Margaret O'Brien

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Margaret O'Brien (1946)

Margaret O'Brien (* 15. January 1937 in San Diego , California , as Angela Maxine O'Brien ) is an American actress . She was one of Hollywood's leading child stars in the 1940s and won the Juvenile Award .

life and career

Success as a child star

Angela O'Brien was born in San Diego to a family of Irish and Spanish roots. Her ambitious mother, a dancer, marketed her for advertising at the age of three. She made her film debut in the musical film Babes on Broadway in 1941 at the side of Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney . With her small supporting role in this film, O'Brien caught the attention of MGM studio boss Louis B. Mayer . He was impressed with O'Brien's acting skills and signed her. It took almost a year for the studio to finally find a vehicle to showcase O'Brien as a star. Eventually she was given the role of an English orphan who lost her parents during the war and found new parents. Journey for Margaret , directed by WS Van Dyke, was a commercial hit, and five-year-old O'Brien became the most popular child star since Shirley Temple . Previously called Angela, O'Brien's first name was changed to Margaret, the name of her character in Journey for Margaret .

Margaret O'Brien (center) between US President Harry S. Truman and his daughter Margaret (1946)

After a supporting role in the literary film adaptation of Jane Eyre with Joan Fontaine and Orson Welles , O'Brien got one of her most famous roles: As the little sister of Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis by Vincente Minnelli . Her starring role in Meet Me in St. Louis made her one of the top ten box office stars in Hollywood. In 1944 she won a Juvenile Award , a (now abolished) special prize for particularly outstanding child actors, which can be equated with the Oscar . O'Brien was particularly known for her convincing "Howl" scenes. She then played in the fantasy comedy Das Gespenst von Canterville (1944) alongside Charles Laughton , in the film drama Spring of Life (1945) with Edward G. Robinson in the role of her father, and in the musical drama Tanz ohne Ende (1947) alongside Cyd Charisse . The big flop of her lavish film The Secret Garden in 1949 meant the end of O'Brien's career as a child star, especially as she was entering puberty. As with most child stars, adulthood ended O'Brien's stardom.

Further life

In 1951, O'Brien ended her Hollywood career as a child star after the film Her First Romance . In the 1950s she played regularly on television, which was a new medium at the time. Later attempts to make a comeback in film as an adult all failed - to this day it mostly only plays in independent films or small B-movies . For a long time she also appeared as an actress in touring theaters. From 1959 to 1968 she was married to Harold Allen Jr., the marriage ended in divorce. She has been married to Roy Thorsen since 1974 in her second marriage. She has a daughter from her second marriage.

Awards

Margaret O'Brien (2002)

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Commons : Margaret O'Brien  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files
personal data
SURNAME O'Brien, Margaret
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH January 15, 1937
PLACE OF BIRTH San Diego