Mae Marsh
Born Nov. 9, 1895, Madrid, NM. Marsh's father died
in 1899, and her family lost everything in the San Francisco earthquake
of 1906, so the family (mother, five daughters and one son) moved
to Hollywood. Marsh's older sister, Marguerite, worked for Biograph
first and introduced her to D.W. Griffith in 1912. Griffith didn't
immediately recognized her acting talents, and she began as an
extra in some Mack Sennett-directed comedies. Her first leading
roles for Griffith were in "Man's Genesis" (1912) and
"Sands O' Dee" (1912). Marsh's talent could not be denied
after her performances as the Little Sister in "The Birth
of a Nation" (1915) and as Robert Harron's newlywed wife
in "Intolerance." Marsh made six more films for Triangle,
none directed by Griffith. The most popular as probably "Hoodoo
Ann" (1916) which cast her as a poor orphan a la Mary Pickford.
At the end of 1916, she was signed by Goldwyn at $3,000 a week
where she made 13 features over the next three years. When her
contract with Goldwyn ended in 1920, she freelanced for three
years making only five films. She once again acted for Griffith
in his 1923 feature "The White Rose." Marsh only made
a few more films during the next couple of years. Her last appearance
on screen was in the 1925 "The Rat" which was made in
England. She retired from the screen to be with her husband and
three children. Unfortunately, the stock market crash of 1929
was devastating for Marsh and her family, and she returned to
acting in small roles during the 1930's. In 1939, she and her
husband filed for bankruptcy, but she continued to work, most
notably in several John Ford films such as "Drums Along the
Mohawk" (1939), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940), "Sergeant
Rutledge" (1960) and "Donovan's Reef" (1963). She
was a much-sought after character actress during the 1940's and
1950's, but finally had to retire in the early 1960's due to a
heart ailment. Marsh lived comfortably and happily until her death
Feb. 13, 1968.
Selected films of this star available for viewing:
Judith
of Bethulia (1914)
The Avenging Conscience (1914)
The Birth of a Nation (1915)
Hoodoo Ann (1916)
Intolerance (1916)
The Mother and the Law (1919)
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