Dorothy McGuire
- ️Wed Jun 14 1916
This article is about the American actress born in 1916. For the member of the McGuire Sisters singing trio, see The McGuire Sisters.
| Dorothy McGuire | |
|---|---|
 from the trailer for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) |
|
| Born | Dorothy Hackett McGuire June 14, 1916 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | September 13, 2001 (aged 85) Santa Monica, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1943–1990 |
| Spouse | John Swope (m. 1943–1979) |
Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress.
Career
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, she began her acting career on the stage at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Eventually, she reached Broadway, first appearing as an understudy to Martha Scott in Our Town, and subsequently starring in the domestic comedy, Claudia.
Brought to Hollywood by producer David O. Selznick on the strength of her stage performance, McGuire starred in her first film, a movie adaptation of her Broadway success, Claudia, and portrayed the character of a child bride who almost destroys her marriage through her selfishness. Her inaugural screen performance was popular with both the public and critics alike and was the catalyst for not only a sequel, Claudia and David (both movies co-starring Robert Young), but also for numerous other film roles.
By 1943, at the age of 27, she was already playing mother roles, in such movies as A Tree Grows In Brooklyn. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1947 for Gentleman's Agreement. Other notable films include The Enchanted Cottage, A Summer Place, Three Coins in the Fountain, Friendly Persuasion, Old Yeller, Swiss Family Robinson, The Greatest Story Ever Told, and The Dark at the Top of the Stairs.
McGuire had a long Hollywood career. Her versatility served her well in taut melodramas, such as The Spiral Staircase and Make Haste to Live, as well as in light, frothy comedies, such as Mother Didn't Tell Me and Mister 880.
Personal life and death
Married to Life magazine photographer John Swope (1908–1979) for more than 35 years, she had a son, photographer Mark Swope, and a daughter Topo (born 1948), who also became an actress.
McGuire died of cardiac arrest following a brief illness at the age of 85 in 2001. Her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Dorothy McGuire has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6933 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
Film and Television| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Claudia | Claudia Naughton | |
| 1944 | Reward Unlimited | Peggy | Short film |
| 1945 | The Enchanted Cottage | Laura Pennington | |
| 1945 | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Katie Nolan | |
| 1945 | The Spiral Staircase | Helen Capel | |
| 1946 | Claudia and David | Claudia Naughton | |
| 1946 | Till the End of Time | Pat Ruscomb | |
| 1947 | Gentleman's Agreement | Kathy Lacy | |
| 1950 | Mother Didn't Tell Me | Jane Morgan | |
| 1950 | Mister 880 | Ann Winslow | |
| 1951 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Judith Traherne | Episode: "Dark Victory" |
| 1951 | Callaway Went Thataway | Deborah Patterson | |
| 1951 | I Want You | Nancy Greer | |
| 1952 | Invitation | Ellen Bowker Pierce | |
| 1954 | Make Haste to Live | Crystal Benson | |
| 1954 | Three Coins in the Fountain | Miss Frances | |
| 1954 | The United States Steel Hour | Tina | Episode: "A Garden in the Sea" |
| 1954 | Lux Video Theatre | Jody Norris | Episode: "To Each His Own" |
| 1954 | The Best of Broadway | Tracy Lord | Episode: "The Philadelphia Story" |
| 1954 | Climax! | Janet Spence | Episode: "The Gioconda Smile" |
| 1955 | Trial | Abbe Nyle | |
| 1956 | Climax! | Miranda | Episode: "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" |
| 1956 | Friendly Persuasion | Eliza Birdwell | |
| 1957 | Old Yeller | Katie Coates | |
| 1959 | The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | Mrs. Emily 'Ma' Pennypacker | |
| 1959 | This Earth Is Mine | Martha Fairon | |
| 1959 | A Summer Place | Sylvia Hunter | |
| 1960 | The Dark at the Top of the Stairs | Cora Flood | |
| 1960 | The Swiss Family Robinson | Mother Robinson | |
| 1961 | Susan Slade | Leah Slade | |
| 1963 | Summer Magic | Margaret Carey | |
| 1964 | The Red Skelton Hour | Guest Vocalist | Episode: "A Man and His Money Are Soon Parted" |
| 1965 | The Greatest Story Ever Told | The Virgin Mary | |
| 1971 | Flight of the Doves | Granny O'Flaherty | |
| 1972 | Another Part of the Forest | Lavinia Hubbard | TV movie |
| 1972 | She Waits | Sarah Wilson | TV movie |
| 1973 | Jonathan Livingston Seagull | Mother (voice) | |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Mary Jordache | 7 episodes |
| 1978 | Little Women | Marmee March | |
| 1979 | The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel | Effie Webb | TV movie |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Hanna Hamilton | 1 episode |
| 1983 | Ghost Dancing | Sarah Bowman | TV movie |
| 1983 | Fantasy Island | Joan Mallory | Episode: "Three's a Crowd/Second Time Around" |
| 1984 | The Love Boat | Sarah Webster | 1 episode |
| 1984 | The Young and the Restless | Cora Miller | TV series |
| 1985 | Hotel | Mrs. Christopher | Episode: "Skeletons" |
| 1985 | Amos | Hester Farrell | TV movie |
| 1985 | Glitter | The Matriarch | Episode: "The Matriarch" |
| 1985 | Between the Darkness and the Dawn | Beryl Foster | TV movie |
| 1986 | St. Elsewhere | Augusta Endicott | 3 episodes |
| 1986 | American Geisha | Ann Suzuki | TV movie |
| 1986 | Highway to Heaven | Jane Thompson | Episode: "Keep Smiling" |
| 1987 | Summer Heat | Narrator (voice) | |
| 1988 | Highway to Heaven | Jane Thompson | Episode: "We Have Forever: Part 1" Episode: "We Have Forever: Part 2" |
| 1988 | I Never Sang for My Father | Margaret Garrison | |
| 1990 | Hallmark Hall of Fame | Flora Atkins | Episode: "Caroline?" |
| 1990 | The Last Best Year | Anne | TV movie |