Mary Forbes (born Ethel Louise Young; 1 January 1883 – 22 July 1974) was a British-American film actress, based in the United States in her latter years, where she died. She appeared in more than 130 films between 1919 and 1958.Baptismal record for Ralph Forbes Taylor
ancestry.com; accessed 25 September 2015. Forbes was born in Hornsey, England. She made her first public appearance on the concert platform giving recitals. Her acting debut was in 1908 on the London stage at Aldwych Theatre. Her American stage debut came in ''Romance'' at Maxine Elliott's Theatre in 1913. She took over management of the Ambassadors Theatre in 1913 and had several years experience on stage in Britain and America before her appearances in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

films. Two of her three children by her first marriage in the first quarter of 1904 to Ernest J. Taylor, Ralph and Dorothy Brenda, known as Brenda, were also actors. The middle child of the three, Phyllis Mary Taylor, was not in the acting business. Her second husband was British actor

Charles Quartermaine Charles Quatermaine (30 December 1877 in Richmond, Surrey – August 1958 in Sussex) was a British stage and film actor. He also appeared on Broadway. He was the second husband of actress Mary Forbes, and brother of Leon Quartermaine Leo ...

, who married in 1925; the union ended in divorce. She married her third husband, Wesley Wall, an American businessman, in 1935; the couple remained married until her death in 1974. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1943, with one of her character references being Lucile Webster Gleason, actress and wife of actor

James Gleason James Austin Gleason (May 23, 1882 – April 12, 1959) was an American actor, playwright and screenwriter born in New York City. Gleason often portrayed "tough-talking, world-weary guys with a secret heart-of-gold." Life and career Gleason w ...

Filmography

* ''Women Who Win'' (1919) - Ella Graham * '' The Lady Clare'' (1919) - Lady Julia Medwin * '' Nance'' (1920) - Felicia Damarche * ''

Inheritance Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Of ...

'' (1920) - Lady Isabel * '' Tillie the Toiler'' (1927) - Mrs. Fish - Pennington's Mother (uncredited) * ''

Her Private Life ''Her Private Life'' is a surviving 1929 American pre-Code drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Billie Dove, Walter Pidgeon and Holmes Herbert. The plot concerns an English aristocrat who causes a scandal when she divorces her h ...

'' (1929) - Ladu Wildering * '' Sunny Side Up'' (1929) - Mrs. Cromwell * '' The Thirteenth Chair'' (1929) - Lady Crosby * '' The Trespasser'' (1929) - Mrs. Ferguson * '' Strictly Unconventional'' (1930) - Mrs. Anna Shenstone * '' So This Is London'' (1930) - Lady Worthing * ''

Holiday A holiday is a day set aside by custom or by law on which normal activities, especially business or work including school, are suspended or reduced. Generally, holidays are intended to allow individuals to celebrate or commemorate an event or t ...

'' (1930) - Mrs. Pritchard Ames (uncredited) * ''

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

'' (1930) - Actress (uncredited) * '' East Is West'' (1930) - Mrs. Benson * '' The Devil to Pay!'' (1930) - Mrs. Hope (uncredited) * '' The Man Who Came Back'' (1931) - Mrs. Gaynes * '' Born to Love'' (1931) - The Duchess (uncredited) * ''

Chances Chances may refer to: * ''Chances'' (TV series), an Australian soap opera * ''Chances'' (Philippine TV series), a prime-time soap opera * '' Chances: The Women of Magdalene'', a 2006 documentary film * ''Chances'' (novel), a 1981 novel by Jac ...

'' (1931) - Mrs. Ingleside * '' The Brat'' (1931) - Mrs. Mary Forrester * '' Working Girls'' (1931) - Mrs. Johnstone * '' Stepping Sisters'' (1932) - Mrs. Tremaine * '' The Silent Witness'' (1932) - Lady Howard * ''

Vanity Fair Vanity Fair may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Literature * Vanity Fair, a location in '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678), by John Bunyan * ''Vanity Fair'' (novel), 1848, by William Makepeace Thackeray * ''Vanity Fair'' (magazines), the ...

