McCambridge, Mercedes (1916–2004)
McCambridge, Mercedes (1916–2004)
American actress. Born Carlotta Mercedes Agnes McCambridge, Mar 17, 1916, in Joliet, IL; died Mar 2, 2004, in LaJolla, CA; dau. of John Patrick McCambridge (farmer) and Marie (Mahaffry) McCambridge; Mundelein College, BA, 1937; m. William Fifield (writer), 1939 (div. 1946); m. Fletcher Markle (writer and director), 1950 (div. 1962); children: (1st m.) John Lawrence (died 1987).
Stage, screen, and radio actress, appeared in numerous radio series, including "Inner Sanctum," "Abie's Irish Rose," "I Love a Mystery," "Bulldog Drummond," "Dick Tracy," and "The Thin Man"; starred in her own series on CBS radio, "Big Sister" (1945); signed with Columbia, made film debut in All the King's Men (1949) for which she won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (1950); won acclaim for performances in Johnny Guitar (1954), Giant (1956), for which she received her 2nd Academy Award nomination, and Suddenly, Last Summer (1959); was the off-camera voice of the demon in The Exorcist.
See also memoir The Two of Us (1960) and autobiography The Quality of Mercy (1981); and Women in World History.