Mary Astor
Date of birth: 1906-05-03
Place of birth: Quincy, Illinois, USA
Known for: Acting
Also known as: Μαίρη Άστορ, Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke
Biography
Mary Astor (May 3, 1906 - September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Most remembered for her role as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon (1941) with Humphrey Bogart, Astor began her long motion picture career as a teenager in the silent movies of the early 1920s. She eventually made a successful transition to talkies, but almost saw her career destroyed due to public scandal in the mid-1930s. She was sued for support by her parents and was later branded an adulterous wife by her ex-husband during a custody fight over her daughter. Overcoming these stumbling blocks in her private life, Astor went on to even greater success on the screen, eventually winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Sandra Kovak in The Great Lie (1941). She was an MGM contract player through most of the 1940s and continued to act in movies, on television and on stage until her retirement from the screen in 1964. Astor was the author of five novels. Her autobiography became a bestseller, as did her later book, A Life on Film, which was specifically about her career. Director Lindsay Anderson wrote of her in 1990: "...(W)hen two or three who love the cinema are gathered together, the name of Mary Astor always comes up, and everybody agrees that she was an actress of special attraction, whose qualities of depth and reality always seemed to illuminate the parts she played." Description above from the Wikipedia article Mary Astor, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Movie Credits
Meet Me in St. Louis
1944-11-28
A year in the life of a turn-of-the-century middle class family, leading up to the opening of the 19
The Maltese Falcon
1941-10-18
A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a beautiful li
Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte
1964-12-16
An aging, reclusive Southern belle plagued by a horrifying family secret descends into madness after
Dodsworth
1936-09-23
A retired auto manufacturer and his wife take a long-planned European vacation only to find that the
Midnight
1939-03-24
An unemployed American showgirl poses as Hungarian royalty to infiltrate Parisian high society.
The Palm Beach Story
1942-08-28
A New York inventor, Tom Jeffers, needs cash to develop his big idea, so his adoring wife, Gerry, de
Other Men's Women
1931-01-17
The friendship of two working stiff railroad engineers is put to the test when one falls for the oth
Desert Fury
1947-08-15
The daughter of a Nevada casino owner gets involved with a racketeer, despite everyone's efforts to
Act of Violence
1949-01-22
A former prisoner of war, Frank Enley is hailed as a hero in his California town. However, Frank has
Hollywood
1923-08-19
Angela comes to Hollywood with only two things: Her dream to become a movie star, and Grandpa. She l
White Shoulders
1931-05-17
In this drama, an impoverished young woman meets a millionaire who marries her on the spot and then
The Little Giant
1933-05-20
Prohibition is ending so bootlegger Bugs Ahearn decides to crack California society. He leases a hou
Little Women
1949-03-10
Four sisters come of age in America in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Thousands Cheer
1943-09-13
Acrobat Eddie Marsh is in the army now. His first act is to become friendly with Kathryn Jones, the
The Prisoner of Zenda
1937-09-03
A kingdom's ascending heir, marked for assassination, switches identities with a lookalike, who take
The Great Lie
1941-04-05
After a newlywed's husband apparently dies in a plane crash, she discovers that her rival for his af
Red Dust
1932-10-22
Dennis, owner of a rubber plantation in Cochinchina, is involved with Vantine, who left Saigon to ev
Fiesta
1947-06-12
When a matador leaves town to focus on his music, his twin sister takes on his identity in the bullf
Brother of the Bear
1921-02-18
A bad-tempered lumber mill foreman is in love with the mill owner's daughter. But the owner would ra
My Lady o' the Pines
1921-09-11
Norah Collison is a young woman who owns a huge timberland in Maine, full of white pines. As she arr
Wings of the Border
1921-10-09
Land sharks are taking advantage of the natives on a tract of land that seems to have no owner. The
Bullets or Ballots
1921-01-01
A 1921 silent film
The Young Painter
1922-02-19
A 1922 silent film about the title young man.
John Smith
1922-06-01
Upon being released from prison, Lawrence Hilliard takes the name of John Smith and looks for work,
Hope
1922-07-16
Adapted from the work of artist George Frederick Watts, a highly artistic subject that tells a short
The Man Who Played God
1922-10-01
An eminent pianist is made deaf by an anarchist's bomb during a command performance.
