Mary Linley Taylor (1889–1982) born Hilda Mouat Biggs, was an English
stage actress
An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...
, who spent most of her adult life in
Korea
Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...
.
Background
Marly Linley Taylor was born on September 14, 1889, in Abbey Row, Westport,
Malmesbury
Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the upp ...
, to Dr. Charles Edward Forbes Mouat-Biggs and Mary Louisa Tickell. She had two sisters, Betty and Una. Betty was also an actress. Taylor married
Albert Wilder "Bruce" Taylor on June 15, 1917, at
St. Thomas Cathedral in
Bombay
Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...
, India. Their son, Bruce Tickell Taylor (1919-2015), was born in
Seoul
Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...
and was granted honorary citizenship by then-mayor
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak (; born 19 December 1941), often referred to by his initials MB, is a South Korean businessman and politician who served as the tenth president of South Korea from 2008 to 2013. Before his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engi ...
.
Married life in Korea
Mary and Albert lived in Seoul in ''
Dilkusha'', a house built in 1923 but from which they were forcibly evicted in 1942 by Japanese authorities. The house's name means 'Heart's Delight' in
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
, and was inspired by the famous house of the same name,
Dilkusha Kothi
Dilkusha Kothi is the remains of an eighteenth-century house built in the English baroque style in the quiet Dilkusha area of Lucknow in India. , in
Lucknow
Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, that the couple visited during their honeymoon. Mary was an active member of the Seoul Club, well known for her hospitality and dinner parties.
Albert, like his father and grandfather, was a successful gold miner. He was also a correspondent for
United Press International
United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...
. His connections, influence, and later refusal to leave Korea in 1941 led to him being deemed a criminal by the then-Japanese government, and he consequently spent six months in
Seodaemun Prison
Seodaemun Prison History Hall () is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun District, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907.
The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. During the early part of ...
. After returning to America the following year, he died in 1948. Mary returned to Korea to bury her husband next to his father's grave at
Yanghwajin Foreigners' Cemetery.
"Three Foreigners' Reminiscence of Seoul"
/ref> After her death, her autobiography ''Chain of Amber'' was published by her son, Bruce. ''Chain of Amber'' was translated into Korean in Seoul by Young-dahl Song in March, 2014.
Selected bibliography
* 1956 ''The Tiger's Claw'' (a biography of George Yankovsky)
* 1992 ''Chain of Amber''
* 2014 호박 목걸이(translation by Young-dahl Song)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Mary Linley
1889 births
1982 deaths
People from Malmesbury
English stage actresses