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Mary Forbes

Mary Forbes

Known For Acting
Birthday Dec 30, 1882
Died Jul 22, 1974 (91)
Birthplace Hornsey, Middlesex [now in Haringey, London], England, UK
Popularity 0.2 (history)
Updated Aug 10, 2025 (Update)
Entry Date Apr 13, 2024
Links TMDb IMDb
Biography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Mary Forbes (1 January 1883 – 22 July 1974), born Ethel Louise Young, was a British-American film actress, based in the United States in her latter years, where she died. She appeared in more than 130 films between 1919 and 1958. Forbes was born in Hornsey, En ... gland. She made her first public appearance on the concert platform giving recitals. Her acting debut was in 1908 on the London stage at Aldwych Theatre. Her American stage debut came in Romance at Maxine Elliott's Theatre in 1913. She took over management of the Ambassadors Theatre in 1913 and had several years experience on stage in Britain and America before her appearances in Hollywood films. Two of her three children by her first marriage in the first quarter of 1904 to Ernest J. Taylor, Ralph and Dorothy Brenda, known as Brenda, were also actors. The middle child of the three, Phyllis Mary Taylor, was not in the acting business. Her second husband was British actor Charles Quartermaine, who married in 1925; the union ended in divorce. She married her third husband, Wesley Wall, an American businessman, in 1935; the couple remained married until her death in 1974. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1943, with one of her character references being Lucile Webster Gleason, actress and wife of actor James Gleason.

Known For

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Filmography

Houseboat

Houseboat

1958

as British Society Woman (uncredited)

Les Miserables

Les Miserables

1952

as Nun (uncredited)

You Gotta Stay Happy

You Gotta Stay Happy

1948

as Aunt Martha

Cigarette Girl

Cigarette Girl

1947

as Mrs. Halstead

The Exile

The Exile

1947

as Second Court Lady

It Had to Be You

It Had to Be You

1947

as Mrs. Kimberly (uncredited)

Ivy

Ivy

1947

as Lady Crail (uncredited)

The Judge Steps Out

The Judge Steps Out

1947

as Margaret (uncredited)

Terror by Night

Terror by Night

1946

as Lady Margaret Carstairs

Earl Carroll Vanities

Earl Carroll Vanities

1945

as Queen Mother Elena

I'll Remember April

I'll Remember April

1945

as Mrs. Barrington

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

1945

as Lady Agatha

Tender Comrade

Tender Comrade

1944

as Jo's Mother (uncredited)

Two Tickets to London

Two Tickets to London

1943

as Dame Dunne Hartley

Sherlock Holmes in Washington

Sherlock Holmes in Washington

1943

as Mrs. Pettibone

Dangerous Blondes

Dangerous Blondes

1943

as Isabel Fleming (uncredited)

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre

1943

as Mrs. Eshton

Klondike Fury

Klondike Fury

1942

as Mrs. Langton

The Great Impersonation

The Great Impersonation

1942

as Lady Leslie Clayfair

Almost Married

Almost Married

1942

as Mrs. Marvin

This Above All

This Above All

1942

as Vicar's Wife

Nothing But the Truth

Nothing But the Truth

1941

as Mrs. Ralston

Back Street

Back Street

1941

as Mrs. Williams

Blame It on Love

Blame It on Love

1940

as Mrs. Wadsworth

South of Suez

South of Suez

1940

as Mrs. Putnam

Private Affairs

Private Affairs

1940

as Mrs. Stanley

Laddie

Laddie

1940

as Mrs. Anna Pryor

All This, and Heaven Too

All This, and Heaven Too

1940

as Lady at the Theatre (uncredited)

Florian

Florian

1940

as Grandmother

Outside These Walls

Outside These Walls

1939

as Gertrude Bishop

You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

You Can't Cheat an Honest Man

1939

as Mrs. Bel-Goodie

The Sun Never Sets

The Sun Never Sets

1939

as Mrs. Randolph

Risky Business

Risky Business

1939

as Mrs. Jameson

Fast and Loose

Fast and Loose

1939

as Mrs. Torrent

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

1939

as Lady Conyngham

Three Smart Girls Grow Up

Three Smart Girls Grow Up

1939

as Mrs. Withers

These Glamour Girls

These Glamour Girls

1939

as Mrs. Van Reichton (uncredited)

Ninotchka

Ninotchka

1939

as Lady Lavenham (uncredited)

Hollywood Cavalcade

Hollywood Cavalcade

1939

as Mrs. Gaynes

I Stole a Million

I Stole a Million

1939

as Flower Shop Customer (uncredited)

The Ice Follies of 1939

The Ice Follies of 1939

1939

as Lady Hilda (Uncredited)

What Do You Think? (Number Three)

What Do You Think? (Number Three)

1938

as Mrs. Dosier - John's Mother (uncredited)