The Angelus
1922-01-01
The Angelus is a 1922 silent film
Puritan Passions
1923-09-09
Goody Rickby has a child out of wedlock, but it dies when the father, Gillead Wingate, refuses to ac
To the Ladies
1924-10-06
Three clerks for the Kincaid Piano Company -- Leonard Beebe, Chester Mullin, and Tom Baker are in co
The Price of a Party
1924-11-23
An unscrupulous broker discovers his hated business rival has secured a valuable option in Brazil an
Playing with Souls
1925-04-30
Amy and Matthew Dale separate and they place their young son, Matthew Jr., in a London boarding scho
The Pace That Thrills
1925-10-18
Paula, a chorus girl, marries into an aristocratic family. Unfortunately, her husband is a drunk. Wh
The Wise Guy
1926-05-23
A carnival huckster who decides to turn pennies into dollars by passing himself off as a hellfire-an
The Sunset Derby
1927-06-05
After suffering a fall during a race, rider Jimmy Burke loses his nerve. But with the help of his gi
No Place to Go
1927-10-30
Starry-eyed heiress Mary Astor yearns for a "cave man" who will treat her rough and make her like it
Sailors' Wives
1928-01-22
Informed by her doctor that she is going blind, Carol Trent tearfully breaks off her engagement with
New Year's Eve
1929-02-24
Taking place over 24 hours, "New Year's Eve" is the story of Marjorie Ware, broke and unemployed, wh
Return of the Terror
1934-07-07
"The Terror", a killer whose identity is unknown, occupies an English country house that has been co
Straight from the Heart
1935-03-22
In this romance, a slightly crooked and highly ambitious mayoral candidate convinces a woman to help
Yesterday and Today
1953-12-02
A compilation of early-day silent films that serves as a glimpse back to the formative days of the m
The Snows of Kilimanjaro
1960-03-25
A writer reflects on his life as he lies dying from an infection after a safari in the shadow of Mou
The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird
2006-10-03
An appreciation and the story of the making of the 1941 film "The Maltese Falcon."
Across the Pacific
1942-09-04
Rick Leland makes no secret of the fact he has no loyalty to his home country after he is court-mart
A Kiss Before Dying
1956-04-20
A college student tries to get rich quick by wooing two wealthy sisters.
The Kennel Murder Case
1933-10-28
Philo Vance, accompanied by his prize-losing Scottish terrier, investigates the locked-room murder o
Listen, Darling
1938-10-21
To stop Pinkie's widowed, struggling mother Dottie from marrying a well-off older man they know she
The Man with Two Faces
1934-08-04
Actress Jessica Wells, sister of actor Damon Wells, is on top of her form except when her husband Va
Brigham Young
1940-09-27
Based on the story of the famous Mormon leader, it follows Brigham Young and his challenge to transp
The Hurricane
1937-11-09
A Polynesian sailor is separated from his wife when he's unjustly imprisoned for defending himself a
The Murder of Dr. Harrigan
1936-01-11
A young doctor is determined to expose the killer when a surgeon is found stabbed to death in a hosp
Don Juan
1926-08-06
If there was one thing that Don Juan de Marana learned from his father Don Jose, it was that women g
The Lost Squadron
1932-03-12
When World War I comes to an end, three pilots find themselves on hard times. They wind up in Hollyw
Any Number Can Play
1949-07-15
When illegal casino owner Charley Kyng develops heart disease, he is advised by a doctor to spend mo
Holiday
1930-07-03
A young man is torn between his free-thinking lifestyle and the tradition of his wealthy fiancée's f
Youngblood Hawke
1964-11-04
An unknown Kentucky writer comes to New York and pursues fame and women.