'' (1932) - Mrs. Sedley * ''

A Farewell to Arms ''A Farewell to Arms'' is a novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, set during the Italian campaign of World War I. First published in 1929, it is a first-person account of an American, Frederic Henry, serving as a lieutenant () in the a ...

'' (1932) - Miss Van Campen * ''

Shock Shock may refer to: Common uses Collective noun *Shock, a historic commercial term for a group of 60, see English numerals#Special names * Stook, or shock of grain, stacked sheaves Healthcare * Shock (circulatory), circulatory medical emerge ...

'' (1934) - Lady Heatherly * '' Cavalcade'' (1933) * '' he Masquerader'' (1933) - Duchess of Churt (uncredited) * '' Bombshell'' (1933) - Mrs. Middleton * '' You Can't Buy Everything'' (1934) - Kate Farley * '' Carolina'' (1934) - Aunt Catherine (uncredited) * ''

Sadie McKee ''Sadie McKee'' is a 1934 American pre-Code, romantic-drama film directed by Clarence Brown, starring Joan Crawford, and featuring Gene Raymond, Franchot Tone, Edward Arnold, and Esther Ralston. The film is based on the 1933 short story "Pretty ...

'' (1934) - Mrs. Alderson (uncredited) * '' Born to Be Bad'' (1934) - Admirer at Nightclub (uncredited) * '' The Most Precious Thing in Life'' (1934) - Mrs. Kelsey * '' Now I'll Tell'' (1934) - Mrs. Drake (uncredited) * ''

'' (1934) - Lady Heatherly (uncredited) * '' Blind Date'' (1934) - Mrs. Hartwell * ''

She Was a Lady ''She Was a Lady'' is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris featuring his creation, Simon Templar, alias The Saint. The novel was first published in serialized form in the magazine ''Thriller'' in February and March 1930, and after be ...

'' (1934) - Lady Diana Vane * ''Oh Sailor Behave'' (1934 short) * '' British Agent'' (1934) - Lady Catherine Trehearne * ''

A Lost Lady ''A Lost Lady'' is a 1923 novel by American writer Willa Cather. It tells the story of Marian Forrester and her husband, Captain Daniel Forrester, who live in the Western town of Sweet Water along the Transcontinental Railroad. Throughout the ...

'' (1934) - Mrs. Hardy (uncredited) * ''

Two Heads on a Pillow ''Two Heads on a Pillow'' is a 1934 American romance film directed by William Nigh and written by Albert DeMond. The film stars Neil Hamilton, Miriam Jordan, Henry Armetta, Hardie Albright, Dorothy Appleby and Mary Forbes. The film was released o ...

'' (1934) - Mrs. Caroline Devonshire * '' Happiness Ahead'' (1934) - Mrs. Travis * ''

Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round ''Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round'' is a 1934 American drama film with musical and comedic elements, directed by Benjamin Stoloff. Plot Gangster Lee Lother (Sidney Blackmer) is shot and killed during an ocean liner cruise, and we're introduced in ...

'' (1934) - Passenger Campbell Sits Next To (uncredited) * '' We Live Again'' (1934) - Mrs. Kortchagin (uncredited) * '' The Painted Veil'' (1934) - Mrs. Braithwaite (uncredited) * '' Roberta'' (1935) - Mrs. Teale (uncredited) * '' McFadden's Flats'' (1935) (uncredited) * '' Laddie'' (1935) - Mrs. Anna Pryor * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its origin ...

'' (1935) - Mlle. Baptiseme * ''

Dizzy Dames ''Dizzy Dames'' is a 1935 American musical film directed by William Nigh and written by George Waggner. The film stars Marjorie Rambeau, Florine McKinney, Lawrence Gray, Inez Courtney, Berton Churchill and Fuzzy Knight. The film was released on M ...

