Mary Nash (born Mary Honora Ryan; August 15, 1884 – December 3, 1976) was an American actress.

Early life

Mary and her younger sister, author/actress

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, were born to James H. Ryan, a lawyer, and his wife, Ellen Frances (née McNamara). The sisters adopted the surname of their stepfather, Philip F. Nash, a vaudeville booking executive, who married their mother after the death of their father. Fortuitously, the name change would avoid conflict with actress Mary Ryan, who achieved Broadway popularity before Nash. Nash attended the Convent of St. Anne in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

and trained for acting at the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

. Nash was

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Stage and film career

She was a stage actress in New York and London, and vaudeville. After brief appearances as a dancer at the Herald Square Theatre in 1904, she made her off-Broadway debut on Christmas Day 1905 as Leonora Dunbar in

James 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 ...

's ''Alice-Sit-by-the-Fire'', which starred

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regarde ...

. She remained with Barrymore for two years, acting together in ''Captain Jinks'' and ''The Silver Box''. Her last Broadway appearance was a production of ''

Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U. ...

'' in 1933 as Cassie, which starred Otis Skinner and

Fay Bainter Fay Okell Bainter (December 7, 1893 – April 16, 1968) was an American film and stage actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for ''Jezebel'' (1938) and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Early life Bainter wa ...

. She was acclaimed on the London stage. She started her Hollywood career in 1936, appearing in 18 films. She moved to Hollywood in 1934, where she acted in films until 1946. According to Allmovie: "Nash was often cast as seemingly mild-mannered women who turned vicious when challenged, as witness her work in ''College Scandal'' (1936) and ''

Charlie Chan Charlie Chan is a fictional Honolulu police detective created by author Earl Derr Biggers for a series of mystery novels. Biggers loosely based Chan on Hawaiian detective Chang Apana. The benevolent and heroic Chan was conceived as an alter ...

in Panama'' (1940)...Mary Nash's most sympathetic role was as the long-suffering wife of blustering capitalist J.B. Ball in '' Easy Living'' (1937)." In the 1940 film ''

Gold Rush Maisie ''Gold Rush Maisie'' is a 1940 drama film, the third of ten films starring Ann Sothern as Maisie Ravier, a showgirl with a heart of gold. In this entry in the series, she joins a gold rush to a ghost town. The film was directed by Edwin L. Marin. ...

'', she played the patient, forbearing wife and mother of a family, forced by the

Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) an ...

and Depression to abandon their farm in Arkansas, that has spent five years traveling through the country in search of seasonal work. Nash may be best known for playing villains in two

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

films, first as Fraulein Rottenmeier in ''

Heidi ''Heidi'' (; ) is a work of children's fiction published in 1881 by Swiss author Johanna Spyri, originally published in two parts as ''Heidi: Her Years of Wandering and Learning'' (german: Heidis Lehr- und Wanderjahre) and ''Heidi: How She Used ...

'' (1937) and then as Miss Minchin in '' The Little Princess'' (1939). She played

Katharine Hepburn Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...

's socialite mother in the movie version of '' The Philadelphia Story'' (1940). She played a supporting role in the 1936 Academy Award-winning film '' Come and Get It'' and had a featured role in the 1944 film ''

In the Meantime, Darling ''In the Meantime, Darling'' is a 1944 American drama film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Arthur Kober and Michael Uris focuses on a wealthy war bride (Jeanne Crain) who is forced to adjust to living in spartan condit ...

''.

Personal life

In 1918, she wed French actor, writer and director Jose Ruben (1888–1969); they divorced after a brief marriage. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, she supported the campaign of Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.''Motion Picture and Television Magazine'', November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers

Death

Nash died in her sleep at her Brentwood, California home on December 7, 1976. She was 9

Nash is interred at St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands, N

Filmography

References

External links

* * *
Mary Nash
at KinoTV.com
Mary Nash
at Aveleyman.com
Mary and Florence Nash papers, 1893-1974
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

Images:
Photograph
by

James Abbe James Edward Abbe (July 17, 1883 – November 11, 1973) was an American photographer. Background James Edward Abbe was born in 1883 in Alfred, Maine. His career as an international photographer was first boosted by the Washington Post, which co ...

, ''Captain Applejack'', 1921
Portrait
by

Ben Solowey Ben Solowey (1900–1978) was an American artist, known for his sculpture, painting, and drawing. He was born in Warsaw, Poland on August 29, 1900. In 1907, his family moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, then, when he was fourteen, to Philadelphia. ...

, ''Diana'', 1929
Portrait
by

, ''A Strong Man's House'', 1929
Photograph, ''Cobra Woman'', 1944Photograph, 1944Mary Nash
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

Mary Nash
in '' Vanity Fair'' October 1920 taken by

Dorothy Wilding Dorothy Frances Edith Wilding (10 January 1893 – 9 February 1976) was an English professional portrait photographer from Gloucester, who established successful studios in both London and New York. She is known for her portraits of the Britis ...

Mary Nash
in '' Vanity Fair'' March 1924 wearing large plumed headdress taken by

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nash, Mary 1884 births 1976 deaths Actresses from New York (state) American film actresses American silent film actresses Actors from Troy, New York Vaudeville performers American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni 20th-century American actresses People from Brentwood, Los Angeles American Roman Catholics California Democrats New York (state) Democrats