Marguerite Churchill
Encyclopedia
Marguerite Churchill was an American
movie actress with a film career spanning from 1929 to 1952.
She was daughter of a producer who owned a chain of theaters but he died when she was ten years old. She was educated in New York
at the Professional Children's School
and the Theatre Guild Dramatic School. She appeared on stage and was applauded on Broadway
as a leading lady when just sixteen years old. An official of the Fox Company saw her acting and gave her a contract which shortly afterwards led her to debut on screen in The Diplomats
.
in The Big Trail
(1930), an early widescreen
epic and Wayne's first leading role. She appeared with Wayne the following year in Girls Demand Excitement
(1931); with Spencer Tracy
in Quick Millions
(1931); with Will Rogers
in Ambassador Bill
(1931); with Warner Oland
in Charlie Chan Carries On
(1931); with George O'Brien in Riders of the Purple Sage
(1931); with Charles Farrell
in Girl Without a Room
(1933); with Ralph Bellamy
in The Final Hour
(1936); and with Boris Karloff
in The Walking Dead
(1936).
, whom she outlived by two years. Her daughter Orin O'Brien
has played double bass for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra since 1966. A third child, Brian, died in infancy in 1934.
After her divorce from O'Brien, she appeared in one movie and a few television plays. In 1954, she announced her engagement to Peter Ganine, a sculptor. It is unclear whether they ever married. {citation Hedda Hopper, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1954 p.A1:"Marguerite Churchill. to Be Wed" Former Film Star Marguerite Churchill will marry Peter Ganine at the Russian Orthodox Church here}
. She was survived by her daughter, Orin.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
movie actress with a film career spanning from 1929 to 1952.
She was daughter of a producer who owned a chain of theaters but he died when she was ten years old. She was educated in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
at the Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School
Professional Children's School is a not for profit, college preparatory school that was founded in New York City in 1914 to provide an education to young people working on the New York stage, in Vaudeville, or "on the road."-History:...
and the Theatre Guild Dramatic School. She appeared on stage and was applauded on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
as a leading lady when just sixteen years old. An official of the Fox Company saw her acting and gave her a contract which shortly afterwards led her to debut on screen in The Diplomats
The Diplomats
The Diplomats, also popularly known as Dipset, are a Harlem-based hip hop group founded by Cam'ron and Jim Jones in 1997. The original members of the group were Cam'ron, Freekey Zekey, and Jim Jones ; who all grew up together in Harlem...
.
Career
She played leading lady to John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
in The Big Trail
The Big Trail
The Big Trail is a lavish early widescreen movie shot on location across the American West starring John Wayne in his first leading role and directed by Raoul Walsh....
(1930), an early widescreen
Widescreen
Widescreen images are a variety of aspect ratios used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than the standard 1.37:1 Academy aspect ratio provided by 35mm film....
epic and Wayne's first leading role. She appeared with Wayne the following year in Girls Demand Excitement
Girls Demand Excitement
Girls Demand Excitement is a 1931 film starring Virginia Cherrill, John Wayne, and Marguerite Churchill. Wayne and Churchill had starred in the widescreen Western epic The Big Trail the previous year...
(1931); with Spencer Tracy
Spencer Tracy
Spencer Bonaventure Tracy was an American theatrical and film actor, who appeared in 75 films from 1930 to 1967. Tracy was one of the major stars of Hollywood's Golden Age, ranking among the top ten box office draws for almost every year from 1938 to 1951...
in Quick Millions
Quick Millions
Quick Millions is a 1931 Pre-Code crime film directed by Rowland Brown. The film involves a truck driver and the wealthy woman that he covets, and also features George Raft and Leon Ames in supporting roles.-Cast:...
(1931); with Will Rogers
Will Rogers
William "Will" Penn Adair Rogers was an American cowboy, comedian, humorist, social commentator, vaudeville performer, film actor, and one of the world's best-known celebrities in the 1920s and 1930s....
in Ambassador Bill
Ambassador Bill
Ambassador Bill is a 1931 comedy film starring Will Rogers and Marguerite Churchill. Directed by Sam Taylor, the movie also features Greta Nissen and Ray Milland....
