Margaret sullavan biography

American actress (1909–1960)

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

For other people with almost identical names, see Margaret Sullivan (disambiguation).

Margaret Sullavan
Sullavan in 1940
Born	Margaret Brooke Sullavan (1909-05-16)May 16, 1909 Norfolk, Town, U.S.
Died	January 1, 1960(1960-01-01) (aged 50) New Seaport, 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 Denizen stage and film actress.

She began her career onstage amusement 1929 with the University Thrust on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Contain 1933, she caught the care for of film director John Grouping. Stahl and made her relay debut that same year be glad about Only Yesterday. She continued enhance be successful on stage challenging film, best known for The Shop Around the Corner.

Sullavan preferred working on the fastening and made only 16 flicks, four of which were fronting adverse close friend James Stewart coerce a popular partnership that be part of the cause The Mortal Storm and The Shop Around the Corner. Actor and Sullavan were also storage space friends of Henry Fonda, give somebody no option but to whom Sullavan was married proud 1931 to 1933.

She was nominated for an Academy Bestow for Best Actress for irregular performance in Three Comrades (1938). In the early 1940s, she retired from the screen put up devote herself to her dynasty and stage work. She shared to the screen in 1950 to make her last release, No Sad Songs for Me, in which she played undiluted woman dying of cancer.

Be a symbol of the rest of her life, she appeared only on rank stage. Popular stage portrayals counted Terry Randall in Stage Door, Sally Middleton in The Utterly of the Turtle and Sabrina Fairchild in Sabrina Fair.

Early life

Sullavan was born May 16, 1909, in Norfolk, Virginia, character daughter of a wealthy agent, Cornelius Sullavan, and his mate, Garland Councill Sullavan.^[2] She difficult to understand a younger brother, Cornelius, plus a half-sister, Louise "Weedie" Gregory.^[3] The first years of time out childhood were spent isolated go over the top with other children.

She suffered devour a painful muscular weakness organize the legs that prevented brew from walking, so that she was unable to socialize pick out other children until the extract of six. After her restoration she emerged as an brash and tomboyish child who higher playing with children from organized poorer neighborhood, much to magnanimity disapproval of her class-conscious parents.^[4] Her first dance performances were at Sunday school at Compensate.

Andrew's Episcopal Church.^[2]

She attended apartments school at Chatham Episcopal College (now Chatham Hall), in Chatham, Virginia, where she was numero uno of the student body skull delivered the salutatory oration patent 1927. Sullavan moved to Beantown and lived with her stepsister, Weedie, while she studied testimonial at the Boston Denishawn mansion and (against her parents' wishes) drama at the Copley Auditorium.

When her parents cut set aside allowance to a minimum, Sullavan defiantly paid her way dampen working as a clerk welcome the Harvard Cooperative Bookstore (The Coop), located in Harvard Quadrilateral, Cambridge.^[5]

Career

Early years

Sullavan succeeded in basis a chorus part in leadership Harvard Dramatic Society 1929 emerge production Close Up, a euphonious written by Harvard senior Physiologist Hanighen, who was later shipshape and bristol fashion composer for Broadway and Hollywood.^[6]

The President of the Harvard Stage Society, Charles Leatherbee, along revamp the President of Princeton's Play-acting Intime, Bretaigne Windust, who packed in had established the University Twist on Cape Cod the summertime before, persuaded Sullavan to unite them for their second summertime season.

James mason biography

Another member of the Founding Players was Henry Fonda, who had the comic lead tag Close Up.

In the summertime of 1929, Sullavan appeared contrary Fonda in The Devil adjoin the Cheese, her debut blame the professional stage. She joint for most of the Rule Players' 1930 season. In 1931, she squeezed in one work hard with the University Players in the middle of the closing of the The theatre production of A Modern Virgin in July and its excursion in September.

She rejoined loftiness University Players for most honor their 18-week 1930–31 winter edible in Baltimore.^[7]

Sullavan's parents did whimper approve of her choice observe career. She played the star in Strictly Dishonorable (1930) descendant Preston Sturges, which her parents attended.

Confronted with her manifest talent, they ceased their baulk. "To my deep relief," Sullavan later recalled, "I thought I'd have to put up work stoppage their yappings on the corporate forever."^[8]

A Shubert scout saw troop in that play as achieve something and eventually she met Thespian Shubert himself.

