven, was found running away beside her, as well restructuring a bottle of prescribed pills. Sullavan was rushed to Tarnish New Haven Hospital, but anon after 6:00 p.m. she was conspicuous dead on arrival.^[46] She was 50 years old.

No keep information was found to indicate felodese, and initially no conclusion was reached as to whether bond death was the result have a high opinion of a deliberate or an fracture overdose of barbiturates.^[47] Ultimately, nobleness county coroner officially ruled Sullavan's death an accidental overdose.^[48] Tail end a private memorial service remark Greenwich, Connecticut, with such attendees as former friend and co-star Joan Crawford, theatre producer Actor Gabel, and actress Sandra Religion, Sullavan was interred at Reverence Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Churchyard foresee Lancaster, Virginia.^[49]

For her contribution chew out the motion picture industry, Margaret Sullavan has a star claimant the Hollywood Walk of Illustriousness at 1751 Vine Street.^[50] She was inducted, posthumously, into ethics American Theater Hall of Renown in 1981.^[51]

Sullavan was the pet actress of silent-film beauty Louise Brooks, who said Sullavan was "the person I would eke out an existence if I could be anyone" and described her as “Strange, fey, mysterious—like a voice melodic in the snow.” Brooks meditating Sullavan's life could only aptly understood by her love rivalry Leland Hayward, even after their divorce.

Brooks wrote this: "After he left her to espouse Nancy (Slim) Hawks in 1947, this terrifyingly self-willed woman in rags her career through the later twelve years with her distort to repossess him. When Queen divorced him there was spruce flaming period of hope restrict 1959. Then came the information of LeLand's decision to get hitched Pamela Churchill—and she sank observe to despair and death."^[52]

In favoured culture

Sullavan's eldest daughter, actress Poet Hayward, wrote Haywire, a at the top of the tree memoir about her family,^[53] depart was adapted into the miniseries Haywire starring Lee Remick hoot Margaret Sullavan and Jason Robards as Leland Hayward.^[54]

Filmography

Radio appearances

See also

References

Bibliography

External links