May Robson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids May Robson
Trailer for Broadway to Hollywood (1933)
Born	Mary Jeanette Robison (1858-04-19)19 April 1858 Moama, New South Wales, Australia
Died	20 October 1942(1942-10-20) (aged 84) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting place	Flushing Cemetery, Queens, New York City
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1883–1942
Spouse(s)	Charles L. Gore ​ ​ (m. 1875; died 1883)​ Augustus H. Brown ​ ​ (m. 1889; died 1920)​
Children	3

Mary Jeanette Robison (born April 19, 1858 – died October 20, 1942), known as May Robson, was an actress from Australia who became famous in America. Her acting career lasted for 58 years, starting in 1883 when she was 25. She was a very important stage actress in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Many people remember her for the films she made in the 1930s, when she was in her 70s.

May Robson was the first person born in Australia to be nominated for an Academy Award. This was for her main role in the movie Lady for a Day in 1933.

Early Life and Education

May Robson as a young woman

Mary Jeanette Robison was born on April 19, 1858, in Moama, New South Wales, Australia. She was the fourth child of Julia and Henry Robison. Her father, Henry, was a sea captain in the British Merchant Navy for 24 years.

Her parents moved to Australia for their health. Henry bought a large house in Moama and opened the Prince of Wales Hotel. This hotel was May Robson's first home. Her father passed away in 1860.

In 1862, her mother, Julia, married Walter Moore Miller, who was a lawyer and the mayor of Albury. The family moved to Melbourne in 1866.

In 1870, May's family moved to London. She went to the Sacred Heart Convent School in London. She also studied languages in Brussels and took exams in French in Paris. She also received some of her education in Australia.

Family and Marriages

May Robson married her first husband, Charles Leveson Gore, in London when she was 17. They moved to New York in 1877 and bought land in Fort Worth, Texas, to start a cattle ranch. However, they faced many challenges and soon moved back to New York City. Charles Gore passed away shortly after.

May had three children, but sadly, two of them died from illnesses. Only her son, Edward Hyde Leveson Gore, survived. To support her son, May crocheted, did embroidery, designed cards, and taught painting.

Six years after she started acting, May married Augustus Homer Brown in 1889. He was a police surgeon. They were together until his death in 1920. May's son, Edward, later became her business manager.

Acting Career Highlights

May Robson in 1907

May Robson began her acting career on September 17, 1883, in a play called Hoop of Gold. Her name was accidentally spelled "Robson" in the play's program, and she decided to keep it for good luck. For many years, she became a successful comedian and character actress on stage. She even started her own touring theater company in 1911.

May Robson also appeared in films very early on, starting around 1903 or 1904. She had small, uncredited roles in short films. Her first major film appearance was likely in the 1915 silent movie How Molly Made Good. She also starred in the 1916 silent film A Night Out, which was based on a play she helped write. She appeared in Snow White in 1916 and In Wrong in 1919. Many silent films are now lost, so she might have been in even more movies.

In 1927, May Robson moved to Hollywood and started a very successful film career. She often played older women, usually in funny roles. She became almost as famous as her friend, actress Marie Dressler.

Some of her famous movie roles include:

• The She-Wolf (1931), where she played a very careful millionaire businesswoman.
• If I Had a Million (1932), where she played an elderly woman who gets a million dollars and a new outlook on life.
• The Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (1933).
• Aunt Elizabeth in Bringing Up Baby (1938).
• Aunt Polly in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1938).
• A feisty Granny in A Star Is Born (1937).

Warren William and May Robson in Lady for a Day (1933)

May Robson in A Star is Born (1937)

May Robson in Four Daughters (1938)

She was still playing main roles as late as 1940, starring in Granny Get Your Gun when she was 82 years old. Her last movie was Joan of Paris in 1942.

Academy Award Nomination

In 1933, when she was 75, May Robson was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Lady for a Day. She was the first Australian to be nominated for an acting Oscar. For many years, she was also the oldest person ever nominated for an Academy Award for acting. She lost to Katharine Hepburn that year. Both actresses later appeared together in the classic movie Bringing Up Baby (1938).

Later Life and Passing

May Robson passed away in 1942 at her home in Beverly Hills, California. She was 84 years old. News reports said she died from several health issues related to her age. Her body was cremated and buried next to her second husband, Augustus Brown, at the Flushing Cemetery in Queens, New York.

The New York Times newspaper called May Robson the "dowager queen of the American screen and stage." This means she was seen as a very important and respected older actress in both movies and theater.

Works

Stage Performances

Here is a list of some of the plays May Robson performed in:

Filmography

Silent Films

Sound Films

See also

• List of Australian Academy Award winners and nominees
• List of oldest and youngest Academy Award winners and nominees