American theater and film actress Aline McMahon lived 92 years, more than 50 years of which she devoted to her creative work. In the movie, McMahon played mostly supporting roles, but they were so bright and memorable that she was nominated for the prestigious Oscar. In the film career of the actress, the image of mothers and grandmothers, which came in the 1930-1940s, became the most famous.
Childhood and early years of Aline McMahon
Aline Lavigne McMahon was born on May 3, 1899 to William Marcus McMahon and Jenny Simon McMahon. Her father worked as the editor-in-chief of a circulation magazine, and her mother was a theater actress who began her career at the age of 53 and lived to a very old age - 106 years. Despite his Scottish surname, McMahon has Jewish, Irish and Russian roots in the family tree.
When the girl was still too young, the family decided to move to Brooklyn. Later, Aline studied at the New York School and in 1920 graduated from the prestigious Barnard College - a private female liberal arts college, founded in 1889 and operating to this day.
Career as an actress in the theater
Shortly after completing her studies, Aline McMahon developed an interest in acting and decided to try her talent at local theater. The rising star was warmly received by the public, and in 1921 Aline went to Broadway, where she performed one of the characters in the production of Mirage.
Throughout the 1920s, Aline pursued a successful theatrical career on Broadway, often playing comedic characters. In 1926, she proved to herself and the audience that her talent is multifaceted, and brilliantly coped with the dramatic role in O'Neill Eugene's play "Over the Horizon", revealing the story of a woman with whom two men are in love.
The famous playwright and actor of the time, Noel Coward, described Aline McMahon as "amazing, touching and beautiful" actress. American journalist and critic Alexander Woolcott praised McMahon's talent and described her as "a living actress with an atypical appearance, whose performance the audience believes."
Aline McMahon's creative career spans almost 55 years, during which time she has taken part in many productions, performances and adaptations of books. Most of the roles played by the actress were enthusiastically received by both critics and spectators.
The most successful theatrical works of Aline McMahon were:
- the play by Maxwell Anderson "Saint Mark's Eve" (1942-43) - a war drama;
- a comic play by T. S. Eliot's Personal Secretary (1954) about a wealthy entrepreneur who decided to bring his illegitimate son Colby to his house and hire him as a secret clerk. This decision gives rise to many comical situations in the family.
- A play by the Irish playwright Sean O'Casey "On the Threshold" (1956) about the life story of a teenager from Dublin.
Aline McMahon's film career
The first film debut of the actress took place in 1931 in the film "The Last Five Stars", playing the minor role of Miss Taylor.
At the beginning of her career, the actress often got the role of evil secretaries ("The Voice of the Law", "The Gold Miners of 1933").
Throughout her film career, Aline McMahon received only supporting roles.
In 1932, the actress starred in the comedy Once in a Lifetime, playing May Daniels.
Deciding to move away from the stereotype, Aline McMahon has appeared in several memorable dramatic films "Silver Dollar", "The Life of Jimmy Dolan", "Babbit", "Oh, what nonsense!".
In 1933, Aline McMahon was named one of the 10 Most Elegant Actresses, along with Katharine Hepburn and Helen Hayes.
In the 1940s, the actress returned to minor roles, but she performed them so well that for the image of the Chinese mother Ling Tang in the film "Dragon Seed" was nominated for an Oscar for the first time in her career.
In adulthood, Aline McMahon began to embody the images of mothers and grandmothers on the screen, for example, as in the biographical drama The Stories of Eddie Cantor or the melodrama The Diamond Crown of the Borax.
In 1950, Aline McMahon took over as theater director, where she was mainly involved in the production and production of performances.
Among the last appearances of the actress in the cinema was the dramatic film All the Way Home, which tells the story of a boy and his mother, who tells her son the sad news of the death of his father. Aline McMahon played Aunt Anna in the film. In the same year, the actress starred in the musical drama "I Could Keep Singing" with Judy Garland, after which McMahon returned to work in the theater.
Walter Kerr, an American writer, published his review of the actress's work in The New York Times: “I have watched Aline McMahon's work for many years, and her acting has always satisfied me. Sometimes more, sometimes less, but, nevertheless, always”.
Personal life of the actress
Aline McMahon was late married. In 1928, she married New York architect and urban greening advocate, Clarence Stein (1882-1975). The couple lived together for 47 years, until the death of the actress's husband in 1975 at the age of 92. There were no children from the marriage.
The actress's unusual appearance, thick eyebrows, heavy eyelids and a melancholic look, inspired the American sculpture of Japanese origin Isamu Noguchi to create a marble bust, and British photographer Cecil Beaton to create magnificent photographs.
The actress took part in charitable organizations.
Aline McMahon died on October 12, 1991, seven years after her mother's death, at her home in New York City from pneumonia. The actress was 92 years old.
