Mercedes McCambridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mercedes McCambridge
McCambridge in All the King's Men (1949)
Born	Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (1916-03-16)March 16, 1916 Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 2, 2004(2004-03-02) (aged 87) La Jolla, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Mundelein College
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1930s–2004
Spouse(s)	William Fifield ​ ​ (m. 1939; div. 1946)​ Fletcher Markle ​ ​ (m. 1950; div. 1962)​
Children	1

Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge (March 16, 1916 – March 2, 2004) was an American actress. She worked in radio, on stage, in movies, and on television. The famous director Orson Welles once called her "the world's greatest living radio actress."

Mercedes McCambridge won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her very first movie role. This was in the film All the King's Men (1949). She was also nominated for another Academy Award for her role in Giant (1956). Many people also know her as the voice of the demon in the movie The Exorcist (1973).

Early Life of Mercedes McCambridge

Mercedes McCambridge was born in Joliet, Illinois. Her parents, Marie and John Patrick McCambridge, were Irish-American Catholics. Her father was a farmer. She went to college at Mundelein College in Chicago.

Mercedes McCambridge's Acting Career

Radio Acting Roles

Mercedes McCambridge started her acting career in the 1930s. She performed on radio and also on Broadway stages. In 1941, she played Judy's friend in a radio show called A Date with Judy.

She also had the main role in Defense Attorney, a crime drama that was on ABC radio from 1951 to 1952. She appeared in many other radio shows, including:

• Lights Out
• Inner Sanctum
• Bulldog Drummond
• Gang Busters
• Murder at Midnight
• Studio One
• Screen Directors Playhouse
• Ford Theater
• Abie's Irish Rose
• This Is Nora Drake
• I Love A Mystery

She often had important roles on CBS Radio Mystery Theater. She was also one of the first actors on the soap opera Guiding Light. From 1953 to 1954, McCambridge starred in the radio soap opera Family Skeleton on CBS.

Television Appearances

Mercedes McCambridge played Katherine Wells in Wire Service. This was a drama series on ABC from 1956 to 1957. She starred alongside George Brent and Dane Clark. They played reporters for a made-up news agency.

In 1966, she appeared in an episode of Lost in Space called "The Space Croppers." She played Sybilla, the leader of a family of special space farmers. In 1968, McCambridge played a powerful witch named Carlotta in an episode of Bewitched. Carlotta was a friend (and sometimes rival) of Endora. It's interesting that Carlotta was also Mercedes McCambridge's real first name!

Notable Film Roles

McCambridge's movie career really took off when she was chosen for the role of Sadie Burke. This was in the film All the King's Men (1949). She won the 1949 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role. The film also won the award for Best Picture that year. She also won two Golden Globe Awards for her performance.

In 1954, she acted with Joan Crawford and Sterling Hayden in the western drama Johnny Guitar. This movie is now considered a cult classic.

McCambridge played the role of Luz in the movie Giant (1956). This film starred famous actors like Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, and James Dean. She was nominated for another Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for this role. In 1959, she appeared in Suddenly, Last Summer with Katharine Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor.

Mercedes McCambridge provided the voice for Pazuzu, the demon in The Exorcist. This demon possessed the young girl Regan, played by Linda Blair. To make her voice sound very scary, McCambridge worked hard to make it sound harsh and aggressive. The director, William Friedkin, even had her tied to a chair during recordings. This made it seem like the demon was struggling. After some discussion, she was properly credited for her voice work in the film.

In the 1970s, she toured in a play called Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. She played the character Big Mama. She also appeared as a guest actress in college plays. In 1977, she helped open a theater building at El Centro College by starring in The Madwoman of Chaillot. She also wrote a book about her life called The Quality of Mercy: An Autobiography, which came out in 1981.

Mercedes McCambridge's Personal Life

Mercedes McCambridge married her first husband, William Fifield, in 1939. They had a son named John Lawrence Fifield in 1941. They divorced in 1946.

In 1950, McCambridge married Fletcher Markle. He was an actor, producer, and director from Canada. He had directed her in some of her radio shows. Her son, John, later took Markle's last name. McCambridge and Markle divorced in 1962.

From 1975 to 1982, McCambridge spent her time helping a non-profit organization called the Livengrin Foundation. This organization helped people recover from various life challenges. She started as a volunteer on their board and later became the president and CEO. She was in charge of the daily operations of the center. The Livengrin Foundation still helps people today.

She was a strong supporter of the Democratic Party and campaigned for the politician Adlai Stevenson.

Mercedes McCambridge passed away on March 2, 2004, in La Jolla, California. She was almost 88 years old.

Legacy and Awards

Mercedes McCambridge has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. One star is for her contributions to movies, and the other is for her work in television. This shows how important her work was in both areas.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Mercedes McCambridge para niños