Greer Garson

Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was a British and American actress and singer. Known for playing graceful, noble, and dignified women in period and war dramas, she quickly rose to popularity during the Golden Age of Hollywood. A top star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM), Garson was among the most popular stars of the 1940s, becoming one of the highest-paid actresses in the United States and Britain. From 1942 to 1946, Garson was consistently ranked by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America’s top box-office draws. Originally a stage and television actress in her native England, Garson signed a film contract in 1937 with Louis B. Mayer, the then-president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). She found early critical success with her debut film, Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), which earned her her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. Following career-elevating performances in the romantic comedy Remember? (1939) and the period drama Pride and Prejudice (1940), Garson starred in a string of commercial and critical successes that earned her a record five consecutive Academy Award nominations for Blossoms in the Dust (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Madame Curie (1943), Mrs. Parkington (1944), and The Valley of Decision (1945). She won once for Mrs. Miniver, the highest-grossing film of 1942. By the late 1940s, Garson’s career had begun to decline, though she remained somewhat prominent in film. Her successes during this period include the romantic drama Adventure (1946), the romantic comedy Julia Misbehaves (1948), and the Shakespeare adaptation of Julius Caesar (1953). She made a brief comeback in 1960 for portraying first lady Eleanor Roosevelt in the film Sunrise at Campobello, for which she earned her final Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She made sporadic appearances in film until her death in 1996. Garson received numerous accolades throughout her career.