'' (1935) - Mrs. Stokes * '' Stranded'' (1935) - Grace Dean (uncredited) * ''

Anna Karenina ''Anna Karenina'' ( rus, «Анна Каренина», p=ˈanːə kɐˈrʲenʲɪnə) is a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy, first published in book form in 1878. Widely considered to be one of the greatest works of literature ever writt ...

'' (1935) - Princess Sorokina * '' Rendezvous'' (1935) - Lady Cavendish (uncredited) * '' The Perfect Gentleman'' (1935) - Lady Clyffe-Pembrook * '' The Widow from Monte Carlo'' (1935) - Lady Holloway * '' Captain Blood'' (1935) - Mrs. Steed * '' The White Angel'' (1936) - First Lady Disapproving of Florence (uncredited) * ''

Wedding Present The Wedding Present are an English indie rock group originally formed in 1985 in Leeds, England, from the ashes of The Lost Pandas. The band's music has evolved from fast-paced indie rock in the vein of their most obvious influences The F ...

'' (1936) - Mrs. Dodacker * '' Theodora Goes Wild'' (1936) - Mrs. Wyatt (uncredited) * ''

Women of Glamour ''Women of Glamour'' is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Gordon Wiles and starring Virginia Bruce, Melvyn Douglas and Reginald Denny.Goble p.1022 It is a remake of the 1930 film ''Ladies of Leisure'', which was itself based on the 1926 s ...

'' (1937) - Mrs. Stark * '' Another Dawn'' (1937) - Mrs. Lydia Benton * '' Wee Willie Winkie'' (1937) - Mrs. MacMonachie * '' The Life of the Party'' (1937) - Mrs. Saunders (uncredited) * '' One Hundred Men and a Girl'' (1937) - Concert Hall Patron (uncredited) * ''

Stage Door ''Stage Door'' is a 1937 RKO film directed by Gregory La Cava. Adapted from the play of the same name, it tells the story of several would-be actresses who live together in a boarding house at 158 West 58th Street in New York City. The film ...

'' (1937) - Cast of Stage Play * '' The Awful Truth'' (1937) - Mrs. Vance * ''What Do You Think? (Number Three)'' (1939 short) - Mrs. Dosier (uncredited) * '' Everybody Sing'' (1938) - Miss Colvin * ''

Outside of Paradise ''Outside of Paradise'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by John H. Auer and written by Harry Sauber. The film stars Phil Regan, Penny Singleton, Bert Gordon, Leonid Kinskey, Ruth Coleman and Mary Forbes. The film was released on Febru ...

'' (1938) - Mrs. Stonewall * '' The Rage of Paris'' (1938) - Woman in Opera Box (uncredited) * '' Always Goodbye'' (1938) - Aunt Martha Marshall * '' You Can't Take It with You'' (1938) - Meriam Kirby, Anthony's wife * '' Three Loves Has Nancy'' (1938) - Mrs. Hansen * '' Just Around the Corner'' (1938) - Miss Vincent (uncredited) * '' You Can't Cheat an Honest Man'' (1939) - Mrs. Bel-Goodie * '' Fast and Loose'' (1939) - Mrs. Torrent * ''

Risky Business ''Risky Business'' is a 1983 American teen comedy-drama film written and directed by Paul Brickman (in his directorial debut) and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. Best known as Cruise's breakout film, ''Risky Business'' was a critica ...

'' (1939) - Mrs. Jameson * ''

The Ice Follies of 1939 ''The Ice Follies of 1939'' is a 1939 American musical drama film directed by Reinhold Schünzel, and starring Joan Crawford, James Stewart, Lew Ayres and Lewis Stone. Using a show business backdrop, and featuring The International Ice Follies, ...

