Marion Lorne
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Lorne in 1957
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| Born | Marion Lorne MacDougal or MacDougall (1883-08-12)August 12, 1883[1] |
| Died | May 9, 1968(1968-05-09) (aged 84)[1]
Manhattan, New York, U.S.
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| Resting place | Ferncliff Cemetery, Hartsdale, New York 41°01′39″N 73°49′57″W / 41.02750°N 73.83250°W / 41.02750; -73.83250 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1905–1968 |
| Spouse |
(m. 1911; died 1944) |
Marion Lorne MacDougal[2]orMacDougall (August 12, 1883[1] – May 9, 1968), known professionally as Marion Lorne, was an American actress on stage, film, and television. After a career in theatre in New York and London, Lorne made her first film in 1951, and for the remainder of her life played small roles in films and television. Her recurring role as Aunt Clara in the comedy series Bewitched, between 1964 and her death in 1968, brought her widespread recognition, and she was posthumously awarded an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Lorne was born in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, a small mining town halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton. She was the daughter of William Lorne MacDougall, MD, and his wife, Jane Louise (née Oliver), known as "Jennie". She was born in 1883 (although by the 1920s, she had shaved five years off her age). While her year of birth is listed as 1885 in some sources, including the date inscribed on her urn (which appears to be erroneous), it was usually listed as 1888 when she was alive. The 1900 United States Census (enumerated in June 1900) gives her age as 16,[3] and along with the Social Security Death Index (SSDI), lists her year of birth as 1883. Her parents were Scottish and English immigrants. She had a younger brother, Lorne Taylor MacDougall.[4] She studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.[4]
Lorne debuted on Broadway in 1905; she also acted in London theaters, enjoying a flourishing stage career on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. In London, she had her theater, the Whitehall, where she had top billing in plays written by Walter C. Hackett, her husband.[4] None of her productions at the Whitehall had runs shorter than 125 nights.[4]
After appearing in a few Vitaphone shorts, including Success (1931) starring Jack Haley, she made her feature-film debut in her late 60s in Strangers on a Train (1951), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.
In the early days of TV, from 1952 until 1955 Lorne had a regular role as perpetually confused junior high school English teacher Mrs. Gurney on Mister Peepers.[5]
From 1957 to 1958, she co-starred with Joan Caulfield in the NBC sitcom Sally in the role of an elderly widow, who happens to be the co-owner of a department store.[6][7] It was cancelled after one 26-episode season.[6][7] Although afraid of live television, declaring, "I'm a coward when it comes to a live [television] show",[8] she was persuaded to appear a few times to promote the film The Girl Rush with Rosalind Russell in the mid-1950s. Between 1958 and 1964, she made regular appearances on The Garry Moore Show (1958–1962).[citation needed]
Her last role, as Aunt Clara in Bewitched, brought Lorne her widest fame as a lovable witch who is losing her powers due to old age (and whose spells usually end in disaster). Aunt Clara usually visited by coming down the chimney; her hobby was collecting doorknobs, and she often brought her collection with her on visits. Lorne had an extensive collection of doorknobs in real life, some of which she used as props in the series.[9]
Lorne appeared in 27 episodes of Bewitched and was not replaced after she died of a heart attack in her Manhattan apartment on May 9, 1968, aged 84, prior to the start of production of the show's fifth season.[10] She is interred at Ferncliff CemeteryinGreenburgh, New York.[11]
The producers of Bewitched decided that Lorne's character as Aunt Clara could not be replaced by another actress. (Aunt Clara was never mentioned in any subsequent Bewitched episode after her death.) Comedic actress Alice Ghostley was recruited to fill the gap as "Esmeralda", a different type of older witch with wobbly magic whose spells often went astray. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley had appeared together in one scene as partygoers in the classic comedy-drama film The Graduate, made the year before Lorne's death.[12] She received a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Bewitched. The award was accepted by Bewitched star Elizabeth Montgomery.[citation needed]
In 1911, Lorne married playwright Walter C. Hackett. They were married until his death in 1944. The couple had no children.[13]
| Year | Title | Genre | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931 | Success | Short film | Molly's mother | Uncredited |
| 1951 | Strangers on a Train | psychological thriller | Mrs. Anthony | |
| July 3, 1952, to June 12, 1955 | Mister Peepers | sitcom | Mrs. Gurney | television |
| 1955 | The Girl Rush | musical comedy | Aunt Clara | |
| August 21, 1955 | The Ed Sullivan Show | variety | Herself in "The Girl Rush Show" | |
| September 17, 1955 | Perry Como's Kraft Music Hall | variety | Herself | |
| 1956–57 | The Steve Allen Show | variety | Herself | |
| 1957–58 | Sally | sitcom | Myrtle Banford | television, 26 episodes |
| 1958 | Suspicion | mystery drama | Mrs. Foster | television, one episode |
| 1958 | DuPont Show of the Month | anthology series | Veta Louise Simmons | television, episode (television adaptation of the comedy play Harvey (1944)) |
| 1958–1964 | The Garry Moore Show | variety show | herself | television |
| 1959 (November 25, 1959) | I've Got a Secret | game show | herself | television |
| 1964–1968 | Bewitched | sitcom | Aunt Clara | television, 28 episodes, (final appearance) |
| 1967 | The Graduate | comedy drama | Miss DeWitte |
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Series | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | nominated | Emmy Award | Best Series Supporting Actress | Mr. Peepers | [14] |
| 1955 | nominated | Emmy Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series | Mr. Peepers | [14] |
| 1958 | nominated | Emmy Award | Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series | Sally | [14] |
| 1967 | nominated | Emmy Award | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy | Bewitched | [14] |
| 1968 | won (posthumously) | Emmy Award | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy | Bewitched | [14] |
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