Margaret O'Brien

Born: 1937-01-15

Margaret O'Brien (born January 15, 1937) is an American film and stage actress. Although her film career as a leading character was brief, she was one of the most popular child actors in cinema history. In her later career, she appeared on stage and in supporting film roles. She was born Angela Maxine O'Brien; (she later changed her name to Margaret following the success of the film Journey for Margaret, in which she played the title role). Her father Lawrence O'Brien, a circus performer, died before she was born.[1]; Margaret's mother, Gladys Flores, was a well-known flamenco dancer who often performed with her sister Marissa, also a dancer. Margaret is of half-Irish and half-Spanish ancestry. She made her first film appearance in Babes on Broadway (1941) at the age of four, but it was the following year that her first major role brought her widespread attention. As a five-year-old in Journey for Margaret (1942), O'Brien won wide praise for her convincing acting style. By 1943, she was considered a big enough star to have a cameo appearance in the all-star military show finale of Thousands Cheer. She played a young French girl, and spoke and sang all her dialogue with a French accent, in Jane Eyre (1944). Arguably her most memorable role was as "Tootie" in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944), opposite Judy Garland. O'Brien had by this time added singing and dancing to her achievements and was rewarded with an Academy Juvenile Award the following year as the "outstanding child actress of 1944." Her other successes included The Canterville Ghost (1944), Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), and the first sound version of The Secret Garden (1949), but she was unable to make the transition to adult roles. A 1946 Looney Tunes short, Book Revue, placed a caricature of O'Brien in the role of Little Red Riding Hood. Margaret later shed her child star image in 1958 by appearing on the cover of Life Magazine with the caption "The Girl's Grown", and was a mystery guest on the TV panel show What's My Line?. O'Brien's acting roles as an adult have been few and far between, mostly in small independent films. However, she does do occasional interviews, mostly for the Turner Classic Movies cable network. She played the role of Betsy Stauffer, a small town nurse, in "The Incident of the Town in Terror" on television's Rawhide. Another rare television outing was as a guest star on the popular Marcus Welby, M.D. in the early 1970s, reuniting Margaret with her Journey For Margaret and The Canterville Ghost co-star Robert Young. Description above from the Wikipedia article Margaret O'Brien, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.


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Little Women

as Beth
Released: 1949-03-10

Louisa May Alcott's autobiographical account of her life with her three sisters in Concord Mass...

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Meet Me in St. Louis

as "Tootie" Smith
Released: 1944-11-28

Young love and childish fears highlight a year in the life of a turn-of-the-century family up to...

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Jane Eyre

as Adele Varens
Released: 1943-12-24

After a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a...

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The Secret Garden

as Mary Lennox
Released: 1949-04-30

When Cholera takes the parents of Mary Lennox, she is shipped from India to England to live with...

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That's Entertainment!

as (archive footage)
Released: 1974-06-21

Various MGM stars from yesterday present their favorite musical moments from the studio's 50...

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The Canterville Ghost

as Lady Jessica de Canterville
Released: 1944-07-20

The descendent of a ghost imprisoned for cowardice hopes to free the spirit by displaying...

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A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas!

as Self - Interviewee
Released: 2011-12-06

A Night at the Movies: Merry Christmas! is a tinsel-filled journey through the most iconic...

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Tenth Avenue Angel

as Flavia Mills
Released: 1948-02-20

Flavia's been told that her Aunt Susan's fiancé, Steve, has been on a trip around the world, but...

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Madame Curie

as Irene Curie - Age 5
Released: 1943-12-16

Poor physics student Marie is studying at the Sorbonne in 1890s Paris. One of the few women...

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Our Vines Have Tender Grapes

as Selma Jacobson
Released: 1945-09-06

Welcome to Fuller Junction, Wisconsin, a friendly small town settled by Norwegian farmers. Here...

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Heller in Pink Tights

as Della Southby
Released: 1960-03-01

Nineteenth century Wyoming: the wild West. Mild-mannered Tom Healy has a two-wagon theater...

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

as Ms. Stevenson
Released: 2017-01-31

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is really just as much the story of Gabriel John...

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Bad Bascomb

as Emmy
Released: 1946-05-26

A western bandit is reformed by his love for a little girl.

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The Story of Lassie

as Self
Released: 1994-08-14

Documentary about canine superstar Lassie, combining film clips, still photographs, home movies,...

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Halloween Pussy Trap Kill! Kill!

as Bridgette's Grandmother
Released: 2017-10-27

On Halloween, an all girl rock-n-roll band called “Kill Pussy Kill” ventures out to play their...