'' (1939) - Lady Hilda (uncredited) * '' Three Smart Girls Grow Up'' (1939) - Mrs. Withers (uncredited) * '' Outside These Walls'' (1939) - Gertrude Bishop * '' The Sun Never Sets'' (1939) - Mrs. Randolph * '' It Could Happen to You'' (1939) - Mrs. Quigley (uncredited) * '' Should Husbands Work?'' (1939) - Mrs. Barnes * '' I Stole a Million'' (1939) - Customer in Flower Shop (uncredited) * '' These Glamour Girls'' (1939) - Mrs. Van Reichton (uncredited) * '' The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' (1939) - Lady Conyngham * '' Hollywood Cavalcade'' (1939) - Mrs. Gaynes * ''

Ninotchka ''Ninotchka'' is a 1939 American romantic comedy film made for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer by producer and director Ernst Lubitsch and starring Greta Garbo and Melvyn Douglas. It was written by Billy Wilder, Charles Brackett, and Walter Reisch, based ...

'' (1939) - Lady Lavenham - Indignant Woman in Doorway (uncredited) * '' Laddie'' (1940) - Mrs. Anna Pryor * '' Florian'' (1940) - Grandmother (uncredited) * ''Blame It on Love'' (1940) - Mrs. Wadsworth * '' Private Affairs'' (1940) - Mrs. Stanley * ''

All This, and Heaven Too ''All This, and Heaven Too'' is a 1940 American drama film made by Warner Bros.-First National Pictures, produced and directed by Anatole Litvak with Hal B. Wallis as executive producer. The screenplay was adapted by Casey Robinson from the 1938 ...

'' (1940) - Lady at the Theatre (uncredited) * ''

Girl from Avenue A ''Girl from Avenue A'' is a 1940 American comedy film, directed by Otto Brower. It stars Jane Withers, Kent Taylor, and Kay Aldridge. Cast * Jane Withers as Jane * Kent Taylor as MacMillan Forrester * Kay Aldridge as Lucy * Elyse Knox as Angela ...

'' (1940) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' South of Suez'' (1940) - Mrs. Putnam * '' Back Street'' (1941) - Mrs. Williams (uncredited) * '' When Ladies Meet'' (1941) - Freddie's Mother (uncredited) * '' Nothing But the Truth'' (1941) - Mrs. Ralston * ''

Paris Calling ''Paris Calling'' is a 1941 war film noir directed by Edwin L. Marin and starring Randolph Scott, Elisabeth Bergner, and Basil Rathbone. Plot Cast * Elisabeth Bergner as Marianne Jannetier * Randolph Scott as Lt. Nicholas 'Nick' Jordan * Basi ...

'' (1941) - Lady Guest (uncredited) * '' We Were Dancing'' (1942) - Mrs. Louise Sandys (uncredited) * ''

Klondike Fury ''Klondike Fury'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by William K. Howard, produced by the King Brothers, and released through Monogram. It stars Edmund Lowe. It was a remake of '' Klondike''. Plot A neurosurgeon is thrown out of the medic ...

'' (1942) - Lady Leslie Clayfair * '' Twin Beds'' (1942) - (uncredited) * '' This Above All'' (1942) - Vicar's Wife (uncredited) * '' Almost Married'' (1942) - Mrs. Marvin * '' The Great Impersonation'' (1942) - Lady Leslie Clayfair * '' Sherlock Holmes in Washington'' (1943) - Mother Pettibone (uncredited) * '' Mr. Lucky'' (1943) - War Relief Worker (uncredited) * '' Two Tickets to London'' (1943) - Dame Dunne Hartley * '' Dangerous Blondes (1943) - Isabel Fleming (uncredited) * '' Flesh and Fantasy'' (1943) - Lady Thomas (uncredited) * ''

Women in Bondage ''Women in Bondage'' is a 1943 World War II film about conditions for women under Hitler's regime directed by Steve Sekely and starring Gail Patrick and Nancy Kelly. The plot involves two women imprisoned for speaking out against the government. ...

