Moyna MacGill

Moyna MacGill ( Charlotte Lillian civil McIldowie born 10 December 1895 in Belfast, † November 25, 1975 in Los Angeles ) was an Irish actress and mother of the famous actress Angela Lansbury.

Private life

Charlotte Lillian McIldowie was the daughter of a lawyer, who also served as director of the Belfast Opera House. MacGill was a total of two times married. First in 1919 with the author Reginald Denham. The marriage lasted until 1924 and from it came a daughter, Isolde (* 1919 † 1987), the first wife of Sir Peter Ustinov. In 1924 she married the timber merchant Edgar Lansbury. With him she had three children, Angela ( born 1925 ) and twins Bruce ( b. 1930 ) and Edgar Lansbury, Jr. ( b. 1930 ). Edgar Lansbury died in 1935 surrounded by his family. Monya Macgill died in 1975 a few weeks before her 80th birthday from lung cancer. Her ashes were scattered on the English Channel.

Career as an actress

MacGill debuted in 1918 in London's West End. Your manager Gerald du Maurier advised her to add itself to the artist's name Moyna MacGill.

After many years in the theater, she emigrated, after the early death of her second husband, with her children in the United States of America. From there, she started her career in film. Their roles were limited to mostly supporting roles. She was, inter alia, stars such as Joan Fontaine, Margaret Hamilton and Guy Madison to see. In the movie The Picture of Dorian Gray 1945 she played with her daughter. For the later film, television and musical star means that the big breakthrough and the second Oscar nomination. From the 1950s she was seen mainly in unique appearances in several television series.

Last MacGill was fair to see in the film My Lady, before she sat down to rest.

Filmography (selection)

Find out more

In the series Murder, She Wrote is there was a figure of the West End Actress Emma McGill, played by Angela Lansbury. For the first time this figure appeared for the 40 year anniversary of the screen debut of Angela Lansbury.