Cass Timberlane
1947-11-06
Judge Cass Timberlane marries a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, Virginia Marshland. A baby i
Return to Peyton Place
1961-05-05
Residents of the small town of Peyton Place aren't pleased when they realize they're the characters
Those We Love
1932-09-11
Director Robert Florey's 1932 melodrama about a woman who suspects her husband of infidelity stars M
Turnabout
1940-05-17
Bickering husband and wife Tim and Sally Willows mutter a few angry words to a statue who grants the
Don Q Son of Zorro
1925-06-15
Don Cesar De Vega crosses swords with a vicious member of the Queen's Guard, and steals the affectio
Trapped by Television
1936-06-15
An inventor looking for backing for his television invention gets involved with a crooked businessma
Blonde Fever
1944-12-05
Peter and Delilah are a married couple running a roadside café in Nevada. Their stable partnership t
The Case of the Howling Dog
1934-09-22
A very nervous man named Cartwright comes into Perry's office to have the neighbor arrested for his
Beau Brummel
1924-03-30
George Bryan Brummel, a British military officer, loves Lady Margery, the betrothed of Lord Alvanley
This Happy Feeling
1958-06-18
Janet Blake leaves a party when her boss drunkenly makes passes at her and is offered a ride to the
A Successful Calamity
1932-09-17
Henry Wilton is an elderly millionaire saddled with his selfish young second wife Emmy 'Sweetie' Wil
Behind Office Doors
1931-03-15
Mary Linden is the secretary who is the unheralded power behind successful executive James Duneen. H
The Royal Bed
1931-01-15
The hapless king of a small European nation must put up with a domineering queen, a daughter who wan
Romance of the Underworld
1928-11-10
When a gangster's speakeasy is raided by the police, one of the people picked up is the gangster's p
I Am a Thief
1934-11-24
A man dodges jewel thieves while carrying a fortune in diamonds on the Orient Express.
There's Always a Woman
1938-04-20
An investigator for the District Attorney's office quits to open his own detective agency. However,
Smart Woman
1931-09-12
A society man's loving, devoted wife, upon learning that he has been unfaithful and is planning to l
Young Ideas
1943-08-02
A widow's grown children try to break up her romance with a college professor.
Cynthia
1947-08-29
Sheltered by her conservative parents, a small-town teenager finally goes out on a date.
And So They Were Married
1936-05-10
A bitter widow and a grumpy widower find themselves stuck in a hotel that is cut off from the outsid
Easy to Love
1934-01-13
Carol feels, for whatever reason, that her husband, John, has grown indifferent to her, and is on a
The Power and the Prize
1956-09-26
An ambitious executive jeopardizes his career to marry a European refugee.
Ladies Love Brutes
1930-05-14
The movie stars George Bancroft, Mary Astor and Fredric March who are all excellent in their roles.
Page Miss Glory
1935-09-07
A country girl goes to the city and gets a job in a posh hotel, and winds up becoming an instant cel
Men of Chance
1931-12-26
A gambler falls for a fake countess.
Jennie Gerhardt
1933-06-08
This turn-of-the-century tragedy chronicles the sorrowful travails of a woman who endures a series o
Upperworld
1934-04-28
A railroad tycoon, disillusioned with his marriage, starts seeing a showgirl. Things go agreeably un
The World Changes
1933-11-25
Generational saga tracing the events in the lives of the midwest pioneering Nordholm family, as seen
Oh, Doctor!
1925-02-23
Rufus Billings was born premature and after a lifetime of doctors doting on his frail health he is n
Claudia and David
1946-02-25
The follow-up film to "Claudia", with Dorothy McGuire and Robert Young reprising their earlier roles
Dinky
1935-05-11
A mother sends her young son to military school so he won't find out she's been sentenced to a priso
A Stranger in My Arms
1959-03-03
An Air Force pilot finds romance with his war buddy's widow.
The Lash
1930-12-14
A nobleman returns home to Southern California after the Mexican American War to find his people mis
Paradise for Three
1938-06-04
A businessman mingles with German laborers to learn more about their lives.
Convention City
1933-12-14
Extra-marital fun and games at a convention of the Honeywell Rubber Company in Atlantic City. Presid
The Bright Shawl
1923-04-22
Charles Abbott is implicated in the death of his friend Escobar, brother to the woman he loves.
Dressed to Kill
1928-03-17
A mob boss' gang gets suspicious about their boss' new girlfriend, a beautiful young girl who doesn'
The Sin Ship
1931-04-18
A lecherous ship captain becomes spiritually changed by a female passenger, not realizing she and he
The Show of Shows
1929-11-21
Now hear this. The studio that gave the cinema its voice offered 1929 audiences a chance to see and
The Runaway Bride
1930-05-04
Mary Gray elopes to Atlantic City, NJ, but begins having second thoughts about the marriage. Then sh
Lady from Nowhere
1936-12-23
A manicurist witnesses a gangland murder. Realizing there was a witness to their crime, the killer t
Heart to Heart
1928-07-22
Princess Delatorre, young and beautiful widow of an Italian scion of royalty, returns with her fortu
Two Arabian Knights
1927-09-23
During World War I, two American soldiers fight to escape the Germans while squabbling over a beauti
The Beggar Maid
1921-09-25
The painter Burne-Jones and his famed painting "The Beggar Maid" are depicted in this speculative dr
Red Hot Tires
1935-02-02
An escaped convict redeems himself by becoming an auto racing champion.
