Margaret Mary Marlowe (18 February 1884 – 19 February 1962) was an Australian actress, writer and journalist.

Mary Marlowe
Marlowe in 1927
Marlowe in 1927
BornMargaret Mary Shanahan
(1884-02-18)18 February 1884
St Kilda, Victoria, Australia
Died19 February 1962(1962-02-19) (aged 78)
Rooty Hill, New South Wales, Australia
Notable works
  • The Women Who Wait

Early life and education

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Marlowe was born at the Beaconsfield Hotel, St Kilda, Victoria[1] on 18 February 1884. She was the only child of grazier John and Margaret Shanahan, daughter of John O'Shanassy, second premier of Victoria.[2] She was educated at home by a governess who encouraged her love of reading and writing[1] and also attended a convent in Windsor and studied singing and dancing.[3]

Career

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Marlowe first known stage appearance was in March 1906 in The Sign of the Cross.[4] She toured with the Julius Knight Company from 1907.[5][6] She went to London in 1910 where she performed with Stanley Cook's company, playing Sally Grace in The Man From Mexico.[7] In 1912 she played Kate Rudd in the first performances of On Our Selection.[8]

In 1920 Marlowe returned to Australia where she was employed by the Sydney Sun, writing theatre reviews under the pseudonym "Puck".

Death and legacy

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Marlowe died on 19 February 1962 at Rooty Hill, New South Wales. She was buried at Mona Vale cemetery.[3]

Her autobiography, That Fragile Hour, was published posthumously by Angus and Robertson in 1990.[9] Her papers are held in the State Library of New South Wales.[10]

Selected works

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  • Kangaroos in King's Land: The Adventures of Four Australian Girls in England, 1917
  • The Women Who Wait, 1918
  • The Ghost Girl, 1921
  • Gypsy Royal, Adventuress, 1923
  • A Child by Proxy, 1925 (serialised in the Australian Woman's Mirror)
  • An Unofficial Rose, 1927
  • Said the Spider: A Romance of Papua and New York, 1929
  • Island Calm, 1933 (serialised in the Australian Woman's Mirror)
  • Psalmist of the Dawn, 1934

References

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  1. ^ a b May, Bernice (17 July 1928), "Mary Marlowe", The Australian Woman's Mirror, 4 (34), The Bulletin Newspaper: 10, 56, retrieved 15 September 2022
  2. ^ "Mary Marlowe". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  3. ^ a b Rutledge, Martha, "Marlowe, Margaret Mary (1884–1962)", Australian Dictionary of Biography, Canberra: National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, retrieved 15 September 2022
  4. ^ "Mary Marlowe". The Australian Live Performance Database. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  5. ^ "His Majesty's Theatre". Geelong Advertiser. No. 18, 690. Victoria, Australia. 28 February 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 15 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ "Woman's Page". Freeman's Journal. Vol. LVIII, no. 3563. New South Wales, Australia. 9 May 1907. p. 28. Retrieved 15 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  7. ^ "Miss Mary Marlowe". Punch. Vol. CXV, no. 2929. Victoria, Australia. 14 September 1911. p. 23. Retrieved 15 September 2022 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ "On Our Selection". The Australian Live Performance Database. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  9. ^ "That Fragile Hour : An Autobiography". AustLit: Discover Australian Stories. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  10. ^ Marlowe, Mary, 1884–1962, Mary Marlowe – Papers and literary works, 1875–1958, retrieved 15 September 2022{{citation}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)