Marietta Canty

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Marietta Canty (born September 30, 1905 in Hartford , Connecticut , † July 9, 1986 ibid) was an American actress and activist .

life and career

Marietta Canty's home in Hartford

At the age of 18 Canty began her show career with the Gilpen Players, a group of African American actors. She was first seen on Broadway in 1929 with George White's Scandals and appeared there in several plays in the following years. She also trained as a nurse.

Marietta Canty appeared in a total of 40 films between 1940 and 1955. Like many African-American actresses of her generation, she was primarily committed to portraying maids, although she always embodied them with dignity. She made two of her first prominent film appearances in 1942 in the adventure film The Buccaneer and in the screwball comedy Fräulein Mama , in each of which she played the loyal maid of Marlene Dietrich's main character. In Vincent Minnelli's comedy Father of the Bride , Canty appeared as Delilah , the maid of Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor's family, in 1950 . In the sequel A Gift from Heaven a year later, she played this role again. Canty's last film role is also one of her best known: In ... because they don't know what they are doing , she played the loving caretaker of the youth played by Sal Mineo , who is neglected by his parents, and mourns his death in one of the last scenes of the film urgent.

In 1955, Canty left the film business to take care of her ailing father. She returned to her native Hartford, where she was employed as a nurse until her retirement in 1971. In Hartford she made a name for herself through her involvement in many clubs and acted as a justice of the peace between 1966 and 1973 . She was involved in the Republican Party , the local Methodist Church and associations that campaigned for the rights of African Americans and women. Canty has received multiple awards for charitable work, and her birthplace and home is listed as the Marietta Canty House on the National Register of Historic Places .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Jeff Joeckel: Marietta Canty House, Women's History Month 2002 - A National Register of Historic Places Feature. March 1, 2002, accessed March 20, 2020 .
  2. ^ Marietta Canty - Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB. Retrieved March 20, 2020 .
  3. ^ Jeff Joeckel: Marietta Canty House, Women's History Month 2002 - A National Register of Historic Places Feature. March 1, 2002, accessed March 20, 2020 .
  4. ^ Marietta Canty House. In: Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project. March 28, 2015, accessed March 20, 2020 .
  5. ^ Marietta Canty | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos. Retrieved March 20, 2020 (American English).
  6. ^ Marietta Canty House. In: Connecticut History | a CTHumanities Project. March 28, 2015, accessed March 20, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Canty, Marietta
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH September 30, 1905
PLACE OF BIRTH Hartford , Connecticut , United States
DATE OF DEATH July 9, 1986
Place of death Hartford , Connecticut , United States