The Sea Tiger
1927-02-27
Julian Ramos is a fisherman in the Canary Islands. As the guardian of his hotheaded younger brother
The Men Who Made the Movies: Vincente Minnelli
1973-01-01
Woman Against Woman
1938-06-24
A newlywed unhappily discovers that her husband's scheming ex-wife still has a controlling influence
The Woman from Hell
1929-04-20
Dee Renaud is a girl playing the "Devil" in an amusement concession at a beach resort. Slick Glicks,
The Devil's Hairpin
1957-10-04
Cocky car racer Nick Jargin has retired since he nearly caused the death of his brother at a hairpin
Scarlet Saint
1925-11-08
Heroine Fidele Tridon has grown up with the knowledge that her father has promised her in marriage t
Man of Iron
1935-12-21
A construction company foreman's life changes--not necessarily for the better--when he is promoted t
No Time to Marry
1938-02-05
In this lightweight comedy, two news reporters who are engaged to be married endure romantic difficu
The Ninth Day
1957-01-10
After World War III a small group of people live in the desert. A young man tries to run away, hopin
The Rough Riders
1927-09-30
The story of the military unit organized by future U.S. President Teddy Roosevelt and its adventures
Breakdowns of 1941
1941-11-14
Flubs and bloopers that occurred on the set of some of the major Warner Bros. pictures of 1941.
Dry Martini
1928-10-06
Upon hearing that his daughter Elizabeth, is coming from America to visit him in Paris, wealthy Will
The Thief
1955-01-04
The son of a French aristocrat is accused of stealing his father's money and of stealing his step-si
Sentimental Tommy
1921-03-26
Grizel is the daughter of the Painted Lady, who believes that her lover will one day return. Grizel
The Hollywood Gad-About
1934-10-04
A parade highlights the Screen Actors Guild's Film Stars Frolic, hosted by Walter Winchell as Master
Second Fiddle
1923-01-14
Jim Bradley has always played second fiddle in his family -- while his older brother, Herbert, goes
Rose of the Golden West
1927-09-25
Juan is about to elope with the convent-bred Elena, when he is chosen to assassinate the governor wh
That's Entertainment, Part II
1976-05-16
Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire present more golden moments from the MGM film library, this time includi
Bogart: The Untold Story
1997-01-05
Stephen H. Bogart narrates the rise to fame of his father, Humphrey Bogart through the use of film c
Enticement
1925-03-01
Romantic complications and tragedy ensue when two former lovers, one of them now married to another,
The Marriage Maker
1923-09-30
A matchmaker sets out to have a rich woman marry the not-so-rich boy she loves, and tries to persuad
The Fighting Coward
1924-03-14
Southerner Tom Rumford was sent up north to be raised by relatives who happen to be Quakers. As a re
Success
1923-02-25
The often-told film story of a drunken actor hitting the skids, making a comeback, and helping his g
3-Ring Marriage
1928-06-10
Anna runs away from her wealthy father's ranch and becomes a trick rider in a circus to be with her
Woman-Proof
1923-10-28
At sight of a woman, he got a ticket for speeding.
Forever After
1926-10-24
A wounded captain recalls his youth, his time at college, and the woman he fell in love with.
Okay for Sound
1946-09-07
This short was released in connection with the 20th anniversary of Warner Brothers' first exhibition
The Fighting American
1924-05-26
On the wager that he will propose marriage to any girl selected by his fraternity brothers, Bill fin
The Rapids
1922-10-30
Robert Fisher Clarke is a promoter who comes to a small Canadian town. He harnesses the power of the
High Steppers
1926-03-14
Perryam is going through a round of bad luck; he is thrown out of school and loses at love. In searc
Inez from Hollywood
1924-12-14
Inez Laranotta is an actress who is notorious for her vamp roles and for the wild parties she attend
Unguarded Women
1924-06-22
Unguarded Women is a lost 1924 silent film drama. In a battle during the World War, Douglas Albrigh
Journey to the Day
1960-04-22
Patients at a mental hospital meet for a group therapy session.