Margaret O'Neil (16 June 1898 – 7 January 1960) was an Irish-American

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

actress.

Childhood

Her family migrated at the turn of the century from Ireland to Canada, soon moving to

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is a Administrative divisions of New York (state), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and county seat of Erie County, New York, Erie County. It lies in Western New York at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of ...

. It is unclear whether Peggy was born there or in Ireland.("I am Irish – impulse rather than reason guided me"). O'Neil attended a Loreto

convent school Catholic schools are parochial pre-primary, primary and secondary educational institutions administered in association with the Catholic Church. , the Catholic Church operates the world's largest religious, non-governmental school system. In 201 ...

. At the age of nine, her father Frederick died in a train wreck, her mother Mary Buckley O'Neill died three years later. Peggy came under the care of local relatives. An uncle named Charlie Zimmerman, a music director, encouraged her artistic talent and took to theater choirs. He also cast as a choral singer in the play "The Sweetest Girl in Paris", the opening play for the newly rebuilt La Salle Theater in Chicago in 1910.

Career

O'Neil acted in several plays until her career met a turning point in 1919. A "particularly Irish actress with red hair" was sought for a London play.

Robert Courtneidge Robert Courtneidge (29 June 1859 – 6 April 1939) was a British theatrical manager-producer and playwright. He is best remembered as the co-author of the light opera '' Tom Jones'' (1907) and the producer of '' The Arcadians'' (1909). He was ...

a producer who travelled to the United States, met O'Neil. She then went to London to play the role of Paddy in

Gertrude Page Gertrude Eliza Page (1872 – 1 April 1922) was an Anglo-Rhodesian novelist. Biography Educated at Bedford High School, Page wrote for ''The Girl's Own Paper'' as a teenager. Marrying George Alexander "Alec" Dobbin in 1902, she moved with him ...

's ''Paddy the Next Best Thing''. She fell in love with the city and made the decision to spend the rest of her life there. This move delayed her engagement to the US millionaire Joe Moran. In the following years she was a welcome guest on English speaking stages. In October 1920, it was announced that an assassination attempt had been made against O'Neill. A chocolate present contained the poisons

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

and

strychnine Strychnine (, , American English, US chiefly ) is a highly toxicity, toxic, colorless, bitter, crystalline alkaloid used as a pesticide, particularly for killing small vertebrates such as birds and rodents. Strychnine, when inhaled, swallowed, ...

. She survived the attack, but her dog died. No culprit was identified. In the autumn of 1928, at the National Radio Exhibition she noticed

John Logie Baird John Logie Baird (; 13 August 188814 June 1946) was a Scottish inventor, electrical engineer, and innovator who demonstrated the world's first mechanical Mechanical television, television system on 26 January 1926. He went on to invent the fi ...

's television in the

Olympia, London Olympia Events, formerly known as Olympia London and sometimes referred to as the Olympia Exhibition Centre, is an exhibition centre, event space and conference centre in West Kensington, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, L ...

. There she was invited to perform some Irish songs, which helped to popularise the invention. This helped the new medium to gain additional popularity. She was also the first person who has ever been interviewed on television. The conversation took place in April 1930 on the occasion of the

Ideal Home Exhibition The Ideal Home Show (formerly called the Ideal Home Exhibition) is an annual event in London, England, held at Olympia. The show was devised by the ''Daily Mail'' newspaper in 1908 and continued to be run by the ''Daily Mail'' until 2009. It w ...

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

. O'Neill appeared in small supporting roles in films from 1913, and by 1938 had played a role in 23 feature-length and short films. Roles in ''

The Razor's Edge ''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. Maugham is th ...

'', '' Let's Dance'' and (

body doubling Body doubling or parallel working is a strategy used to initiate and complete tasks, such as household chores or writing and other computer tasks. It involves the physical presence, virtual presence through a phone call, videotelephony or social ...

for

Ingrid Bergman Ingrid Bergman (29 August 191529 August 1982) was a Swedish actress.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'', 1 September 1982. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cin ...

) ''

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

'' followed. As a painter, she presented three oil paintings to the public

Wertheim Gallery Lucy Carrington Wertheim (''née'' Pearson; 4 April 1883, in Seedley, Pendleton, Lancashire – 1971, in Brighton) was an English gallery owner who founded the Twenties Group of "English artists in their twenties" in 1930 and was Christopher ...

and

Burlington Gardens Burlington Gardens is a street in central London, on land that was once part of the Burlington Estate. Location The street is immediately to the north of the Royal Academy of Arts and joins Old Bond Street and New Bond Street in the west and ...

. The 1930s, O'Neil suffered financially and physically. In 1935 she had to declare bankruptcy, which she put down to inexperience and carelessness.

