Mary Forbes
Known for
Mary Forbes is a British actress whose work covers more eras of the industry than most. 'You Can't Take It with You' remains the reference point, thanks largely to Mrs. Anthony Kirby. There is 'The Awful Truth' as well. The first screen credit dates from 1918. With 103 credits to her name, volume is part of the story.
Mary Forbes
101 Movies
2 Series
Mary Forbes is a British actress whose work covers more eras of the industry than most. 'You Can't Take It with You' remains the reference point, thanks largely to Mrs. Anthony Kirby. There is 'The Awful Truth' as well. The first screen credit dates from 1918. With 103 credits to her name, volume is part of the story.
Movies
Plays Mrs. Eshton
Jane Eyre
1943
Plays Lady Agatha
The Picture of Dorian Gray
1945
Plays Lady Margaret Carstairs
Terror by Night
1946
Plays Mrs. Anthony Kirby
You Can't Take It with You
1938
Plays Mrs. Steed
Captain Blood
1935
Plays Miss Van Campen
A Farewell to Arms
1932
Plays Mrs. Vance
The Awful Truth
1937
Plays Mrs. Johnstone
Working Girls
1931
Plays Princess Sorokina
Anna Karenina
1935
Plays Lady Conyngham
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
1939
Plays Mrs. Sedley
Vanity Fair
1932
Plays Cast of Stage Play
Stage Door
1937
Plays Lady Catherine Trehearne
British Agent
1934
Plays Mrs. Lydia Benton
Another Dawn
1937
Plays Mrs. Williams
Back Street
1941
Plays Mlle. Baptiseme
Les Misérables
1935
Plays Ladu Wildering
Her Private Life
1929
Plays Mrs. Pettibone
Sherlock Holmes in Washington
1943
Plays Mrs. Ralston
Nothing but the Truth
1941
Plays Concert Hall Patron
One Hundred Men and a Girl
1937
Plays Mrs. MacMonachie
Wee Willie Winkie
1937
Plays Mrs. Dodacker
Wedding Present
1936
Plays Aunt Martha
You Gotta Stay Happy
1948
Plays Vicar's Wife
This Above All
1942
Plays Miss Colvin
Everybody Sing
1938
Plays Lady Alice Crosby
The Thirteenth Chair
1929
Plays Mrs. Hanson
Three Loves Has Nancy
1938
Plays Mrs. Anna Pryor
Laddie
1940
Plays Mrs. Travis
Happiness Ahead
1934
Plays Mrs. Kortchagin
We Live Again
1934
Plays Mrs. Bel-Goodie
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man
1939
Plays Mrs. Middleton
Bombshell
1933
Plays Mrs. Gaynes
Hollywood Cavalcade
1939
Plays Mrs. Putnam
South of Suez
1940
Plays Mrs. Saunders
The Life of the Party
1937
Plays Lady Clyffe-Pembrook
The Perfect Gentleman
1935
Plays Lady Leslie Clayfair
The Great Impersonation
1942
Plays Mrs. Torrent
Fast and Loose
1939
Plays Aunt Martha Marshall
Always Goodbye
1938
Plays Queen Mother Elena
Earl Carroll Vanities
1945
Plays Mrs. Kelsey
Most Precious Thing in Life
1934
Plays Mrs. Withers
Three Smart Girls Grow Up
1939
Plays Mrs. Cromwell
Sunny Side Up
1929
Plays Second Court Lady
The Exile
1947
Plays Mrs. Barrington
I'll Remember April
1945
Plays Mrs. Ferguson
The Trespasser
1929
Plays Lady Holloway
The Widow from Monte Carlo
1935
Plays Mrs. Gaynes
The Man Who Came Back
1931
Plays Mrs. Anna Shenstone
Strictly Unconventional
1930
Plays Mrs. Randolph
The Sun Never Sets
1939
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
Houseboat
Full Filmography
Suspicion
Mrs. Merton · 1 episode
1957–1958
TV
Houseboat
British Society Woman (uncredited)
1958
Film
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Mrs. Herbert Winthrop · 1 episode
1955
TV
Les Miserables
Nun (uncredited)
1952
Film
You Gotta Stay Happy
Aunt Martha
1948
Film
The Black Arrow
Nun (uncredited)
1948
Film
The Judge Steps Out
Margaret (uncredited)
1947
Film
It Had to Be You
Mrs. Kimberly (uncredited)
1947
Film
The Exile
Second Court Lady
1947
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mary Forbes still alive?
Mary Forbes passed away on July 22, 1974 at age 91.
What are the most famous roles of Mary Forbes?
Mary Forbes is best known for roles in You Can't Take It with You, Ninotchka, The Awful Truth.
How many movies has Mary Forbes been in?
Over a 56-year career (since 1918), Mary Forbes has appeared in 101 movies and 2 TV shows.
What was Mary Forbes's first movie?
The career of Mary Forbes began with The Woman's Portion (1918).
What is Mary Forbes's most recent movie or series?
Mary Forbes's most recent release is Houseboat, which premiered on November 19, 1958.
What TV shows has Mary Forbes appeared in?
On television, Mary Forbes has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Suspicion.
Mary Forbes
1882-12-30 · Hornsey, Middlesex [now in Haringey, London], England, UK
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, England.
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.