Esther Muir

Esther Muir (March 11, 1903 – August 1, 1995) was an American actress on Broadway and in Hollywood films.

Early years Born in Andes, New York, Muir had six sisters and three brothers. She began modeling in New York City while still a high school student.

Career

Stage While she was in high school, Muir became a showgirl in the Greenwich Village Follies and in The Earl Carroll Vanities.

Film Muir appeared with the Marx Brothers in A Day At The Races (1937). She toured with the Marxes in a stage version where material from the movie was rehearsed and crafted prior to filming. Muir described the Marx Brothers as diligent comic actors who sometimes worked days and weeks on a scene to perfect it. "We played pranks and had many laughs in spite of the hard and messy work. The Marx Brothers ad-libbed funnier material than the four top writers could concoct for them. It was an unforgettable experience, as well as a lucrative ordeal." Her other screen credits include roles in I'll Take Romance (1937), City Girl (1938), and The Girl and the Gambler (1939).

"The disappointment of my life was failure to play Belle Watling in Gone With the Wind. Some people had written in and suggest me for the part, and David Selznick sent the script to me. I was on cloud nine. I shall never forget the producer saying, 'I have run several of your pictures and admire your work. Every time you play a tough character, however, some sweetness comes through. Someday I will use you.' He sensed my great disappointment."

Personal life and death An introduction by columnist Walter Winchell eventually led to Muir's marriage to Hollywood director and choreographer Busby Berkeley. and were divorced in 1931.

Muir married composer/producer Sam Coslow in Mexicali, Mexico, on November 1, 1934. The couple repeated their wedding vows a year later in Ventura, California. The marriage ended in divorce in 1948. Her daughter, Jacqueline Coslow, became an actress and married actor Ted Sorel (né Theodore Eliopoulos).

Muir was also married to Richard Brown, president of General Time Corporation.

Muir developed real estate in southern California in the 1950s. Four hundred tract homes were among the projects that she supervised.

Filmography