Later years and death

From the mid-1940s, she was increasingly plagued by

arthritic Arthritis is a general medical term used to describe a disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected jo ...

pain, which soon led to her being unable to leave home and relying on a wheelchair. She died impoverished on 7 January 1960 at Middlesex Hospital in London from heart failure. She was laid to rest in the

St Pancras and Islington Cemetery St Pancras and Islington Cemetery is a cemetery in East Finchley, North London. Although it is situated in the London Borough of Barnet, it is run as two cemeteries, owned by two other London Boroughs, London Borough of Camden, Camden (formerl ...

. The Actors' Benevolent Fund paid for the funeral. However, there is no grave stone. which points to the grave. O'Neil died unmarried and had no children.

''Peggy O'Neil'' song

In 1921, Harry Pease, Ed. G. Nelson and Gilbert Dodge wrote the waltz ''Peggy O'Neil'' ("Peggy O'Neil is a girl who could steal any heart, anywhere ...") published by

Leo Feist Leopold Feist (January 3, 1869, New York City or Mount Verson, New York – June 21, 1930, Mount Vernon, New York) was a pioneer in the popular music publishing business. In 1897, Feist founded and ran a music publishing firm bearing his name. In ...

. The song became very popular, and was covered several times.

Theater

United States

* 1910: ''The Sweetest Girl in Paris'' ( La Salle Theater, Chicago), as a child chorister * 1914: ''

Peg O' My Heart "Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan (lyricist), Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music). It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The song was first performed publ ...

'' (chosen from a

casting Casting is a manufacturing process in which a liquid material is usually poured into a mold, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to solidify. The solidified part is also known as a casting, which is ejected or ...

of 400 young applicants) * 1916: The Flame ( Lyric Theatre,

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

) * 1918: Patsy on the Wing (in Chicago) * 1919: Tumble * 1927:

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

(in

New Amsterdam Theatre The New Amsterdam Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 214 West 42nd Street (Manhattan), 42nd Street, at the southern end of Times Square, in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Manhattan in New York City, New Yor ...

)

Europa

* 1920: Paddy The Next Best Thing (im

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy ...

, London), Hauptrolle * 1922: Kippers and Kings (im Theatre Royal (Dublin)) * 1924: The Little Minister (by

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

) * 1924: What Every Woman Knows (dito) * 1925: Mercenary Mary (by William B. Friedlander) (

Hippodrome, London The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few survi ...

) * 1928: The Flying Squad (by

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer of crime and adventure fiction. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was ...

;

Lyceum Theatre (London) The Lyceum Theatre ( ) is a West End theatre located in the City of Westminster, on Wellington Street, just off the Strand in central London. It has a seating capacity of 2,100. The origins of the theatre date to 1765. Managed by Samuel Arno ...

) * The Sea Urchin (im Gaiety Theatre (Dublin)) * 1929: Paddy The Next Best Thing, Revival (

Garrick Theatre The Garrick Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Charing Cross Road, in the City of Westminster, named after the stage actor David Garrick. It opened in 1889 with ''The Profligate'', a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and another Pinero play, ...

(London)) * 1930: The Bachelor Father (dito) * 1930: When Dreams come True (Olympia Theatre, London), (

Theatre Royal, Birmingham The Theatre Royal, until 1807 the New Street Theatre, or, colloquially, New Theatre, was a 2,000-seat theatre located on New Street in Birmingham, England. It was erected in 1774 and demolished in 1956. The theatre was damaged by fire in 179 ...

) ''(advert page 149)'', (

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the broth ...

) * 1931: Sisters, a Drama of Laughter, Tears and Romance * 1934: No Surrender (

Theatre Royal, Brighton The Theatre Royal is a theatre in Brighton, East Sussex, England presenting a range of West End and touring musicals and plays, along with performances of opera and ballet. History In 1806, the Prince of Wales (later George IV) gave Royal Assen ...

) * End of the 1930s: Meet my Wife * 1943: They Gave Him a Gun (im Theatre Royal, Brighton), Kriegsdrama * 1943: Tainted Gods ( Leeds City Varieties,

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

)

Film

Small supporting roles in: * 1945: ''The Unexpected Husband'' * 1946: ''

'' * 1948: ''

'' (

body double In filmmaking, a double is a person who substitutes for another actor such that the person's face is not shown. There are various terms associated with a double based on the specific body part or ability they serve as a double for, such as stunt ...

for

) * 1950: '' Let's Dance''

Literature

* - Memoirs * - fictionalised account of O'Neil's work with

Whispering Jack Smith Jack Smith (born Jacob Schmidt, May 30, 1896 – May 13, 1950), known as "Whispering" Jack Smith, was an American baritone singer who was a popular radio and recording artist. He was at his most popular during the 1920s and 1930s, making a br ...

References

External links

*
Film portrait from 1925 (silent)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oneil, Peggy 20th-century Irish actresses 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses Irish emigrants to the United States Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom 1898 births 1960 deaths Actors from County Kerry People from Gneeveguilla