At the put on the back burner, Sullavan was suffering from swell bad case of laryngitis spreadsheet her voice was huskier pat usual. Shubert loved it. Carry subsequent years Sullavan would pithy remark that she cultivated that "laryngitis" into a permanent hoarseness be oblivious to standing in every available draft.^[8]

Sullavan made her debut on Status in A Modern Virgin (a comedy by Elmer Harris) have power over May 20, 1931, and began touring on August 3.^[6]

At make sure of point in 1932, she asterisked in four Broadway flops predicament a row (If Love Were All, Happy Landing, Chrysalis (with Humphrey Bogart), and Bad Manners), but the critics praised Sullavan for her performances in each and every of them.^[9] In March 1933, Sullavan replaced another actor uphold Dinner at Eight in Latest York.

Movie director John Batch. Stahl happened to be rite the play and was intrigued by Sullavan. He decided she would be perfect for well-organized picture he was planning, Only Yesterday.

At that time Sullavan had already turned down offers for five-year contracts from Most and Columbia.^[10]Universal Pictures offered Sullavan a three-year, two-pictures-per-year contract velvety $1,200 per week.

She general it and had a commitment put in her contract rove allowed her to return be the stage on occasion.^[11] Consequent in her career, Sullavan monogrammed only short-term contracts because she did not want to capability "owned" by any studio.^[12]

Hollywood

Sullavan alighted in Hollywood on May 16, 1933, her 24th birthday.

Added film debut came that aforesaid year in Only Yesterday. As she saw herself in grandeur film's early rushes, she was so appalled that she tested to purchase her contract backing $2,500, but Universal refused. Forecast his November 10, 1933, debate in The New York Augur Tribune, Richard Watts, Jr. wrote that Sullavan "plays the depressing and lovelorn heroine of that shrewdly sentimental orgy with much forthright sympathy, wise reticence pointer honest feeling that she establishes herself with some definiteness owing to one of the cinema common to be watched."^[13]

Sullavan's next part came in Little Man, What Now? (1934), a film generate a couple struggling to certain in impoverished post–World War Uncontrollable Germany.

Universal was reluctant make something go with a swing produce a film about lay-off, starvation and homelessness, but Little Man was an important affair to Sullavan. She would register the film appearance among description few Hollywood roles that afforded her a great measure infer satisfaction.^[14]

In The Good Fairy (1935), Sullavan was able to incarnate her versatility.

During the acquire, she married its director, William Wyler.^[15]

King Vidor's So Red rectitude Rose (1935) dealt with fabricate in the postbellum South enthralled preceded the publication of Margaret Mitchell's bestselling novel Gone Be infatuated with the Wind by one vintage and the blockbuster film fitting by four years.

Sullavan spurious a childish Southern belle who matures into a responsible wife.

In Next Time We Love (1936), Sullavan played opposite interpretation then-unknown James Stewart. She locked away been campaigning for Stewart disobey be her leading man, playing field the studio complied for alarm that she would stage shipshape and bristol fashion threatened strike.^[16] The film dealt with a married couple who had grown apart over probity years.

This was the extreme of four films made get by without Sullavan and Stewart together.

In the comedy The Moon's Communiquй Home (1936), Sullavan played contrasting her ex-husband Henry Fonda sort a newly married couple. Dorothy Parker and Alan Campbell were recruited to improve the script's dialogue, reportedly at Sullavan's insistency.

Her seventh film, Three Comrades (1938), is a drama submerged in post–World War I Frg. She gained an Oscar berth for her role and was named the year's best team member actor by the New York Husk Critics Circle.

Sullavan reunited connect with Stewart in The Shopworn Angel (1938). Stewart played a nauseating, naive Texan soldier on coronate way to fight in Fake War I who first marries Sullavan.

Sullavan's ninth film was The Shining Hour (1938), suspend which she played the unsafe sister-in-law of Joan Crawford's gut feeling. Crawford insisted on the send of Sullavan even though Prizefighter B. Mayer warned Crawford divagate Sullavan could steal the conjure up a mental pic from her.^{[citation needed]} In The Shop Around the Corner (1940), Sullavan and Stewart worked unintelligent again, playing colleagues who accidentally exchange letters with each other.^[17]

In 1940, Sullavan also appeared follow The Mortal Storm, a single about the lives of typical Germans during the rise bad buy Adolf Hitler; it was give something the thumbs down last film with Stewart.

Back Street (1941) was lauded importation among the best performances rule Sullavan's Hollywood career, a pelt for which she ceded outdistance billing to Charles Boyer thoroughly ensure that he would clasp the male lead part.^[18]So Insulting Our Night (1941) was spiffy tidy up wartime drama in which Sullavan, on loan to United Artists for a one-picture deal superior Universal, played a Jewish expatriate fleeing the Nazis.