Outside of Paradise

Outside of Paradise

1938

as Mrs. Stonewall

Always Goodbye

Always Goodbye

1938

as Aunt Martha Marshall

Three Loves Has Nancy

Three Loves Has Nancy

1938

as Mrs. Hanson

You Can't Take It with You

You Can't Take It with You

1938

as Mrs. Anthony P. Kirby

Everybody Sing

Everybody Sing

1938

as Miss Colvin

The Rage of Paris

The Rage of Paris

1938

as Woman in Opera Box (uncredited)

Women of Glamour

Women of Glamour

1937

as Mrs. Stark

Another Dawn

Another Dawn

1937

as Mrs. Lydia Benton

The Awful Truth

The Awful Truth

1937

as Mrs. Vance

One Hundred Men and a Girl

One Hundred Men and a Girl

1937

as Concert Hall Patron

Wee Willie Winkie

Wee Willie Winkie

1937

as Mrs. MacMonachie

The Life of the Party

The Life of the Party

1937

as Mrs. Saunders

Stage Door

Stage Door

1937

as Cast of Stage Play

Wedding Present

Wedding Present

1936

as Mrs. Dodacker

Theodora Goes Wild

Theodora Goes Wild

1936

as Mrs. Wyatt (uncredited)

The White Angel

The White Angel

1936

as Lady Disapproving of Florence #1 (uncredited)

The Perfect Gentleman

The Perfect Gentleman

1935

as Lady Clyffe-Pembrook

Les Misérables

Les Misérables

1935

as Mlle. Baptiseme

The Widow from Monte Carlo

The Widow from Monte Carlo

1935

as Lady Holloway

Dizzy Dames

Dizzy Dames

1935

as Mrs. Stokes

Laddie

Laddie

1935

as Mrs. Anna Pryor

Rendezvous

Rendezvous

1935

as Lady Cavendish (uncredited)

Captain Blood

Captain Blood

1935

as Mrs. Steed

Stranded

Stranded

1935

as Grace Dean (uncredited)

You Can't Buy Everything

You Can't Buy Everything

1934

as Kate Farley

Most Precious Thing in Life

Most Precious Thing in Life

1934

as Mrs. Kelsey

Two Heads on a Pillow

Two Heads on a Pillow

1934

as Mrs. Caroline Devonshire

She Was a Lady

She Was a Lady

1934

as Lady Diana Vane

Blind Date

Blind Date

1934

as Mrs. Hartwell

Happiness Ahead

Happiness Ahead

1934

as Mrs. Travis

Shock

Shock

1934

as Lady Heatherly

British Agent

British Agent

1934

as Lady Catherine Trehearne

A Lost Lady

A Lost Lady

1934

as Mrs. Hardy (uncredited)

We Live Again

We Live Again

1934

as Mrs. Kortchagin

Sadie McKee

Sadie McKee

1934

as Mrs. Alderson (uncredited)

Bombshell

Bombshell

1933

as Mrs. Middleton

Cavalcade

Cavalcade

1933

as Duchess of Churt (uncredited)

The Silent Witness

The Silent Witness

1932

as Lady Howard

A Farewell to Arms

A Farewell to Arms

1932

as Miss Van Campen

Vanity Fair

Vanity Fair

1932

as Mrs. Sedley

The Man Who Came Back

The Man Who Came Back

1931

as Mrs. Gaynes

Chances

Chances

1931

as Mrs. Ingleside

Working Girls

Working Girls

1931

as Mrs. Johnstone

The Brat

The Brat

1931

as Mrs. Forester

Born to Love

Born to Love

1931

as The Duchess (uncredited)

So This Is London

So This Is London

1930

as Lady Worthing

East Is West

East Is West

1930

as Mrs. Benson

Strictly Unconventional

Strictly Unconventional

1930

as Mrs. Anna Shenstone

The Devil to Pay!

The Devil to Pay!

1930

as Mrs. Hope (uncredited)

Holiday

Holiday

1930

as Mrs. Pritchard Ames

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln

1930

as Actress (uncredited)

Sunny Side Up

Sunny Side Up

1929

as Mrs. Cromwell

The Thirteenth Chair

The Thirteenth Chair

1929

as Lady Alice Crosby

Her Private Life

Her Private Life

1929

as Ladu Wildering

The Trespasser

The Trespasser

1929

as Mrs. Ferguson

No data available

No data available

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Organization Category Movie
Television Credits

Alfred Hitchcock Presents

as Mrs. Herbert Winthrop

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Oct 02, 1955

Suspicion

as Mrs. Merton

Episodes: 1

First Aired: Sep 30, 1957

No data available

Popularity Metrics

Popularity History


Year Month Avg Max Min
2024 6 4 8 2
2024 7 7 14 1
2024 8 9 33 2
2024 9 5 10 1
2024 10 2 3 1
2024 11 2 3 1
2024 12 2 4 1
2025 1 7 22 1
2025 2 2 4 1
2025 3 2 3 1
2025 5 1 2 1
2025 6 1 1 1
2025 7 0 0 0
2025 8 2 5 0

Trending Rank


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