Mary Duncan (August 13, 1894 â€" May 9, 1993) was an American stage
and silent film actress. She is best known for her performances in
F.W. Murnau's City Girl (1930) and Morning Glory (1933).Duncan was
born in Northumberland County, Virginia, the sixth of eight children
born to Capt. William S. Duncan and his wife, Ada Thaddeus
Douglass.[citation needed] She attended Cornell University for two
years (or one year) before settling on acting as a career. When she
left Cornell, she studied acting under Yvette Guilbert.Duncan began
her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910.
Her Broadway credits include Human Nature (1925), All Wet (1925), New
Toys (1924), The Egotist (1922), Face Value (1921), and Welcome to Our
City (1919). In 1926 she played "Poppy" in the smash hit and
controversial play The Shanghai Gesture, in which Florence Reed played
her mother (known as "Mother Goddam"). Reed's character kills her
daughter in a startling end to the play. This play was turned into a
very sanitized film in 1941 with Gene Tierney.Duncan also starred in
the 1930 film City Girl by director F.W. Murnau.[citation needed]
After that, her career hit a lull. An article by Florabel Muir in the
New York Daily News in 1931 began: "Mary Duncan was in Hollywood
nearly all of last year looking for work with little or no luck. She
even altered her appearance by having things done to her nose, but
still the producers wouldn't give her a tumble."
and silent film actress. She is best known for her performances in
F.W. Murnau's City Girl (1930) and Morning Glory (1933).Duncan was
born in Northumberland County, Virginia, the sixth of eight children
born to Capt. William S. Duncan and his wife, Ada Thaddeus
Douglass.[citation needed] She attended Cornell University for two
years (or one year) before settling on acting as a career. When she
left Cornell, she studied acting under Yvette Guilbert.Duncan began
her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910.
Her Broadway credits include Human Nature (1925), All Wet (1925), New
Toys (1924), The Egotist (1922), Face Value (1921), and Welcome to Our
City (1919). In 1926 she played "Poppy" in the smash hit and
controversial play The Shanghai Gesture, in which Florence Reed played
her mother (known as "Mother Goddam"). Reed's character kills her
daughter in a startling end to the play. This play was turned into a
very sanitized film in 1941 with Gene Tierney.Duncan also starred in
the 1930 film City Girl by director F.W. Murnau.[citation needed]
After that, her career hit a lull. An article by Florabel Muir in the
New York Daily News in 1931 began: "Mary Duncan was in Hollywood
nearly all of last year looking for work with little or no luck. She
even altered her appearance by having things done to her nose, but
still the producers wouldn't give her a tumble."
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.