Molly Urquhart facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Molly Urquhart
in House of Mystery (1961)
Born	Mary Sinclair Urquhart (1906-01-06)6 January 1906 Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Died	6 October 1977(1977-10-06) (aged 71) Glasgow, Scotland
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	William MacIntosh

Molly Sinclair Urquhart (born January 6, 1906 – died October 6, 1977) was a talented actress from Scotland. She was known for her work in theater, films, and television.

Early Life and Acting Start

Molly Urquhart was born Mary Sinclair Urquhart in Glasgow, Scotland. Her father, William, was an engineer, and her mother, Ann, worked at the post office. Molly went to Downhill Primary School and Church Street School in Glasgow. After school, she worked in a shop and later took an exam to work for the Post Office.

Molly did not go to a special acting school. Instead, she learned to act by joining amateur theater groups. In the late 1920s, when she was a teenager, she joined the St. George Players. Later, in 1931, she became a member of the Tron Theatre Club in Glasgow. In 1932, she joined Glasgow's Curtain Theatre. It was around this time that she started using the stage name Molly Urquhart.

Molly Urquhart's Career

Becoming a Professional Actress

In 1932, Molly Urquhart became a professional actress when she joined the Howard and Wyndham company. Her very first professional acting job was in a play called Jeannie Deans in 1934 at the Theatre Royal, Glasgow. After this, she worked in many different repertory theaters in England and Scotland. Repertory theater means actors perform a different play each week or season. She joined the Sheldon-Browne Company in 1936 and also worked with the Festival Theatre in Cambridge.

Starting Her Own Theater Company

During World War II, Molly Urquhart decided to start her own theater company. It was called the Molly S. Urquhart Theatre, or MSU Theatre. Today, it is known as the Rutherglen Repertory Theatre. She set it up in 1939 in a former church in Rutherglen, Scotland.

Molly did more than just act in her company. She also directed plays and managed the entire theater. Famous actors like Eileen Herlie, Gordon Jackson, Duncan Macrae, and Nicholas Parsons worked with her. Their first play was The Wind and the Rain, which opened on May 2, 1939.

Working at Citizens Theatre

In 1944, the MSU Theatre closed. Molly and some other actors from her company then joined the new Citizens Theatre in Glasgow. She stayed with the Citizens Theatre until 1956. During her time there, she performed in many plays, including The Forrigan Reel and The Tintock Cup.

In 1945, when The Forrigan Reel went on tour, Molly performed in London for the first time at Sadlers Wells Theatre. People said her biggest success was at the Edinburgh Festival in 1948. There, she played Dame Sensualite in a play called A Satire of the Three Estates. She also performed in London's West End in plays like Love in Albania (1949) and The Mortimer Touch (1952).

In 1953, she joined the Five Past Eight Show at the Alhambra Theatre in Glasgow. This show was very popular and ran throughout the 1950s. Her performance as Bessie Burgess in The Plough and the Stars in 1962 was also a big hit.

Film and Television Roles

Molly Urquhart's first film role was in the comedy Geordie in 1955. In this film, she worked with actor Alastair Sim and director Fred Zinnerman. She worked with Zinnerman on many other films, including The Nun's Story (1959), The Sundowners (1960), and A Man For All Seasons (1966).

She also appeared in other movies like Floodtide (1949), Portrait of Clare (1950), and Blonde Sinner (1956). On television, she had a role in the BBC series Doctor Finlay's Casebook and a TV movie called The Little Minister in 1950.

Honors and Legacy

• A play about Molly Urquhart's life was performed by the Dumbarton People's Theatre.
• Helen Murdoch wrote a book about Molly called Travelling Hopefully: The Story of Molly Urquhart.
• Her personal papers and records are kept at the University of Glasgow Special Collections.

Personal Life

In August 1934, Molly Urquhart married William MacIntosh, who was a police officer. They had one son, James Urquhart McIntosh, in 1943. In 1949, her husband William became the first manager of the Citizens Theatre when it was located in Gorbals. Molly and William lived in Ibrox, Glasgow.

Molly Urquhart passed away in Glasgow in 1977 when she was 71 years old.

Partial Filmography