Marguerite Graham Churchill (December 26, 1910 – January 9, 2000) was an American stage and film actress whose career spanned 30 years, from 1922 to 1952. Marguerite made her debut as a child actress on Broadway in 1922. She debuted onscreen in 1929, and appeared in more than 25 films. She frequently appeared in westerns such as Riders of the Purple Sage (1931) and was John Wayne's first leading lady in The Big Trail (1930). She also appeared in action films and in mysteries such as Charlie Chan Carries On (1931).
Career
Marguerite Graham Churchill was born on December 26, 1910 in Kansas City, Missouri. She was a daughter of movie producer Edward Paycen Churchill, who died on December 11, 1920. Churchill attended the Professional Children's School in New York City, with Milton Berle among others. She also attended the Theatre Guild Dramatic School in Manhattan where she worked with Winifred Lenihan, winning both the Winthrop Ames and Otto H. Khan scholarships.
A child actress, Churchill made her Broadway debut on Christmas Day 1922, the day before her 12th birthday. The show was Why Worry? (1922–23). At sixteen, Churchill was described as "an outstanding ingenue lead" for her role in The House of Shadows (1927). In 1932, she appeared in the first Broadway production of "Dinner at Eight".
Fox Films offered her a contract which led to her screen debut in the comedy short The Diplomats (1929). Her first feature-length film was The Valiant (1929) in which she appeared with Paul Muni and John Mack Brown.
Over the course of her career, Churchill appeared in more than 25 films. She played leading lady to John Wayne in Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail (1930), an early widescreen epic and Wayne's first leading role. She appeared with Wayne again in Girls Demand Excitement (1931), with Spencer Tracy and George Raft in Quick Millions (1931), with Will Rogers in Ambassador Bill (1931), with Warner Oland in Charlie Chan Carries On (1931), with her future husband George O'Brien in Riders of the Purple Sage (1931), with Charles Farrell in Girl Without a Room (1933), with Ralph Bellamy in The Final Hour (1936), with Boris Karloff in The Walking Dead (1936), and with Edward Van Sloan in Dracula's Daughter (1936).
On Broadway, Churchill performed in And Now Good-bye (1937), Dinner at Eight (1932), The Inside Story (1932), Skidding (1928), The Wild Man of Borneo (1927), House of Shadows (1927), and Why Not? (1922).
Personal life Churchill married actor George O'Brien on July 15, 1933. Their first child, Brian, died 10 days after his birth. Their daughter, Orin O'Brien, became a double bassist for the New York Philharmonic. Their youngest child, Darcy O'Brien (1939–1998), was an author and college professor. Churchill and O'Brien divorced in 1948. Darcy O'Brien's novel Margaret in Hollywood (1991) has been described as loosely based upon his mother's life.
On June 5, 1954, Churchill married sculptor Peter Ganine. That union also ended in divorce.
Marguerite Churchill died on January 9, 2000, aged 89, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, from natural causes.
Partial filmography Year Title Role Notes 1929 The Valiant Mary Douglas Co-starring Paul Muni in his film debut Pleasure Crazed Nora Westby They Had to See Paris Opal Peters With Will Rogers Seven Faces Hélène Berthelot 1930 Harmony at Home Louise Haller With Rex Bell Born Reckless Rosa Beretti With Edmund Lowe Good Intentions Helen Rankin The Big Trail Ruth Cameron With John Wayne 1931 Girls Demand Excitement Miriam With John Wayne Charlie Chan Carries On Pamela Potter With Warner Oland Quick Millions Dorothy Stone With Spencer Tracy and George Raft Riders of the Purple Sage Jane Withersteen With future husband George O'Brien Ambassador Bill Queen Vanya With Will Rogers 1932 Forgotten Commandments Marya Ossipoff 1933 Girl Without a Room Kay Loring With Charles Farrell and Charlie Ruggles 1935 Without Children Sue Cole Speed Devils Pat Corey 1936 Man Hunt Jane Carpenter The Walking Dead Nancy With Boris Karloff Dracula's Daughter Janet With Edward Van Sloan Murder by an Aristocrat Sally Keating With Lyle Talbot The Final Hour Flo Russell With Ralph Bellamy Alibi for Murder Lois Allen With William Gargan Legion of Terror Nancy Foster 1950 Bunco Squad Barbara Madison
Notes
References
External links
Marguerite Churchill at Virtual History