Marion Lorne
Encyclopedia
Marion Lorne MacDougall was an American actress. 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
brought her widespread recognition, and a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
, a small mining town halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, of Scottish
and English
immigrant parents. While her year of birth is listed as 1885 on her tombstone, it was usually listed as 1888 when she was alive and the Social Security
Death Index lists it as 1883. Lorne studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
in New York City
. She married playwright Walter Hackett, who died in 1944.
in 1905; she also acted in London theaters, enjoying a flourishing stage career on both sides of the Atlantic. A latecomer to films, she made her screen debut in 1951, at the age of 63 in Alfred Hitchcock
's Strangers on a Train
. The role was typical of the befuddled, nervous, and somewhat aristocratic matrons that she usually portrayed.
In the early 1950s, Lorne was seen as perpetually confused high school English teacher Mrs. Gurney on the pioneering sitcom Mr. Peepers
. From 1957-1958, she co-starred with Joan Caulfield
in the NBC
sitcom Sally
in the role of an elderly widow and the co-owner of a department store
. Between 1958 and 1961, she was a regular on The Garry Moore Show
prime time comedy program.
Her last role, as Aunt Clara in television's Bewitched
, brought Lorne her widest fame. She played a lovable, forgetful witch who is losing her powers because of her old age and whose spells usually end in disaster. Aunt Clara is obsessed with doorknobs, often bringing 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.
She appeared in twenty-eight episodes and was not replaced after she died of a heart attack
in New York City
during the fifth season, aged 84.
Bewitched
producers realized that Lorne's portrayal of the beloved Aunt Clara could not be replicated. Instead, character actress Alice Ghostley
was recruited to fill the gap as the newly-created Esmeralda. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley appeared side-by-side in The Graduate
as partygoers Miss DeWitte and Mrs. Singleman the year before Lorne's death. She received a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Bewitched
. The statue was accepted by Elizabeth Montgomery
.
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
brought her widespread recognition, and a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
Origin
She was born in West Pittston, PennsylvaniaWest Pittston, Pennsylvania
West Pittston is a borough in the Greater Pittston area of Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on the Susquehanna River opposite Pittston. The town once produced mine screens, cut glass, crackers, and knit and silk goods.-Geography:...
, a small mining town halfway between Wilkes-Barre and Scranton, of Scottish
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
and English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
immigrant parents. While her year of birth is listed as 1885 on her tombstone, it was usually listed as 1888 when she was alive and the Social Security
Social Security (United States)
In the United States, Social Security refers to the federal Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance program.The original Social Security Act and the current version of the Act, as amended encompass several social welfare and social insurance programs...
Death Index lists it as 1883. Lorne studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. She married playwright Walter Hackett, who died in 1944.
Career
Lorne debuted on BroadwayBroadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1905; she also acted in London theaters, enjoying a flourishing stage career on both sides of the Atlantic. A latecomer to films, she made her screen debut in 1951, at the age of 63 in Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's Strangers on a Train
Strangers on a Train (film)
Strangers on a Train is an American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by Warner Bros. on June 30, 1951. The film stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman,...
. The role was typical of the befuddled, nervous, and somewhat aristocratic matrons that she usually portrayed.
In the early 1950s, Lorne was seen as perpetually confused high school English teacher Mrs. Gurney on the pioneering sitcom Mr. Peepers
Mr. Peepers
Mr. Peepers is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from July 3, 1952 to June 12, 1955.-Overview:Mr. Peepers starred Wally Cox as Jefferson City's junior high school science teacher Robinson J. Peepers...
. From 1957-1958, she co-starred with Joan Caulfield
Joan Caulfield
Joan Caulfield was an American actress and former fashion model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures....
in the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom Sally
Sally (1957 TV series)
Sally is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from September 15, 1957 to March 30, 1958. The series is the first filmed television series produced by Paramount Studios.-Synopsis:...
in the role of an elderly widow and the co-owner of a department store
Department store
A department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
. Between 1958 and 1961, she was a regular on The Garry Moore Show
The Garry Moore Show
The Garry Moore Show is the name for several separate American variety series on the CBS television network in the 1950s and 1960s. Hosted by experienced radio performer, Garry Moore, the series helped launch the careers of many comedic talents, such as Don Adams, George Gobel, Carol Burnett, Don...
prime time comedy program.
Her last role, as Aunt Clara in television's Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
, brought Lorne her widest fame. She played a lovable, forgetful witch who is losing her powers because of her old age and whose spells usually end in disaster. Aunt Clara is obsessed with doorknobs, often bringing 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.
She appeared in twenty-eight episodes and was not replaced after she died of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
during the fifth season, aged 84.
Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
producers realized that Lorne's portrayal of the beloved Aunt Clara could not be replicated. Instead, character actress Alice Ghostley
Alice Ghostley
Alice Margaret Ghostley was an American actress. She was best known for her roles as housekeeper Esmeralda on Bewitched, as Cousin Alice on Mayberry R.F.D., and as Bernice Clifton on Designing Women, for which she received an Emmy Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 1992...
was recruited to fill the gap as the newly-created Esmeralda. Coincidentally, Lorne and Ghostley appeared side-by-side in The Graduate
The Graduate
The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder...
as partygoers Miss DeWitte and Mrs. Singleman the year before Lorne's death. She received a posthumous Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on Bewitched
Bewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
. The statue was accepted by Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Montgomery
Elizabeth Victoria Montgomery was an American film and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is perhaps best remembered for her roles as Samantha Stephens in Bewitched, as Ellen Harrod in A Case of Rape and as Lizzie Borden in The Legend of Lizzie Borden.-Early life:Born in Los...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Strangers on a Train Strangers on a Train (film) Strangers on a Train is an American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and based on the 1950 novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith. It was shot in the autumn of 1950 and released by Warner Bros. on June 30, 1951. The film stars Farley Granger, Ruth Roman,... |
Mrs. Anthony | |
| 1952–1953 | Mr. Peepers Mr. Peepers Mr. Peepers is an American television sitcom that aired on NBC from July 3, 1952 to June 12, 1955.-Overview:Mr. Peepers starred Wally Cox as Jefferson City's junior high school science teacher Robinson J. Peepers... |
Mrs. Gurney | TV, 17 episodes |
| 1955 | The Girl Rush | Aunt Clara | |
| 1957 | Sally Sally (1957 TV series) Sally is an American situation comedy which aired on NBC from September 15, 1957 to March 30, 1958. The series is the first filmed television series produced by Paramount Studios.-Synopsis:... |
Myrtle Banford | TV, 2 episodes |
| 1958 | Suspicion Suspicion (TV series) Suspicion is the title of an American television mystery drama series which aired on the NBC from 1957 through 1959. The executive producer of Suspicion was film director Alfred Hitchcock.-Overview:... |
Mrs. Foster | TV, 1 episode |
| DuPont Show of the Month DuPont Show of the Month DuPont Show of the Month, an acclaimed 90-minute television anthology series, aired monthly on CBS from 1957 to 1961. The DuPont Company also sponsored a weekly half-hour anthology drama series hosted by June Allyson, The DuPont Show with June Allyson .During the Golden Age of Television, DuPont... |
Veta Louise Simmons | TV, 1 episode | |
| 1964–1968 | Bewitched Bewitched Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban... |
Aunt Clara | TV, 28 episodes |
| 1967 | The Graduate The Graduate The Graduate is a 1967 American comedy-drama motion picture directed by Mike Nichols. It is based on the 1963 novel The Graduate by Charles Webb, who wrote it shortly after graduating from Williams College. The screenplay was by Buck Henry, who makes a cameo appearance as a hotel clerk, and Calder... |
Miss DeWitte |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | Nominated | Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Best Series Supporting Actress | Mr. Peepers |
| 1955 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Best Supporting Actress in a Regular Series | Mr. Peepers |
| 1958 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Best Continuing Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Dramatic or Comedy Series | Sally |
| 1967 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy | Bewitched |
| 1968 | Won | Emmy Award | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Comedy | Bewitched |