Exhibits: Irish American Hall of History

Greer Garson

1904 - 1996

Theatre, Film, Television

While debate still reigns over whether Greer Garson was born in London or Belfast her ancestry remains clearly Irish. After working in community theatre Greer decided to take a risk and go full-time into acting at the age of 24. In 1934 she made her London debut in The Tempest after which she headlined several stageplays and musicals. Louis B. Mayer saw her in a play and was entranced by her elegance and red hair. One of her first films was the successful Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939). She had an every-woman quality with grace, charm and refinement on screen, but in real life Greer was unlike her movie characters. She was funny, brave, radiant and smart…especially in dealing with the Hollywood moguls. She won the Academy Award for her role in Mrs. Miniver (1942 )and for the next decade she reigned as queen of MGM. She would be nominated six more times at the Oscars. She was also a decent singer and appeared in 21 different television shows.

External Links

• Greer Garson - a fan site
• Greer Garson - a fan site
• Greer Garson - Wikipedia