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Amy

as Hazel Johnson
Released: 1981-03-20

A woman leaves her husband after the death of her child to teach deaf children how to speak. Her...

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Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's

as Self
Released: 1998-06-19

In 1995, Chasen's closed its doors after 60 years of serving chili to movie stars and visiting...

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Hollywood’s Children

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1982-02-24

A documentary about child actors, since the beginning of motion pictures (narrated by Roddy...

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This Is Our Christmas

as Mrs. Foxworth
Released: 2018-11-08

A sequel to the popular movie, Beverly Hills Christmas that was shown on UP TV during Christmas...

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Babes on Broadway

as Maxine (uncredited)
Released: 1941-12-31

Penny Morris and Tommy Williams are both starstruck young teens but nobody seems to give them...

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Journey for Margaret

as Margaret
Released: 1942-12-17

An American newspaperman and his wife, end up in London after several retreats in the opening...

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The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli

as Self (archive footage)
Released: 1973-01-01

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Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity

as Self
Released: 2015-09-13

In 1935, 17-year-old aspiring actress Marsha Hunt was discovered in Hollywood. She signed with...

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Three Wise Fools

as Sheila O'Monahan
Released: 1946-09-26

An orphan girl melts the hearts of three crusty old men.

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Big City

as Midge
Released: 1948-03-25

A young orphan in New York's Lower East Side is collectively adopted by three neighborhood...

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Showbiz Goes to War

as (archive footage)
Released: 1982-12-31

While a few Hollywood celebrities such as James Stewart and Clark Gable saw combat during World...

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Thousands Cheer

as Customer in Red Skelton Skit
Released: 1943-09-13

Acrobat Eddie Marsh is in the army now. His first act is to become friendly with Kathryn Jones,...

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Near Myth: The Oskar Knight Story

as Herself
Released: 2023-04-09

A documentary chronicle of one of our greatest directors.

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The Eyes of Two People

as Catherine McDermott
Released: 1952-10-23

Futari no hitomi (二人の瞳, Futari no hitomi, The Eyes of Two People) a.k.a. Girls Hand in Hand (USA...

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Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case

as Margaret
Released: 1943-05-08

In this 13th entry to the Dr. Kildare series, the medical staff of Blair General hospital are...

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Impact Event

as Amanda
Released: 2018-04-07

A slow burn into insanity as a small band of survivors find themselves spending a post-meteoric...

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The Unfinished Dance

as 'Meg' Merlin
Released: 1947-09-19

A young dance student accidentally cripples a teacher she doesn't like.

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Glory

as Clarabel Tilbee
Released: 1956-01-11

A lovesick girl and her grandfather groom their filly for the Kentucky Derby.

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Lost Angel

as Alpha
Released: 1943-12-23

Alpha's been raised along scientific principles, and will make Mike Regan a great human interest...

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Music for Millions

as Mike
Released: 1944-12-18

Six-year-old "Mike" goes to live with her pregnant older sister, Babs, who plays string bass in...

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Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star

as Self - Actress
Released: 2002-08-01

In this documentary on the life of Joan Crawford, we learn why she should be remembered as the...

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You, John Jones!

as Daughter
Released: 1943-01-14

John Jones contemplates how fortunate he and his family are in America, where no wartime bombing...

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Death in Space

as Pam Rhodes
Released: 1974-06-17

The commander of a spaceship orbiting 250 miles above Earth disappears through the airlock and...

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Twenty Years After

as (archive footage)
Released: 1944-01-01

This short celebrates the 20th anniversary of MGM. Segments are shown from several early hits,...

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Split Second to an Epitaph

as Louise Prescott
Released: 1968-09-26

In the second "Ironside" movie, the Chief has his spine jolted during a hospital encounter with...

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The Craven Cove Murders

as Fan
Released: 2002-10-11

Lucas Swan, owner of a bed and breakfast, authored a book on a rash of murders a few years...

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Anabelle Lee

as uncredited
Released: 1971-12-17

In an English village in the early 20th century, Elizabeth, a tavern singer, lies about her...

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Love Is in Bel Air

as Vivienne
Released:

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The Pledge of Allegiance

as Narrator
Released: 1971-06-08

Teaches about the American pledge of allegiance.

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Creaturealm: From the Dead

as Herself
Released: 1998-01-01

Two-part anthology featuring resurrected zombie actors and a young woman whose murderous dreams...

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Meet Me in St. Louis: The Making of an American Classic

as Self
Released: 1994-01-01

Documentary about the making of "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944).

