Margaret O'Brien facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Margaret O'Brien
O'Brien in 2002
Born	Angela Maxine O'Brien (1937-01-15) January 15, 1937 (age 88) San Diego, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1941–present
Known for	Meet Me in St. Louis
Spouse(s)	Harold Allen Jr. ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1968)​ Roy Thorvald Thorsen ​ ​ (m. 1974; his death 2018)​
Children	1
Awards	Academy Juvenile Award (1944)

Margaret O'Brien (born January 15, 1937) is a famous American actress. She started acting in movies when she was just four years old. Margaret quickly became a big child star.

She even won a special Oscar in 1944! This award was for being the best child actress of that year. Her amazing role in the movie Meet Me in St. Louis helped her win. As she grew up, Margaret also acted on TV and in plays. She has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in movies and television.

Early Life and First Roles

Margaret O'Brien's mother, Gladys Flores, was a talented flamenco dancer. Margaret has both Irish and Spanish family roots. She grew up following the Catholic faith.

Becoming a Child Star

Margaret's first movie was Babes on Broadway in 1941. She was only four years old! But it was her next big role that made everyone notice her.

In the 1942 movie Journey for Margaret, she played a five-year-old. People were amazed by her realistic acting. It was very unusual for someone so young.

By 1943, Margaret was a big star. She even had a small part in the movie Thousands Cheer. She also appeared in a short film called "You, John Jones." In this film, she recited President Lincoln's famous "Gettysburg Address." Margaret also played a French girl named Adèle in Jane Eyre. She spoke and sang with a French accent in the movie.

Her Most Famous Movie

One of Margaret's most remembered roles was in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944). She starred alongside the legendary Judy Garland. Margaret played the younger sister, "Tootie."

Her performance in this movie was so good that she won a special Oscar. This was the Juvenile Academy Award for her work in 1944.

Margaret and another child star, June Allyson, were known for their crying scenes. Margaret's mother would sometimes tell her that the makeup artist would give her fake tears if she couldn't cry. This made Margaret try even harder to cry on her own!

Margaret also had success in other movies. These include The Canterville Ghost (1944) and Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945). She also starred in Bad Bascomb (1946) and The Secret Garden (1949). She played Beth in the 1949 movie Little Women.

As Margaret grew up, it became harder for her to find adult roles. But she still appeared in films and on TV.

Life After Child Stardom

Margaret O'Brien used television to change her public image. In 1957, when she was 20, she said TV helped her move past the "awkward age." Movies didn't offer her adult roles easily.

Television Appearances

Margaret appeared in many TV shows. In 1950, she co-starred in "The Canterville Ghost" on Robert Montgomery Presents. She was also a mystery guest on the show What's My Line? in 1957.

She played a nurse in an episode of Rawhide. Margaret also appeared in Wagon Train in 1958. In 1963, she was a guest star on Perry Mason. She also appeared in the World War II drama Combat! in 1967.

In 1968, Margaret played a pharmacist involved in a crime on Ironside. This was very different from her usual sweet roles. She also reunited with her Journey for Margaret co-star Robert Young on Marcus Welby, M.D. in the 1970s. In 1991, Margaret appeared in Murder, She Wrote. This show reunited her with her Tenth Avenue Angel co-star Angela Lansbury.

The Lost and Found Oscar

O'Brien in Eiga no Tomo ("Film Friend" magazine; November 1952)

Margaret O'Brien kept her awards in a special room when she was young. In 1954, her maid offered to polish her Juvenile Oscar and two other awards. The maid had done this before.

But this time, the maid did not return. Margaret's mother had to let her go and asked for the awards back. Soon after, Margaret's mother passed away. Margaret, who was 17, forgot about the maid and the Oscar for a while. When she tried to find the maid later, she had moved.

Years later, Margaret learned her original Oscar had been stolen. The Academy quickly gave her a new one. But Margaret still hoped to find her first award. She looked in antique shops and at memorabilia shows for years.

Then, in 1995, something amazing happened. Bruce Davis, from the Academy, heard about a small Oscar with Margaret O'Brien's name on it. It was going to be sold at an auction.

O'Brien in 2013

Two collectors, Steve Neimand and Mark Nash, found the Oscar at a flea market. They bought it for $500. When they learned the story of the lost Oscar, they agreed to return it to Margaret.

On February 7, 1995, Margaret got her original Oscar back. It had been missing for almost 40 years! At a special ceremony, Margaret told reporters: "Never give up the dream of searching—never let go of the hope that you'll find it because after all these many years, at last, my Oscar has been returned to me."

Other Awards and Honors

In February 1960, Margaret O'Brien received two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One is for her movies and the other for her TV work.

In 1990, the Young Artist Foundation gave her a "Lifetime Achievement" Award. This honored her amazing work as a child actress. In 2006, she received another Lifetime Achievement Award from the SunDeis Film Festival.

Personal Life

Margaret O'Brien was married to Harold Allen Jr. from 1959 to 1968. She then married Roy Thorvald Thorsen in 1974. They were married until his death in 2018. Margaret and Roy had a daughter named Mara Tolene Thorsen, who was born in 1977.

Film and Television Roles

Margaret O'Brien has appeared in many films and TV shows throughout her career. Here are some of them:

Images for kids

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  Margaret O'Brien in Journey for Margaret (1942)

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  Orson Welles, Margaret O'Brien and Joan Fontaine in Jane Eyre (1943)

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  Margaret O'Brien and Judy Garland in Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

See also

In Spanish: Margaret O'Brien para niños