Mary Welch
Mary Welch | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1922 |
| Died | May 31, 1958(aged 35–36) New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Stage actress |
Mary Welch(1922 – May 31, 1958)[1]was an American stage actress on Broadway.
Biography and career[edit]
Welch was born inCharleston, South Carolina,in 1922, later growing up inSan Diego.She attendedUCLA,where she won awards as a drama student.[2]At UCLA, she earned degrees in English literature and drama.[3]Welch later moved to New York in 1944, where she starred in her first Broadway play as Jo in an adaptation ofLittle Women.In 1947, she was a part of theTheatre Guild's playA Moon for the Misbegotten.She starred in the first production ofA Streetcar Named Desirein 1947, replacingKim Hunter.Welch later starred inThe Solid Gold Cadillac(1953) and then was a part ofSunrise at Campobello(1957) at the time of her death.[2]Her other roles include the playsThe Joyous Season,Joy to the World,andDream Girl.[3]A clause in Welch's contract, from playwrightEugene O'Neill,forA Moon for the Misbegottenstated that she had to gain at least 50 pounds (23 kg) to reach 180 pounds (82 kg) for the role.[4][5]O'Neill also originally stated that she looked too normal for the role.[4][5]
Welch appeared in a few episodes of TV dramas in the 1950s, and in one notable movie role. InPark Row(1952), written and directed bySamuel Fuller,Welch plays the tough newspaper publisher who is the main character's rival... and then romantic interest. In his autobiography, Fuller said of Mary Welch, "She was a beautiful, self-possessed woman with an inner strength that shone through her personality."[6]
Personal life and death[edit]
Mary Welch was married to the actorDavid White.[7]Welch died on May 31, 1958, atMount Sinai Hospitalfrom aninternal hemorrhagethat started while she was pregnant with her second child. She was a patient at the hospital for several weeks.[7][8]
At the time of her death, she was performing in the productionSunrise at Campobello.[7]Regarding Welch's earlier weight gain forA Moon for the Misbegotten,Harold ClurmanofThe Nationwrote, "This stupid and horrible clause may very well have led to the actress's death shortly after the play's production".[4]In 2005, journalist Laura Shea wrote inThe Eugene O'Neill Review,"While a significant, if temporary, weight gain is not beneficial to one's health, it is unlikely that this played a role in her untimely death over ten years afterA Moon for the Misbegotten.[4]
After her death, her husband raised their only child, Jonathan,[7]who died on December 21, 1988, at the age of 33, in the bombing ofPan Am Flight 103overLockerbie, Scotland.[9]
References[edit]
- ^"Mary Welch".Playbill.RetrievedAugust 23,2019.
- ^abMurphy, Brenda; Monteiro, George (December 13, 2016).Eugene O'Neill Remembered.University of Alabama Press. p. 257.ISBN978-0-8173-1931-1.
- ^ab"Inside the Playbill: Mary Welch".Playbill.RetrievedAugust 23,2019.
- ^abcdShea, Laura (2005). "O'Neill, the Theatre Guild, and" A Moon for the Misbegotten "".The Eugene O'Neill Review.27:76–97.JSTOR29784776.
- ^abGelb, Arthur; Gelb, Barbara (November 1, 2016).By Women Possessed: A Life of Eugene O'Neill.Penguin Publishing Group. p. 401.ISBN978-0-698-17068-1.
- ^Fuller, Samuel (2002).A Third Face: My Tale of Writing, Fighting, and Filmmaking.New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 286.ISBN1-55783-627-2.
- ^abcdHedges, Chris (July 28, 2009).Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.Knopf Canada. p. 19.ISBN978-0-307-39858-1.
- ^"Mary Welch, Broadway Actress, Dies".The Los Angeles Times.June 2, 1958.RetrievedAugust 23,2019– via Newspapers.com.
- ^Hedges, Chris (2009).Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle.Random House LLC. pp. 18–19.ISBN978-0-307-39858-1.