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Hollywood Mortuary

as Herself
Released: 1998-01-01

Framed by interviews with real life celebrities, Hollywood Mortuary tells the tale of a horror...

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Her First Romance

as Betty Foster
Released: 1951-05-04

A teenager experiences her first crush while attending a summer camp. Director Seymour...

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Frankenstein Rising

as uncredited
Released: 2010-04-20

A modern day descendent of Frankenstein becomes obsessed with his ancestor's work and seeks to...

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The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

as Self
First aired: 1962-10-01

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight...

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The Mike Douglas Show

as Self
First aired: 1961-12-11

The Mike Douglas Show is an American daytime television talk show hosted by Mike Douglas that...

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Perry Mason

as Virginia Trent
First aired: 1957-09-21

The cases of master criminal defense attorney Perry Mason and his staff who handled the most...

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Murder, She Wrote

as Jane
First aired: 1984-09-30

An unassuming mystery writer turned sleuth uses her professional insight to help solve real-life...

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Ironside

as Louise Prescott
First aired: 1967-03-28

When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of...

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Matinee Theater

as uncredited
First aired: 1955-10-31

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of...

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Robert Montgomery Presents

as Ginny
First aired: 1950-01-30

Robert Montgomery Presents is an American dramatic television series which was produced by NBC...

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Adam-12

as Mrs. Pendleton
First aired: 1968-09-21

Adam-12 is a television police drama that followed two police officers of the Los Angeles Police...

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Hotel

as Martha Connelly
First aired: 1982-08-21

Hotel is an American prime time drama series which aired on ABC from September 21, 1983 to May...

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Tales from the Darkside

as Mildred Webster
First aired: 1984-09-30

Tales from the Darkside is an anthology horror TV series created by George A. Romero, each...

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Wagon Train

as Julie Revere
First aired: 1957-09-18

The series initially starred veteran movie supporting actor Ward Bond as the wagon master, later...

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Climax!

as Kathy Fathian
First aired: 1954-10-07

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was...

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Climax!

as Chip
First aired: 1954-10-07

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was...

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Climax!

as Angie Hawley
First aired: 1954-10-07

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was...

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Dr. Kildare

as Nurse Lori Palmer
First aired: 1961-09-27

The story of a young intern in a large metropolitan hospital trying to learn his profession,...

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Love, American Style

as uncredited
First aired: 1969-09-29

An anthology comedy series featuring a line up of different celebrity guest stars appearing in...

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Combat!

as Marianne Fraisnet
First aired: 1962-10-02

Combat! is an American television program that originally aired on ABC from 1962 until 1967. The...

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Rawhide

as Betsy Stauffer
First aired: 1959-01-09

The tale of trail boss Gil Favor and his trusty foreman Rowdy Yates as they drives cattle across...

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Adventures in Paradise

as Phyllis Willoughby
First aired: 1959-10-05

Adventures in Paradise is an American television series created by James Michener which ran on...

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The Steve Allen Show

as Self - Singer
First aired: 1956-06-24

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Studio One

as uncredited
First aired: 1948-11-07

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...

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Studio One

as Julie Denton
First aired: 1948-11-07

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...

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Studio One

as Jenny Walker
First aired: 1948-11-07

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher...

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What's My Line?

as Self
First aired: 1950-02-02

Four panelists must determine guests' occupations - and, in the case of famous guests, while...

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The Oscars

as Self
First aired: 1953-03-19

An annual American awards ceremony honoring cinematic achievements in the film industry. The...

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Marcus Welby, M.D.

as Neva Phillips
First aired: 1969-09-23

Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from...

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The Ed Sullivan Show

as Self
First aired: 1948-06-20

The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June...

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Kraft Television Theatre

as uncredited
First aired: 1947-05-07

Kraft Television Theatre is an American drama/anthology television series

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The DuPont Show with June Allyson

as Jean
First aired: 1959-09-21

The DuPont Show with June Allyson is an American anthology drama series which aired on CBS from...

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The Aquanauts

as Ellen Marstand
First aired: 1960-09-14

The Aquanauts is an American adventure/drama series that aired on CBS in the 1960-1961 season....

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The New Lassie

as uncredited
First aired: 1989-09-08

The New Lassie is an American children and family oriented drama series which aired in first-run...

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The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour

as Self
First aired: 1967-02-05

The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour is an American comedy and variety show hosted by the Smothers...

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E! True Hollywood Story

as uncredited
First aired: 1996-08-21

E! True Hollywood Story is an American documentary series on E! that deals with famous Hollywood...

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General Electric Theater

as Sarah Trask
First aired: 1953-02-01

General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was...

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