(1931); with Warner Oland
Warner Oland
Warner Oland was a Swedish American actor most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:He was born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm Municipality,...
in Charlie Chan Carries On
Charlie Chan Carries On
Charlie Chan Carries On is the fifth novel in the Charlie Chan series by Earl Derr Biggers.-Plot summary:Inspector Duff, a Scotland Yard detective and friend of Chan's, first introduced in Behind That Curtain, is pursuing a murderer on an around-the-world voyage; so far, there have been murders in...
(1931); with George O'Brien in Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage
Riders of the Purple Sage is Zane Grey's best-known novel, originally published in 1912. Most critics agree that it played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre.- Plot in a paragraph :...
(1931); with Charles Farrell
Charles Farrell
Charles Farrell was an American film actor of the 1920s silent era and into the 1930s, and later a television actor...
in Girl Without a Room
Girl Without a Room
Girl Without a Room is a 1933 musical comedy film starring Charles Farrell, Charles Ruggles, and Marguerite Churchill. This early light comedy farce set in Paris was written by Claude Binyon, Frank Butler, and Jack Lait, and directed by Ralph Murphy....
(1933); with Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:He was born Ralph Rexford Bellamy in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise , a native of Canada, and Charles Rexford Bellamy. He ran away from home when he was fifteen and managed to get into a road show...
in The Final Hour
The Final Hour
"The Final Hour" is a single by Canadian country music artist Hank Smith. The song debuted at number 45 on the RPM Country Tracks chart on March 20, 1971. It peaked at number 1 on June 5, 1971.-Chart performance:-References:...
(1936); and with Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
in The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead (1936 film)
The Walking Dead is a 1936 horror film starring Boris Karloff as a wrongly executed man who is restored to life by a scientist . The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.-Plot:...
(1936).
Family
Churchill appeared in more than 25 films and was married to her one-time costar George O'Brien from July 15, 1933 until their divorce in 1948. They had three children, one of whom was novelist Darcy O'BrienDarcy O'Brien
Darcy O'Brien was an award-winning author of fiction and literary criticism, most well-known for his work in the genre of true crime. His first novel, A Way of Life, Like Any Other, was a fictionalized account of his childhood in Hollywood...
, whom she outlived by two years. Her daughter Orin O'Brien
Orin O'Brien
Orin O'Brien is an American double bassist. She has been a member of the New York Philharmonic since joining in 1966 under the direction of Leonard Bernstein and was the first woman to join the orchestra in its history...
has played double bass for the New York Philharmonic Orchestra since 1966. A third child, Brian, died in infancy in 1934.
After her divorce from O'Brien, she appeared in one movie and a few television plays. In 1954, she announced her engagement to Peter Ganine, a sculptor. It is unclear whether they ever married. {citation Hedda Hopper, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 1954 p.A1:"Marguerite Churchill. to Be Wed" Former Film Star Marguerite Churchill will marry Peter Ganine at the Russian Orthodox Church here}
Later years
In 1960, she moved to Rome, Italy and in 1970 to Lisbon, Portugal. She came back to the United States in the 1990s to live near her son, Darcy, whom she outlived by two years.Death
She died on January 9, 2000, aged 89, from natural causes in Broken Arrow, OklahomaBroken Arrow, Oklahoma
Broken Arrow is a city located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Oklahoma, primarily in Tulsa County but also with a small section of the city in western Wagoner County. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2010 US Census, Broken Arrow has a population of 98,850 residents...
. She was survived by her daughter, Orin.
Selected filmography
- They Had to See ParisThey Had to See ParisThey Had to See Paris is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Will Rogers, Irene Rich and Marguerite Churchill. A wealthy American oil tycoon travels to Paris with his family at his wife's request, despite the fact he hates the French.Rogers starred in a similar film...
(1929) - Born RecklessBorn Reckless (1930 film)Born Reckless is a American crime comedy directed by Andrew Bennison and John Ford, from a screenplay written by Donald Henderson Clarke based on his novel Louis Beretti. The film starred Edmund Lowe and Catherine Dale Owen.-Plot:...
(1930)