Mary Duncan

Mary Duncan
File:Mary Duncan ca. 1930.jpg Duncan circa 1930
Born	Mary Annie Dungan (1895-08-13)August 13, 1895 Luttrellville, Virginia U.S.
Died	Palm Beach, Florida, U.S.
Resting place	Green Hill Cemetery, Amsterdam, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Cornell University
Years active	1927-1933
Spouse(s)	Stephen "Laddie" Sanford (1933-1977; his death)

Mary Duncan (born Mary Annie Dungan, August 13, 1895 – May 9, 1993) was an American stage and silent film actress. She is perhaps best known for her performances in F.W. Murnau's City Girl (1930) and Morning Glory (1933).

Biography

Duncan was born Mary Annie Dungan in Northumberland County, Virginia, the sixth of eight children born to Capt. William Dungan and his wife, Ada Thaddeus Douglass. She attended Cornell University before settling on acting as a career. She began her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910. In 1926 she played "Poppy" in the smash hit and controversial play The Shanghai Gesture, in which Florence Reed played her mother (known as "Mother Goddam"). Reed's character kills her daughter in a startling end to the play. This play was turned into a very sanitized film in 1941 with Gene Tierney. Duncan also starred in the 1930 film City Girl by director F.W. Murnau. Duncan's last film appearance was in the 1933 film Morning Glory, which starred Katharine Hepburn.

Personal life

Duncan met and married Stephen "Laddie" Sanford, who was an international polo player as well as director of the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company, in 1933, after which she retired from films. They remained married until his death in 1977. She spent much of her remaining years working with several major charities, and earned a reputation as a socialite in Palm Beach, Florida. She kept herself active by playing golf twice a week and swimming every morning before breakfast, which helped her maintain her size 8 figure. As an actress, she had followed the ministrations of Sylvia of Hollywood to keep her shape.

Death

Mary Duncan died in her sleep aged 97. She was survived by a niece and great-niece, and she was the last known person to have in her possession a copy of the lost Murnau film 4 Devils; Martin Koerber, curator of Deutsche Kinemathek, has speculated that her heirs may still have the valuable print somewhere.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1927	Very Confidential	Priscilla Travers
1928	Soft Living	Lorna Estabrook
1928	4 Devils	The Lady
1929	Thru Different Eyes	Viola
1929	The River	Rosalee
1929	Romance of the Rio Grande	Carlotta
1930	City Girl	Kate
1930	Kismet	Zeleekha
1930	The Boudoir Diplomat	Mona
1931	Men Call It Love	Helen Robinson
1931	Five and Ten	Muriel Preston
1931	The Age for Love	Nina Donnet
1932	State's Attorney	Nora Dean
1932	Thirteen Women	June Raskob
1932	The Phantom of Crestwood	Dorothy Mears
1933	Morning Glory	Rita Vernon

External links

• Mary Duncan at the Internet Movie Database
• Mary Duncan at the Internet Broadway Database
• Mary Duncan at Find a Grave
• Mary Duncan at Virtual History