Margo (born María Margarita Guadalupe Teresa Estela Bolado Castilla y O'Donnell, May 10, 1917 – July 17, 1985) was a Mexican actress and dancer. She appeared in many film, stage, and television productions, including '' Lost Horizon'' (1937), '' The Leopard Man'' (1943), ''

Viva Zapata! ''Viva Zapata!'' is a 1952 American biographical Western film directed by Elia Kazan, dramatizing the life of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata from his peasant upbringing through his rise to power in the early 1900s and his death in 1919. I ...

'' (1952), and ''

I'll Cry Tomorrow ''I'll Cry Tomorrow'' (1955) is a biopic that tells the story of Lillian Roth, a Broadway star who rebels against the pressure of her domineering mother and struggles with alcoholism after the death of her fiancé. It stars Susan Hayward, Rich ...

'' (1955). She married actor

Eddie Albert Edward Albert Heimberger (April 22, 1906 – May 26, 2005) was an American actor. He is known for his roles on stage and screen and received nominations for two Academy Awards, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. Albert made his actin ...

in 1945 and was later known as Margo Albert.

Early life and career

Margo was born into a musically talented family in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

in 1917. As a child, she trained as a dancer with Eduardo Cansino, the father of

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

."Margo Is Dead at 68; Film and Stage Actress"
obituary, digital archives of ''The New York Times'', July 18, 1985. Retrieved March 10, 2018. At the age of nine, she began dancing professionally with her uncle Xavier Cugat and his band in performances at Mexican nightclubs.Price, Victoria. ''Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography'', Open Road Media, 2014.

/ref> Margo travelled to the United States as a child, living in New York City with her aunt, singer Carmen Castillo. While accompanying her uncle's band during a performance at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, Margo was noticed by producer and director

Ben Hecht Ben Hecht (; February 28, 1894 – April 18, 1964) was an American screenwriter, director, producer, playwright, journalist, and novelist. A journalist in his youth, he went on to write 35 books and some of the most enjoyed screenplays and play ...

and screenwriter Charles MacArthur, who cast the 17-year-old performer as the lead in their film '' Crime Without Passion''. Margo also played the character of Miriamne Esdras both on stage and in the 1936 film version of '' Winterset'', which one critic called a "cinemagoer's must". Other notable roles in the 1930s include parts in the 1937 film '' Lost Horizon'' and Broadway productions of

Maxwell Anderson James Maxwell Anderson (December 15, 1888 – February 28, 1959) was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist, and lyricist. Anderson faced many challenges in his career, frequently losing jobs for expressing his opinions or supporting ...

's ''Masque of Kings'' (1937) and

Sidney Kingsley Sidney Kingsley (October 22, 1906 – March 20, 1995) was an American dramatist. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play '' Men in White'' in 1934. Life and career Kingsley was born Sidney Kirschner in New York. He studied a ...

's ''The World We Make'' (1939).

Blacklisting

While Margo continued to act in films until the 1960s, her career was curtailed by the television blacklist that began in 1950, with the targeting of Gypsy Rose Lee, Jean Muir,

Hazel Scott Hazel Dorothy Scott (June 11, 1920 – October 2, 1981) was a Trinidadian jazz and classical pianist and singer. An outspoken critic of racial discrimination and segregation, she used her influence to improve the representation of Black America ...

, and Ireene Wicker. Margo held progressive political views, but she was not a member of the Communist Party. In 1950, her name and that of her husband,

, were published in '' Red Channels'', an anti-Communist pamphlet that purported to expose Communist influence within the entertainment industry. ''Red Channels'' labeled her a communist because of her support for the

Hollywood Ten The Hollywood blacklist was the mid-20th century banning of suspected Communists from working in the United States entertainment industry. The blacklisting, blacklist began at the onset of the Cold War and Red Scare#Second Red Scare (1947–1957 ...

, her advocacy for peace, and her support for refugees. In 1964, she played the role of Selena in the ''

Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...

'' episode "A Man Called Mushy". Albert's son spoke of his parents' blacklisting in an interview published in December 1972, crediting Albert's service during World War II with ultimately saving his career. Eddie Albert's film career survived the blacklist, but Margo was blacklisted by the major Hollywood studios.

Arts activism and engagement

In the years after the blacklist, Margo pursued her advocacy for arts and education. In 1970, along with Frank Lopez, a trade union activist, Margo founded Plaza de la Raza (Place of the People) in East Los Angeles. A cultural center for arts and education, Plaza de la Raza remains in operation today, providing year-round programming in arts education. Her work with Plaza de la Raza included serving as the artistic director and as chairwoman of the board. Albert's commitment to the arts extended beyond her work in East Los Angeles: she served as a steering committee member on the

President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities The President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities (PCAH) was an advisory committee to the President of the United States on cultural issues. It works directly with the White House and the three primary cultural agencies: the National End ...

and was a member of the board of the National Council of the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

Personal life

Margo was married twice. In 1937, she wed actor Francis Lederer, but they divorced in 1940. In December 1945, three years after she became a naturalized citizen of the United States, she married actor

. She and Albert had two children, a son (actor Edward Albert) and an adopted daughter (Maria Carmen Zucht, who served as her father's business manager). The couple were married for 40 years, until 1985 when she died from brain cancer at age 68 in their home in

Pacific Palisades, California Pacific Palisades is a neighborhood in the Westside Los Angeles, Westside region of the city of Los Angeles, California, situated about west of downtown Los Angeles. Throughout January 2025, the majority of Pacific Palisades was severely affec ...

. Her gravesite is in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Stage work

* September 25, 1935 – March 1936: ''Winterset'' * February 8, 1937 – April 24, 1937: ''The Masque of Kings'' * November 20, 1939 – January 27, 1940: ''The World We Make'' * February 4, 1941 – February 23, 1941: ''Tanyard Street'' * December 6, 1944 – October 27, 1945: ''A Bell for Adano''

Filmography

This filmography of theatrical features is believed to be complete. *1934: '' Crime Without Passion'' *1935: '' Rumba'' *1936: '' The Robin Hood of El Dorado'' *1936: '' Winterset'' *1937: '' Lost Horizon'' *1939: '' El Milagro de la calle mayor'' *1939: '' Miracle on Main Street'' *1943: '' The Leopard Man'' *1943: '' Behind the Rising Sun'' *1943: '' Gangway for Tomorrow'' *1952: ''

'' as Soldadera *1955: ''

'' as Selma *1957: ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western television series that aired for eight seasons, first on the NBC television network (1957–1962) and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and reached the top of the ...

'' as Mrs. John Darro *1958: '' From Hell to Texas'' as Mrs. Bradley *1962: '' Who's Got the Action?'' as Roza *1965: ''

'' as Selena *1970: '' Diary of a Mad Housewife'' as Valma

References

External links

* * *
Margo Albert family information
{{DEFAULTSORT:Margo 1917 births 1985 deaths Mexican film actresses Actresses from Mexico City Mexican emigrants to the United States People from Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles Deaths from brain cancer in California Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Mexican people of Irish descent Hollywood blacklist American film actresses 20th-century Mexican actresses 20th-century American actresses Naturalized citizens of the United States