Biography
Here's a question for the most encyclopedic of film buffs: What do actresses Marjorie Rambeau and
Ruth Chatterton have in common? Answer: Both rose to fame on the Broadway stage in glamorous, aristocratic leading roles, and both were once married to actor/producer
Willard Mack. But while Chatterton continued to specialize in elegant, well-coiffed leading ladies in films, Rambeau was most comfortable in rowdy, rambunctious, round-the-bend, "woman-of-the-world" characterizations. Though she'd starred in a handful of silents, Rambeau's most rewarding film assignments occurred during the talkie era, by which time she'd surrendered herself to character parts. She was perfectly cast in such roles as
Marie Dressler's slatternly waterfront rival in
Min and Bill (1930) and the title character in
Tugboat Annie Sails Again (1940). Rambeau was twice nominated for the Academy Award for her supporting work in
Primrose Path (1940) and
Torch Song (1953). Marjorie Rambeau's final film was the
Lon Chaney biopic
Man of a Thousand Faces (1957), in which she offered a poignant portrayal as a veteran movie extra. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide