Greer Garson
29/09/1904 to 06/04/1996
Born in London, England, Greer showed no early signs of interest in becoming an actress. Her given name, Greer, was a contraction of MacGregor, her mothers maiden name. She was educated at the University of London, intending to become a teacher. Instead she opted to work with an advertising agency. During this time she appeared in local theatrical productions gaining a reputation as an extremely talented actress. She was discovered by Louis B. Mayer while he was on a visit to London looking for new talent. Greer was signed to a contract with MGM and appeared in her first American film in 1939. The movie in question was Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939) which won rave reviews and garnered her a nomination as best actress, the first of six nominations.
The following year Greer starred in the highly acclaimed Pride and Prejudice (1940) as Elizabeth Bennet. 1941 saw her get a second nomination for her role as Edna Gladney in Blossoms in the Dust (1941). Shewon her first Academy Award for Mrs. Miniver (1942), a role which she would forever be known by. As Marie Curie in Madame Curie (1943), she received another nomination and the same the next year in Mrs. Parkington (1944).
In 1945, she won a further nomination for her role as Mary Rafferty in The Valley of Decision (1945). But through the 1940s she was constantly typecast in roles that didnt allow for a lot of creativity. MGM felt that the roles she played were sure, but that didn't make Greer feel any better about it. She would stay with MGM until 1954.
For the remainder of the 1950s she endured several less-than-appreciated films. Then 1960 found her cast in the role of Eleanor Roosevelt in Sunrise at Campobello (1960). This film was, perhaps, her finest work and landed her seventh Academy Award nomination. Her final appearances on the silver screen were in The Singing Nun (1966) as Mother Prioress and The Happiest Millionaire (1967). After a few TV movies Garson retired to the New Mexico ranch she shared with her husband, millionaire Buddy Fogelson. She concentrated on the environment and other various charities. Married 3 times, she divorced twice and her third and last husband died in 1987. By the 1980s she was suffering from chronic heart problems prompting her to slow down. That was the cause of her death on April 6, 1996 in Dallas, Texas. She was 92. |
