Marion Lorne MacDougall, born on either August 12, 1883, 1885, or 1888, in Pennsylvania, was a talented actress who spent five decades on the stage before becoming a household name on television. She was the daughter of Scottish and English immigrants and was trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. Marion began her career in stock shows and made her Broadway debut in 1905.
She married English playwright Walter C. Hackett and performed in many of his plays throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including "Hyde Park Corner" and "The Gay Adventure". The couple co-founded the Whitehall Theater in England, where Marion honed her comedic skills in plays such as "Pansy's Arabian Knight", "Sorry You've Been Troubled", "Espionage", and "London After Dark".
After Hackett's death in 1944, Marion returned to the United States and took a brief retirement before resuming her career. She starred in the hit stage show "Harvey" and later made her film debut at the age of 60+ in Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" (1951),playing the role of a murderer's clueless and smothering mother.
Marion's subsequent film appearances were limited, but she found success on television, appearing in sitcoms such as "Mister Peepers" (1952) and "Sally" (1957),and as part of the comedy ensemble on "The Garry Moore Show" (1958). Her most iconic role was as Elizabeth Montgomery's befuddled and muttering witch-aunt on "Bewitched" (1964),a character that earned her a posthumous Emmy award for "Best Supporting Actress". Marion passed away on May 9, 1968, just ten days before the ceremony, and Elizabeth Montgomery gave a touching acceptance speech on her behalf.
