Sara Allgood
(1883 - 1950)This diminutive character actress was a stocky little woman with a bun of dark hair, close set eyes, a tiny nose and a small, stern-looking mouth which gave her a look or air of authority. She could play it 'tough', 'warm-hearted' or both at the same time. She was often cast as the mother but could play spinsters, neighbors, landladies, waitresses and the like. She was a terrific actress, very unique in her own way. The crowning point of her career came with her nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in "How Green Was My Valley" (1941) in which she played Mrs. Morgan, the wife and mother of coal miners in Wales. She was born on October 31, 1883 in Dublin, Ireland according to most sources including her Obituary in the New York Times, however the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) lists her date of birth as October 15, 1879. She began her acting career on stage with Dublin's world famous Abbey Theatre and started in film in England. Her London stage debut was in 1904 with the Irish National Players. She had a long career on stage before making her film debut in: "Just Peggy" (1918) a silent, as Peggy; “Blackmail” (1929) as Mrs. White; "Juno and the Paycock" (1930) as Mrs. Boyle/Juno; "The World, The Flesh and The Devil" (1932) as Emme Stanger; “The Fortunate Fool” (1933) as Rose; “Irish Hearts” (1934) as Mrs. Gogarthy; “Lily of Killarney” (1934) as Mrs. O’Connor; “Lazybones” (1935) as Bridget; “Riders to the Sea” (1935) as Maurya; “Peg of Old Drury” (1935) as Irish Woman; “The Passing of the Third Floor Back” (1935) as Mrs. De Hooley; Hitchcock’s “Sabotage” (1936) as Bird Shop Customer; “Southern Roses” (1936) as Miss Florence; “Pot Luck” (1936) as Mrs. Kelly; “It’s Love Again” (1936) as Mrs. Hopkins; ‘Storm in a Teacup” (1937) as Honoria Hegarty; “Kathleen Mavourneen” (1937) as Mary Ellen O’Dwyer; “The Sky’s the Limit” (1938) as Mrs. O’Reilly; “The Londonderry Air” (1938); “On the Night of the Fire” (1939) as Charwoman; "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1941) with Spencer Tracy, as Mrs. Higgins; “Lydia” (1941) as Johnny’s Mother; “How Green Was My Valley” (1941) as Mrs. Beth Morgan, an Oscar nominee for Best Supporting actress; “Roxie Hart” (1942) as Mrs. Morton; “This Above All” (1942) as Waitress in Tea Room; “It Happened in Flatbush” (1942) as Mrs. ‘Mac’ MacAvoy; “The War Against Mrs. Hadley” (1942) as Mrs. Michael Fitzpatrick; “Life Begins at Eight-Thirty” (1942) as Alma Lothian; “Forever and a Day” (1943) as Cook; “City Without Men” (1943) as Maria Barton; "The Lodger" (1944) with George Sanders, as Ellen; "Jane Eyre" (1944) With Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine, as Bessie; “Between Two Worlds” (1944) as Mrs. Midget; "The Keys of the Kingdom" (1944) with Gregory Peck, as Sister Martha; “The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry” (1945) as Nona; “Kitty” (1945) as Old Meg; “The Spiral Staircase” (1946) as Nurse Barker; "Cluny Brown" (1946) with George Sanders, as Mrs. Maile; "Mourning Becomes Electra" (1947) as Landlady; "Mother Wore Tights" (1947) as Grandmother McKinley; “My Wild Irish Rose” (1947) as Mrs. Brennan; “Ivy” (1947) as Martha Huntley; “The Fabulous Dorseys” (1947) as Mrs. Dorsey; “Man from Texas” (1948) as Woman at Wedding; “One Touch of Venus” (1948) as Mrs. Gogarty, the Landlady; “The Girl from Manhattan” (1948) as Mrs. Beeler; "Challenge to Lassie" (1949) as Mrs. MacFarland; "The Accused" (1948) as Mrs. Conner; "Cheaper by the Dozen" (1950) as Mrs. Monahan and “Sierra” (1950) as Mrs. Jonas, her last film. She was married to Gerald Henson for two years from 1916 until his death in 1918 and they had one child, a daughter who died of influenza in 1917; quite a bit of tragedy for a woman in her early 30s. Her sister Maire O’Neill was also an actress in Ireland. Her mother was a friend of the poet Yeats. She moved to the U.S. in the 1940s and became a U.S. citizen in 1945. She died on September 15, 1950 in Woodland Hills, California of a heart attack at age 66.
From Great Character Actors, Page 1.
|
