Margaret Tallichet
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Margaret "Talli" Tallichet (March 13, 1914 – May 3, 1991) was an American actress and longtime wife of movie director
William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous awards and accolades, including three Aca ...
. Her best-known leading role was with
Peter Lorre Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, active first in Europe and later in the United States. Known for his timidly devious characters, his appearance, and accented vo ...
in the
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
''
Stranger on the Third Floor A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of ...
'' (1940).


Background

She was the great-granddaughter of Albert Tallichet, an antebellum emigre from Switzerland who settled in the town of
Demopolis, Alabama Demopolis is the largest city in Marengo County, Alabama, Marengo County, in west-central Alabama. The population was 7,162 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city lies at the confluence of the Black Warrior River and Tombigbee ...
, where he ran a grocery store. Her parents, David Compton Tallichet and Margaret Tallichet, moved from Alabama to Dallas, Texas before her birth. Margaret graduated from Southern Methodist University. She was an active member of
Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international sorority founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in Manhattan, New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage "AO ...
sorority.


Movie career

Tallichet came to California from her native Texas in 1936 seeking a career in the movie business.Obituary
"Margaret Tallichet; Actress, Widow of William Wyler
''Los Angeles Times'', May 6, 1991.
According to her obituary in the ''Los Angeles Times'', she was working in the publicity department at
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
when she was befriended by actress
Carole Lombard Carole Lombard (born Jane Alice Peters; October 6, 1908 – January 16, 1942) was an American actress, particularly noted for her energetic, often off-beat roles in screwball comedies. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked Lombard ...
. She was introduced to producer
David O. Selznick David O. Selznick (born David Selznick; May 10, 1902June 22, 1965) was an American film producer, screenwriter and film studio executive who produced ''Gone with the Wind (film), Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and ''Rebecca (1940 film), Rebecca'' (1 ...
, who gave her a screen test for the role of
Scarlett O'Hara Katie Scarlett O'Hara is the protagonist of Margaret Mitchell's 1936 in literature, 1936 novel ''Gone with the Wind (novel), Gone with the Wind'' and the 1939 Gone with the Wind (film), film of the same name, where she is portrayed by Vivien Le ...
in ''
Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...
.'' She initially was cast for the role of Scarlett's sister Careen O'Hara, but the role was given to
Ann Rutherford Therese Ann Rutherford (November 2, 1917 – June 11, 2012) was a Canadian-born American actress in film, radio, and television. She had a long career starring and co-starring in films, playing Polly Benedict during the 1930s and 1940s in the An ...
. Selznick also cast her in a minor uncredited role in ''A Star is Born'' (1937). At the outset of her acting career, she also appeared in ''A Desperate Adventure'' (1938) and ''
Girls' School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, same-sex education, same-gender education, and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in se ...
'' (1938).


Marriage and family

In 1938, an agent introduced her to
Goldwyn Pictures Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, ...
director
William Wyler William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a German-born American film director and producer. Known for his work in numerous genres over five decades, he received numerous awards and accolades, including three Aca ...
, who had been divorced from his first wife
Margaret Sullavan Margaret Brooke Sullavan (May 16, 1909 – January 1, 1960) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career onstage in 1929 with the University Players on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 1933, she caught the attention of film direct ...
, since 1936. Three weeks later, on October 23, 1938, they were married, at the lakeside home of
Walter Huston Walter Thomas Huston ( ; April 6, 1883 or 1884 – April 7, 1950) was a Canadian actor and singer. Huston won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in '' The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'', directed by his son John Huston. He ...
."Margaret Tallichet a Bride"
''New York Times'', October 23, 1938.
Before the United States entered World War II, both Tallichet and Wyler continued to work. She appeared in '' Stand Up and Fight'' (uncredited, 1939), ''
Stranger on the Third Floor A stranger is a person who is unknown or unfamiliar to another person or group. Because of this unknown status or unfamiliarity, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of ...
'' (1940), ''
It Started with Eve ''It Started with Eve'' is a 1941 American musical romantic comedy film directed by Henry Koster and starring Deanna Durbin, Robert Cummings, and Charles Laughton. The film received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Music Score ( Charle ...
'' (1941), and ''
The Devil Pays Off ''The Devil Pays Off'' is a 1941 American spy thriller film directed by John H. Auer and starring J. Edward Bromberg, Osa Massen and William Wright. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures.Fetrow p.115 The film was nominated fo ...
'' (1941). Also before the U.S. entered the war, her husband was an outspoken advocate for the defense of Great Britain. ''
Mrs. Miniver ''Mrs. Miniver'' is a 1942 American romantic war drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Inspired by the 1940 novel '' Mrs. Miniver'' by Jan Struther, it shows how the life of an unassuming Britis ...
'' (1942), his first Oscar-winning film, was a sympathetic portrayal of an English family enduring the
Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain () was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defended the United Kingdom (UK) against large-scale attacks by Nazi Germany's air force ...
. After completing this film, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and flew in missions over Europe in order to make documentaries about those adventures. At the 1943 Academy Awards program, Margaret accepted, in her husband's absence, his
Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...
in ''Mrs. Miniver''. She and Wyler were parents of five children: Catherine Wyler (born July 25, 1939), Judy Wyler (born May 21, 1942), William Wyler Jr. (born April 4, 1946; died November 27, 1949), Melanie Ann Wyler (born November 25, 1950), and David Wyler (born September 1952). They remained married for 42 years until her husband's death. She was also the sister of aviator and restaurateur David Tallichet Jr.


Death

She died on May 3, 1991, at age 77. According to her obituary in the ''New York Times'', the cause of her death was cancer.Obituary
Margaret Tallichet Wyler
New York Times, May 7, 1991.


Filmography


Notes


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tallichet, Margaret American film actresses Actresses from Dallas 1914 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American actresses Southern Methodist University alumni Actresses from Los Angeles American people of Swiss descent