Mary Duncan
From Wikipedia
Mary Duncan (August 13, 1895 – May 9, 1993) was an American actress.
Mary Duncan was born in Northumberland county, Virginia, the sixth of eight children born to Capt. William "Bill" Dungan and his wife, the former Ada Thaddeus Douglass. She attended Cornell University before settling on acting as a career.
She began her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910. In 1926 she played the daughter "Poppy" in the smash hit and controversial play The Shanghai Gesture. Florence Reed played her mother called Mother Goddam in which Reed kills Duncan in a startling end to the play. This play was turned into a very sanitized film in 1941 with Gene Tierney.
She met and married Stephen "Laddie" Sanford, who was an international polo player as well as director of the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company, in 1933, after which she retired from films. They remained married until his death in 1977. She spent much of her remaining years working with several major charities.
Her last film appearance was with Katharine Hepburn in the 1933 film Morning Glory.
She kept herself active by playing golf twice a week and swimming every morning before breakfast, which helped her maintain her size 8 figure. As an actress, she had followed the ministrations of Sylvia of Hollywood to keep her shape.
Mary Duncan died in her sleep aged 97. She was survived by a niece and great-niece, and she was the last known person to have in her possession a copy of the lost Murnau film 4 Devils; Martin Koerber, curator of Deutsche Kinemathek, has speculated that her heirs may still have the valuable print somewhere.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 1.376 |
Birthday | 1895-08-12 |
Place of Birth | Luttrellville, Virginia, USA |
Also Known As |
1933
Morning Glory
6.1/50
Wildly optimistic chatterbox Eva Lovelace is a would-be actress trying to crash the New York stage. She attracts the interest of a paternal actor, a p...
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Morning Glory
1932
The Phantom of Crestwood
6/13
Five men have to prove their innocence when a blackmailer is murdered.
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The Phantom of Crestwood
1930
City Girl
7.4/96
A waitress from Chicago falls in love with a man from rural Minnesota and marries him, with the intent of living a better life - but life on the farm...
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City Girl
1929
Romance of the Rio Grande
0/0
Fox's immediate follow-up to its successful early-talkie western In Old Arizona was 1929's Romance of the Rio Grande. The story focuses on the Alvarez...
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Romance of the Rio Grande
1931
Five and Ten
6.3/11
John owns the largest chain of five and ten cent stores in the country. He moves his family to New York from Kansas City and their life, though grand,...
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Five and Ten
1932
Thirteen Women
6.3/31
Thirteen women who were schoolmates ask a swami to cast their horoscopes. The news they receive is not good for any of them.
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Thirteen Women
1932
State's Attorney
6.714/7
Corrupt alcoholic attorney Tom Cardigan is one of the best lawyers around, commanding the courtroom like a stage and often winning his cases. Mobster...
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State's Attorney
1928
Soft Living
0/0
Nancy Woods, secretary to a divorce lawyer, is tantalized by the idea of collecting alimony payments, she marries Stockney Webb with the intention of...
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Soft Living
1928
4 Devils
7/3
Four orphans, raised by an aging clown, becomes a high wire act in a circus. Lost film.
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4 Devils
1930
Kismet
3.5/2
Hajj, a rascally beggar on the periphery of the court of Baghdad, schemes to marry his daughter to royalty and to win the heart of the queen of the ca...
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Kismet
1931
The Age for Love
0/0
A comedy-drama about marriage and divorce. A wife does not want children, her husband leaves her and marries a woman who does.
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The Age for Love
1931
Men Call It Love
4.5/2
Pre-code melodrama about high society marriage and fidelity.
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Men Call It Love
1929
The River
7.2/15
Passion carried an innocent boy and a worldly woman beyond the barriers of conscience.
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The River
1929
Thru Different Eyes
0/0
Harvey Manning is placed on trial for the murder of Jack Winfield, his closest friend, whose body was found in the Manning home. During the trial, the...
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Thru Different Eyes
1927
Very Confidential
0/0
A young lady impersonates a famous sportswoman while trying to win over a man.
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Very Confidential
1930
The Boudoir Diplomat
1/1
A ladies' man flirts with the wives of other governments' officials.
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