- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMary MacDonald
- Mary MacLaren was born on January 19, 1896 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. She was an actress, known for Les trois mousquetaires (1921), Les marches qui craquent (1919) and Shoes (1916). She was married to Robert S. Coleman and Colonel George Herbert Young. She died on November 9, 1985 in Hollywood, California, USA.
- SpousesRobert S. Coleman(February 23, 1965 - October 11, 1971) (his death)Colonel George Herbert Young(1924 - 1928)
- RelativesKatherine MacDonald(Sibling)
- Mary MacLaren is of Scottish ancestry.
- Her final decades were spent in abject poverty with horrific stories of being swindled, declared incompetent, and living like a bag lady in a decaying house with holes in the roof and her beloved cats and dogs, whom she refused to leave. The city eventually won in court, and her house was auctioned off.
- Mary was nearly killed in a two-car crash in 1917. Near death for ten days, a fragile operation on her forehead to lift the frontal bone saved her life.
- An ardent pet lover, Mary was long affiliated with the National Catholic Society for Animal Welfare.
- Retired for marriage to a Scottish army colonel, and they moved to India. When she tried to come back years later after her divorce, the advent of sound hurt Mary's chances and she was relegated to bit roles.
- In 1965 she had a short-lived marriage to a wheelchair-bound, blind man. MacLaren later admitted that it was motivated by pity.
- "Pale and blonde, she was a sister of Katherine MacDonald, considered by many to be the greatest beauty of early silent films. Mary, on the other hand, was merely pretty. On and off the screen she had two expressions--pained and agonized." - Lina Basquette, from her autobiography.
- Money Madness (1917) - $35 @week
- The Mysterious Mrs. Musslewhite (1917) - $35 @week
- Wanted: A Home (1916) - $35 @week
- Saving the Family Name (1916) - $35 @week
- Shoes (1916) - $35 @week
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