'' (1943) - Gladys Bracken * ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' (1943) - Mrs. Eshton (uncredited) * '' What a Woman!'' (1943) - Senator's Wife (uncredited) * ''

Tender Comrade ''Tender Comrade'' is a 1943 black-and-white film released by RKO Radio Pictures, showing women on the home front living communally while their husbands are away at war. The film stars Ginger Rogers, Robert Ryan, Ruth Hussey, and Kim Hunter and ...

'' (1943) - Mrs. Flanagan - Jo's Mother (uncredited) * '' Ladies Courageous'' (1944) - Sister Rose (uncredited) * ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical '' Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''The Picture of Dorian G ...

'' (1945) - Lady Agatha * ''

A Guy, a Gal and a Pal ''A Guy, a Gal and a Pal'' is a 1945 American comedy-drama romance film directed by Budd Boetticher (as Oscar Boetticher Jr.) and starring Ross Hunter and Lynn Merrick.Budd Boetticher: The Last Interview Wheeler, Winston Dixon. Film Criticism; Mea ...

'' (1945) - Mrs. Breckenridge (uncredited) * '' I'll Remember April'' (1945) - Mrs. Barrington * '' Earl Carroll Vanities'' (1945) - Queen Mother Elena * '' That's the Spirit'' (1945) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Guest Wife'' (1945) - Dinner Guest (uncredited) * ''

Lady on a Train ''Lady on a Train'' is a 1945 American film noir crime film directed by Charles David and starring Deanna Durbin, Ralph Bellamy, and David Bruce. Based on a story by Leslie Charteris, the film is about a woman who witnesses a murder in a near ...

'' (1945) - Waring Cousin (uncredited) * '' That Night with You'' (1945) - Mrs. Brock (uncredited) * '' One Way to Love'' (1946) - Distinguished Woman (uncredited) * '' Terror by Night'' (1946) - Lady Margaret Carstairs * '' The Kid from Brooklyn'' (1946) - Garden Party Guest (uncredited) * '' A Stolen Life'' (1946) - Art Patron (uncredited) * '' Half-Wits Holiday'' (1947 short) - Countess Shpritzvasser (uncredited) * '' Cigarette Girl'' (1947) - Mrs. Halstead * ''

The Other Love ''The Other Love'' is a 1947 American film noir drama romance film directed by Andre DeToth and starring Barbara Stanwyck, David Niven, and Richard Conte. Written by Ladislas Fodor and Harry Brown based on the story "Beyond" by Erich Maria Remar ...

'' (1947) - Madame Gruen - Sanitarium Patient (uncredited) * ''

Ivy ''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...

'' (1947) - Lady Crail (uncredited) * '' The Secret Life of Walter Mitty'' (1947) - Mrs. Pierce (uncredited) * '' Down to Earth'' (1947) - Mrs. Fenimore Hume (uncredited) * '' Song of Love'' (1947) - Woman at Party (uncredited) * ''

The Exile ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1947) - Second Court Lady * '' It Had to Be You'' (1947) - Mrs. Kimberly (uncredited) * ''

The Judge Steps Out ''The Judge Steps Out'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Boris Ingster and written by Ingster and Alexander Knox. The film stars Knox and Ann Sothern, along with George Tobias, Sharyn Moffett, Florence Bates, Frieda Inescort and Myrna ...

'' (1948) - Margaret (uncredited) * '' The Black Arrow'' (1948) - Nun (uncredited) * '' You Gotta Stay Happy'' (1948) - Aunt Martha * ''Pest Man Wins'' (1951 short) - Party Guest (uncredited) * ''

'' (1952) - Nun (uncredited) * ''

Houseboat A houseboat is a boat that has been designed or modified to be used primarily as a home. Most houseboats are not motorized as they are usually moored or kept stationary at a fixed point, and often tethered to land to provide utilities. Ho ...

'' (1958) - British Society Woman (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Forbes, Mary 1883 births 1974 deaths English film actresses English silent film actresses 20th-century English actresses English theatre managers and producers Women theatre managers and producers British expatriate actresses in the United States People from Hornsey Actresses from London 20th-century English businesspeople