Mary MacLaren

Mary MacLaren (born Mary Ida MacDonald, also credited Mary McLaren; January 19, 1900 – November 9, 1985) was an American film actress in both the silent and sound eras. She was the younger sister of actresses Miriam and Katherine MacDonald and appeared in more than 170 films between 1916 and 1949.

Early life and stage work Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, MacLaren was the youngest of three daughters of Lillian Edith (née Agnew) and William Albert MacDonald. Her two sisters, Miriam and Katherine MacDonald, also became actors, and another sibling, her brother Edward, died at birth in 1901, 14 months after MacLaren was born. Federal census records for 1900 document that MacLaren's father supported his family working as the proprietor of a hotel in Pittsburgh.

Films

MacLaren's screen career began in 1916 with Shoes. She subsequently performed in productions for the Universal Film Manufacturing Company, including Idle Wives (1916), The Plow Woman (1917), The Model's Confession (1918), The Petal on the Current (1919), The Unpainted Woman (1919), Bonnie Bonnie Lassie (1919), Rouge and Riches (1920), and many others. Among her more notable film roles is her performance as Queen Anne of Austria in the 1921 Douglas Fairbanks production of The Three Musketeers.

In studio directories and trade publications, the 5'3" MacLaren was described as having blue eyes and "masses of blond hair" and being an accomplished swimmer and tennis player. In 1979 in California, the long-retired actress resisted attempts by Los Angeles County officials to declare her mentally incompetent and to assume control of her finances due to repeated charges that she was living in her "dilapidated home" with too much clutter and too many pets. Where Are My Children? (1916) Shoes (1916) Saving the Family Name (1916) The Mysterious Mrs. M (1917) Money Madness (1917) The Plow Woman (1917) The Model's Confession (1918) Bread (1918) The Vanity Pool (1918) The Unpainted Woman (1919) The Petal on the Current (1919) Bonnie Bonnie Lassie (1919) The Pointing Finger (1919) Rouge and Riches (1920) The Forged Bride (1920) The Road to Divorce (1920) The Three Musketeers (1921) The Wild Goose (1921) Across the Continent (1922) The Face in the Fog (1922) Under the Red Robe (1923) On the Banks of the Wabash (1923) The Uninvited Guest (1924) The Phantom Broadcast (1933) Headline Shooter (1933) Westward Ho (1935) The New Frontier (1935) Saddle Aces (1935) Chatterbox (1936) King of the Pecos (1936) What Becomes of the Children? (1936) Reckless Ranger (1937) 52nd Street (1937) A Lawman Is Born (1937) The Fargo Kid (1940) Prairie Pioneers (1941)