Jean Adair (born Violet McNaughton; June 13, 1873 – May 11, 1953) was a Canadian actress.
Jean Adair | |
---|---|
Born | Violet McNaughton June 13, 1873 |
Died | May 11, 1953 New York, New York, U.S. | (aged 79)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1922–1953 |
Life and career
Born as Violet McNaughton in Hamilton, Ontario, she worked primarily on stage but also made several film appearances late in her career, most notably as Aunt Martha, one of Cary Grant's dotty old aunts in Arsenic and Old Lace, a role she originated on Broadway. Her final performance was as the beloved matriarch Rebecca Nurse in the original production of The Crucible. Like many stage actresses of her era, she also appeared in vaudeville.[1]
She was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and died in New York City, New York, at age 79.
Broadway productions
- It's a Boy! (1922-?)
- The Jay Walker (1926)
- Devils (1926)
- The Good Fellow (1926)
- Machinal (1928) (*with a young unknown Clark Gable)
- That Ferguson Family (1928-9)
- Scarlet Pages (1929)
- Everything's Jake (1930)
- Rock Me, Julie (1931)
- Blessed Event (1932)
- Best Years (1932)
- Black Sheep (1932)
- The Show Off (1932-3)
- For Services Rendered (1933)
- Murder at the Vanities (1933-4)
- Broomsticks, Amen! (1934)
- Picnic (1934-?)
- Mid-West (1936-?)
- Sun Kissed (1937-?)
- On Borrowed Time (1938)
- Morning's at Seven (1939-40)
- Goodbye in the Night (1940)
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1941-4)
- Star-Spangled Family (1945)
- The Next Half Hour (1945)
- Detective Story (1949-50)
- Bell, Book and Candle (1950-1)
- The Crucible (1953)
Filmography
- Advice to the Lovelorn (1933) (uncredited)
- Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) as Aunt Martha Brewster
- Living in a Big Way (1947) as Abigail Morgan
- Something in the Wind (1947)
- The Naked City (1948)
References
- ^ Laurie, Joe, Jr. Vaudeville: From the Honky-tonks to the Palace New York: Henry Holt, 1953; page 50
External links
- Jean Adair at IMDb
- Jean Adair at the Internet Broadway Database
- Jean Adair, held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- Jean Adair papers 1914-1936 (bulk 1914-1929) , held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts