Marilyn Harris (July 17, 1924 – December 1, 1999) was an American

child actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated te ...

who appeared in several

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) * Hollywood ...

productions in the 1930s and 1940s. She is best remembered for her role as "Little Maria" in the 1931 horror film ''

Frankenstein ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a Sapience, sapient Frankenstein's monster, crea ...

''.

Early life and career

Harris was born in

San Fernando, California San Fernando (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ferdinand III of Castile, St. Ferdinand") is a General-law municipality, general-law city in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It ...

and placed in a Los Angeles orphanage shortly after her birth. She was adopted by an area couple when she was a month old. Shortly after her adoption, she appeared in a

Rin Tin Tin Rin Tin Tin or Rin-Tin-Tin (October 10, 1918 – August 10, 1932) was a male German Shepherd born in Flirey, France, who became an international star in motion pictures. He was rescued from a World War I battlefield by an American soldier, ...

film. In her later years, Harris revealed that her adoptive mother forced her to pursue a screen career because of her own failed attempts to become an actress. Harris also claimed that her mother was physically and emotionally abusive. In 1931, Harris won the role of "Little Maria" in the horror film ''

''. In arguably the film's most memorable scene, Maria meets the fugitive monster (played by

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff () and occasionally billed as Karloff the Uncanny, was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstei ...

) beside a lake and charms the monster with her innocence, humanity and friendship. These were qualities that he had not experienced with hostile, untrusting adults. A children's game is tragically misinterpreted by the monster, and he throws Little Maria into the lake, unintentionally drowning her and turning the surrounding village's population into a lynch mob, seeking revenge after the child's body is found. The shot of Maria being thrown into the water was cut from original prints, and was restored in the 1980s. After appearing in ''Frankenstein'', Harris continued her career in small film roles. She left acting at the age of 19 shortly after marrying Wally Watkins, a bouncer she met while working as a cashier at the

Hollywood Palladium The Hollywood Palladium is a theater (building), theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was built in a Streamline Moderne, Art Deco style and ...

. The couple had a son the following year. After Harris' husband died in 1981, she remarried. Harris' second husband, Carl, died in 1988.Mank 1999 p.80

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harris 1924 births 1999 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American adoptees American child actresses American film actresses