Marjorie Fitzgibbon facts for kids

Marjorie Fitzgibbon (born Marjorie Steele; 27 August 1930 – 20 January 2018) was an amazing artist and actress. She was known for her sculptures and her work on stage. Marjorie had both American and Irish roots.

Her Early Life and Family

Marjorie Steele was born on August 27, 1930, in Reno, Nevada, USA. Her dad, Jack, was a salesman, and her mom was Ora. Her family had roots in Sweden and Native American heritage. Marjorie was the second of four daughters.

She left her family home in San Francisco to move to Los Angeles. There, she wanted to become an actress. While in Los Angeles, she also studied painting. She even won a special scholarship to study acting at the Actors Lab.

Starting Her Acting Career

Marjorie met her first husband, Huntington Hartford, while working part-time. She was a cigarette girl at a nightclub called Ciro's. They got married in 1949. They had two children together, a son named John and a daughter named Catherine.

In 1955, Marjorie got a big acting role. She starred in a play called Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in New York. She also helped a group called Actors' Equity. They worked to stop unfair separation of actors based on race. Marjorie even bought a ranch for her parents in the Santa Monica Mountains.

Her Later Marriages

Marjorie and Huntington Hartford divorced in 1960. Later, she met her second husband, Dudley Sutton. They married in 1961 and had one son, Peter. Marjorie stopped acting after this. However, she still spent time with her husband's friends from the theater. These friends included famous people like Peter O'Toole and Richard Harris.

While at a health farm in London, she met her third husband, Constantine Fitzgibbon. They married in 1967. They had one daughter, Oonagh. Constantine also adopted Marjorie's son, Peter. They moved to west Cork in Ireland, and then to Killiney, County Dublin. Later, they lived in Dublin city. Marjorie Fitzgibbon passed away in Dublin on January 20, 2018.

Her Artistic Journey

Fitzgibbon's Bust of James Joyce (1982)

Marjorie Fitzgibbon became very interested in sculpture in 1967. This happened while she was on her honeymoon in Greece. Her friend, Micheál Mac Liammóir, encouraged her. She started making sculptures of famous Irish writers.

Her first art show was in 1970 in Dublin. People said she was one of the best traditional sculptors in Ireland. She was known for making sculptures that looked very much like the real person.

Famous Sculptures

One of her most famous artworks is the statue of writer James Joyce. You can find this statue on North Earl Street in Dublin. She also created a statue of Eamonn Andrews. This statue is in the main hall of the RTÉ offices. RTÉ is Ireland's national broadcaster.

In the early 1970s, the Royal Dublin Society asked her to create something special. They wanted her to make 12 busts of living Irish artists. A bust is a sculpture of a person's head and shoulders. She also received an honorary doctorate in Fine Art. This was from Stonehill College in Massachusetts.

Art Exhibitions

Marjorie had many solo art shows. These included shows at the Wildenstein Gallery in 1953 and the Godolphin Gallery in 1973. She also had exhibitions at the Tom Caldwell Gallery in 1978 and the Grafton Gallery in 1985. In 1988, the Arts Council asked her to create art for a show called Heads. This show traveled to different schools.