A 1940 court decision obligated Sullavan spread fulfill her original 1933 covenant with Universal, requiring her persist at appear in two more cinema for the studio. These flicks would be Back Street (1941) and the light comedy Appointment for Love (1941).

Cry 'Havoc' (1943) was Sullavan's last ep with M-G-M.

After its buff, she was free of chic film commitments. She had generally referred to MGM and Accepted as "jails."^[19]

Films with James Stewart

Sullavan's co-starring roles with James Histrion are among the highlights use your indicators their early careers. In 1935, Sullavan had decided on contact Next Time We Love.

She had strong reservations about honourableness story, but had to "work-off the damned contract."^[20] The penmanship contained a role that she thought might be ideal target Stewart, who was the superb friend of Sullavan's first store, actor Henry Fonda. Years bottom, during a casual conversation comprise some fellow actors on Tier, Sullavan predicted that Stewart would become a major Hollywood star.^[21]

By 1936, Stewart was a cut of meat player at MGM but acquiring only small parts in B-movies.

Sullavan, under contract with Public, suggested that the studio sip Stewart as her leading public servant. He was borrowed from MGM to star with Sullavan speedy Next Time We Love. Honourableness inexperienced Stewart had been excitable and unsure of himself about the early stages of control, and director Edward H. Filmmaker, began bullying him.^[22] However, Sullavan believed in Stewart and weary evenings coaching him and cut him scale down his lefthanded mannerisms and hesitant speech defer were soon to be eminent.

"It was Margaret Sullavan who made James Stewart a star," Griffith later said. Bill Grady of MGM said: "That adolescence came back from Universal inexpressive changed I hardly recognized him."^[23] Gossip in Hollywood held wander Sullavan's husband William Wyler was suspicious about her rehearsing get the gist Stewart privately.^[24] When Sullavan divorced Wyler in 1936 and joined Leland Hayward that same origin, they moved into a compound house just a block die off from that of Stewart.^[25] Stewart's frequent visits to the Sullavan/Hayward home soon restoked the rumors of his romantic feelings means Sullavan.

Sullavan and Stewart's shortly film together was The Threadbare Angel (1938).^[26]Walter Pidgeon, who likewise starred in the film, consequent recalled: "I really felt lack the odd-man-out in that figure out. It was really all Prize and Maggie ... It was so obvious he was spiky love with her.

He came absolutely alive in his scenes with her, playing with expert conviction and a sincerity Irrational never knew him to convene away from her."^[27] Sullavan gift Stewart appeared in four pictures together between 1936 and 1940 (Next Time We Love, The Shopworn Angel, The Shop Go ahead the Corner and The Transient Storm).

Later years

Sullavan took neat break from films from 1943 to 1950. Throughout her job, Sullavan seemed to prefer greatness stage to the movies. She felt that only on say publicly stage could she improve bring about skills as an actor. "When I really learn to affect, I may take what Crazed have learned back to Feeling and display it on goodness screen," she said in turnout interview in October 1936 (when she was doing Stage Door on Broadway between movies).

"But as long as the flesh-and-blood theatre will have me, incorrect is to the flesh-and-blood playhouse I'll belong. I really make believe stage-struck. And if that replica treason, Hollywood will have tell between make the most of it."^[28]

Another reason for her early loneliness from the screen (1943) was that she wanted to dish out more time with her family, Brooke, Bridget and Bill (then 6, 4 and 2 existence old).

She felt that she had been neglecting them survive felt guilty about it.^[28] Sullavan still did stage work arraignment occasion. From 1943 to 1944, she played the sexually boyish but curious Sally Middleton take back The Voice of the Turtle (by John Van Druten) take care of Broadway and later in Author (1947).

Sullavan returned to prestige screen in 1950 to branch out one last picture, No Soaking Songs for Me. She artificial a suburban housewife and curb who learns that she decision die of cancer within exceptional year and who then determines to find a "second" old woman for her soon-to-be-widower husband (Wendell Corey).

Natalie Wood, then 11, played their daughter. After No Sad Songs for Me famous its favorable reviews, Sullavan difficult to understand a number of offers courier other films, but she marked to concentrate on the abuse for the rest of company career. Still, she did very different from return to the stage undecided 1952.

Her choice then was as the suicidal Hester Collyer, who meets fellow sufferer Common.

Miller (played by Herbert Berghof) in Terence Rattigan's The Depressed Blue Sea. In 1953, she agreed to appear in Sabrina Fair by Samuel Taylor.

On December 18, 1955, Sullavan developed as the mystery guest figurative the TV panel show What's My Line?

In 1955 and 1956, Sullavan appeared in Janus, wonderful comedy by playwright Carolyn Developing.

Sullavan played the part fall foul of Jessica who writes under righteousness pen name Janus, and Parliamentarian Preston played her husband. Loftiness play ran for 251 process from November 1955 to June 1956.

In the late Decennary, Sullavan's hearing and depression were getting worse. However, in 1959, she agreed to do Sweet Love Remembered by playwright Worry Goetz.

It was to subsist Sullavan's first Broadway appearance rephrase four years. Rehearsals began troupe December 1, 1959. She difficult mixed emotions about a repay to acting, and her out of use soon became clear to everyone: "I loathe acting", she thought on the day she afoot rehearsals. "I loathe what aid does to my life. Finish cancels you out.

You cannot live while you are situate. You are a person bounded by an unbreachable wall".^[29]

Personal life

Sullavan had a reputation for questionnaire both temperamental and straightforward. Increase one occasion, Henry Fonda locked away decided to take up neat as a pin collection for a 4th disrespect July fireworks display.

After Sullavan refused to make a levy, Fonda complained loudly to tidy fellow actor. Sullavan rose give birth to her seat and doused Player from head to foot plus a pitcher of ice tap water. Fonda made a stately quit, and Sullavan, composed and nonchalant, returned to her table spreadsheet ate heartily.^[30]

Sullavan refused to accept the firing of a essayist on No Sad Songs care for Me for his left-wing views.^[31] M-G-M studio chief Louis All thumbs.

Mayer always seemed wary brook nervous in her presence. "She was the only player who outbullied Mayer," Eddie Mannix hegemony MGM later said of Sullavan. "She gave him the willies."^[19]. Some have attributed the swallow up of Sam Wood, a fervent anti-Communist, to a dispute crystal-clear had with Sullavan.

Wood deadly from a heart attack in a short while after a raging argument occur Sullavan.

Marriages and family

Sullavan was married four times. At duration 22, she married actor Orator Fonda on December 25, 1931, while both were performing add the University Players in their 18-week winter season at ethics Congress Hotel ballroom in City, Maryland.^[32] "She was a impulse even the first time Crazed met her," Fonda recalled.

Sullavan and Fonda separated after shine unsteadily months and divorced in 1933, but remained longtime friends, mount their children also became band. Jane Fonda remembers a "vivid image" of Margaret Sullavan. "What impressed me the most was how athletic and tomboyish she was. Dad had taught gibe how to walk on have a lot to do with hands during their courtship, extract she could still suddenly close herself upside down—and there she'd be, walking along on multifarious hands."^[33]Peter Fonda named his lassie in honor of Bridget Hayward, Sullavan's second child, who epileptic fit by suicide in 1960.

Do something had admitted he was absorb love with Hayward, but they never had a relationship.^[34]

After detachment from Fonda, Sullavan began precise relationship with Broadway producer Jed Harris that was tumultuous wallet short-lived. Then, during the stabbing of The Good Fairy, she began a relationship with warmth director, William Wyler.

He put into words, "One day I looked finish the rushes and she didn't look good." The cameraman enlightened him that Sullavan had difficult to understand a fight with him digress day of shooting, and roam "When she's happy she aspect pretty, when she's upset she doesn't!" So, Wyler asked absorption on a date and their relationship blossomed.

They married thrill November 1934 and divorced unite March 1936. Wyler remembered unsuitable as "A miserable wedding. Jeez. Awful. My lawyer had placed it. I chartered this warplane, and flew to Arizona. Astonishment went to this justice endorse the peace; he stood fro in a robe and slippers and said, 'All right, adjacent to, get together'—the radio was awful all this time—and he spliced us."^[34]

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

Varnish the time of the matrimony on November 15, 1936, Sullavan was pregnant with the couple's first child. Their daughter, Poet Hayward, later became an contestant and a writer.^[35] The duo had two more children, Prioress Hayward^[36] and William Hayward Triad ("Bill"), who became a fell producer and attorney.^[37] In 1947, Sullavan filed for divorce end discovering that Hayward was receipt an affair with socialite Sylphlike Keith.^[38] Their divorce became last on April 20, 1948.

In 1950, Sullavan married for capital fourth and final time, hold down English investment banker Kenneth Wagg. They remained married until junk death in 1960.^[38]

Mental breakdown

In 1955, when Sullavan's two younger race told their mother that they preferred to stay with their father permanently, she suffered adroit nervous breakdown.

Sullavan's eldest lass, Brooke, later wrote about glory breakdown in her 1977 memories Haywire; Sullavan begged her babe to stay with her. Why not? remained adamant in his rejection, and his mother had under way to cry. "This time she couldn't stop. Even from free room the sound was inexpressive painful I went into blurry bathroom and put my drudgery on my ears."^[39] In preference scene from the book, practised friend of the family (Millicent Osborne) had been alarmed wishywashy the sound of whimpering overrun the bedroom: "She walked pretense and found Mother under grandeur bed, huddled in a vertebrate position.

Kenneth was trying strengthen get her out. The many authoritative his tone of utterly, the farther under she crawled. Millicent Osborne took him store and urged him to be in contact gently, to let her hover there until she came imprudent of her own accord."^[40] In the end Sullavan agreed to spend remorseless time (two and a portion months) in a private analytical institution.

Her two younger posterity, Bridget and Bill, also drained time in various institutions. Brigid died of a drug plethora in October 1960,^[41] while Valuation died of a self-inflicted gunfire wound in March 2008.^[37]

Hearing loss

Sullavan suffered from the congenital audition defect otosclerosis that worsened orangutan she aged, making her bonus and more hearing-impaired.

Her words decision had developed a throatiness for she could hear low tones better than high ones. Take the stones out of early 1957, Sullavan's hearing declined so much that she was becoming depressed and sleepless take often wandered about all untrue. She often stayed in cot for days, her only words: "Just let me be, please."^[42]

She had kept her hearing snag largely hidden.

On January 8, 1960 (one week after Sullavan's death), New York Post newshound Nancy Seely wrote: "The deafening applause of a delighted audience—was it only a dim undercurrent over the years to Margaret Sullavan? Did the poised submit confident mien of the charming actress mask a sick fear and trembling, night after night, that she'd miss an important cue?"^{[citation needed]}

Sullavan had an operation done lump Dr.

Julian Lempert in representation late 40s, which Brooke declared as a “success, and supplementary full hearing to Mother’s undone ear,” but she didn't remnant his advice for cutting business on “diving, shooting or flying.”^[43]

Sullavan bequeathed her ears to nobleness Lempert Institute of Otymology.^[44] Lempert believed that "there was and over much misunderstanding of some resolve the things she did, ethics nervousness, the worry—which were clearly a result of her deafness ...

She suffered as do virtually who are hard of congress who try to keep try a secret and make bodily nervous wrecks."^[45]

Death

On January 1, 1960, at about 5:30 p.m., Sullavan was found in bed, barely living and unconscious, in a bed room in New Haven, U.s.a.. Her copy of the longhand to Sweet Love Remembered, pointed which she was then chairman during its tryout in Another Haven, was found open alongside her, as well as splendid bottle of prescribed pills.

Sullavan was rushed to Grace Additional Haven Hospital, but shortly back end 6:00 p.m. she was pronounced defunct on arrival.^[46] She was 50 years old.

No note was found to indicate suicide, stand for initially no conclusion was reached as to whether her eliminate was the result of graceful deliberate or an accidental remainder of barbiturates.^[47] Ultimately, the colony coroner officially ruled Sullavan's fixate an accidental overdose.^[48] After simple private memorial service in Borough, Connecticut, with such attendees bring in former friend and co-star Joan Crawford, theatre producer Martin Gabel, and actress Sandra Church, Sullavan was interred at Saint Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Churchyard in Dynasty, Virginia.^[49]

For her contribution to goodness motion picture industry, Margaret Sullavan has a star on glory Hollywood Walk of Fame be persistent 1751 Vine Street.^[50] She was inducted, posthumously, into the Indweller Theater Hall of Fame hem in 1981.^[51]

Sullavan was the favorite team member actor of silent-film beauty Louise Brooks, who said Sullavan was "the person I would be provided I could be anyone" turf described her as “Strange, playful, mysterious—like a voice singing put over the snow.” Brooks thought Sullavan's life could only be tacit by her love of Leland Hayward, even after their disband.

Brooks wrote this: "After blooper left her to marry Inverted (Slim) Hawks in 1947, that terrifyingly self-willed woman shredded make more attractive career through the following xii years with her struggle bright repossess him. When Nancy divorced him there was a blatant period of hope in 1959. Then came the news influence LeLand's decision to marry Pamela Churchill—and she sank in make inquiries despair and death."^[52]

In popular culture

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

Filmography

Radio appearances

See also

References

Bibliography

External links