Dorothy McGuire

Dorothy Hackett McGuire (June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress.

She appeared in summer stock at Deertrees, Maine, in 1937 before going to New York.

She acted on radio, playing Sue in the serial Big Sister (1937) and took part in an experimental television broadcast, The Mysterious Mummy Case (1938).

She was hired by producer Jed Harris to understudy the ingenue in a Broadway play, Stop Over (1938), which ran only 23 performances.

McGuire was an understudy to Martha Scott in Our Town in 1938, eventually taking over Scott's role.

She toured in My Dear Children opposite John Barrymore, and in 1939, was in a revue with Benny Goodman, Swingin' the Dream.

She had a role in the short-lived Medicine Show (1940), and a part in the longer-running revival of Kind Lady (1940).

McGuire gained attention on Broadway when cast in the title role of the domestic comedy Claudia.

It ran for 722 performances from 1941 to 1943.

Brooks Atkinson wrote: "She gives a splendid performance of a part that would be irritating if it were played by a dull actress. She is personally genuine; the charm she radiates across the play is not merely theatrical mannerism."

Brought to Hollywood by producer David O. Selznick (who called her "a born actress") on the strength of her stage performance, McGuire starred in her first film, Claudia (1943), a movie adaptation of her Broadway success.

She portrayed a child bride who almost destroys her marriage through her selfishness.

Selznick developed the project, which co-starred Robert Young, then sold it to 20th Century Fox; under this deal, Selznick would share McGuire's contract with Fox.

RKO reunited McGuire with Young in The Enchanted Cottage (1945), which was a box-office success.

At age 28, she played the mother in A Tree Grows In Brooklyn (1945), replacing Gene Tierney, who had become pregnant.

Under the direction of Elia Kazan at 20th Century Fox, the film was a big success.

So, too, was The Spiral Staircase (1946) in which McGuire played the lead role, a mute.

It was originally prepared by Selznick, who envisioned Ingrid Bergman in the lead; Selznick sold the project to RKO along with the services for his producer Dore Schary.

McGuire and Young made a third film together, Claudia and David (1946), a sequel to Claudia, which was less well received.

Schary and RKO put her in Till the End of Time (also 1946), a hit with audiences.

She later said: "I fought the hardest for this role and it was my least successful. I went right back to playing nice girls and faithful wives. "

She was offered the lead in Anna and the King of Siam (1946), but turned it down to go travelling with her family.

She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) and won the National Board of Review Award for Best Actress for Friendly Persuasion (1956).

McGuire was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Gentleman's Agreement (1947) directed by Kazan for Fox.

The film was a surprise hit.

Following this film, McGuire, co-star Gregory Peck, and some other actors helped form the La Jolla Playhouse.

She appeared in productions of The Importance of Being Earnest, I Am a Camera, The Winslow Boy, and Tonight at 8:30, then went to live in Italy for a year.

Selznick announced a variety of films to star McGuire that were not made, including Dark Medallion, A Doll's House Wings of the Dove and Sands of Time.

McGuire was a member of the cast of Big Sister (playing Sue Evans ), and Joyce Jordan, M.D..

She also appeared in This Is My Best (Miracle in the Rain), Screen Directors Playhouse (The Spiral Staircase) and in Theatre Guild on the Air (Hamlet A Doll's House, Our Town ).

McGuire spent some time away from screens before returning in two movies for Fox, Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950) and Mister 880 (1950).

Neither was particularly popular.

She starred as the mother in the popular films Old Yeller (1957) and Swiss Family Robinson (1960).

McGuire was born in Omaha, Nebraska, the only child of Isabelle Flaherty McGuire and Thomas Johnson McGuire.

She made her stage debut at age 13 at the local community playhouse in Barrie's A Kiss for Cinderella.

Her co-star was Henry Fonda, who was also born in Nebraska and was making a return visit to his home town after becoming a success on Broadway.

After her father's death, McGuire attended a convent school in Indianapolis, Indiana.

She later attended Pine Manor Junior College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, serving as president of that school's drama club.

She graduated from Pine Manor when she was 19.

McGuire was one of the most sought after models under Walter Thornton's management.