Margaret Mann

Mann was born in Aberdeen, Scotland, one of 10 children in her family.^[2] The family moved to South Africa when she was 12 years old. She worked at a variety of jobs, including being a dressmaker.^[3] Her first involvement with acting came when she was 50 years old, portraying Martha Washington in a pageant.^[2]

Mann worked as an extra in films for 10 years, primarily at Universal and Triangle studios.^[2]

She starred in a number of major silent films such as Black Beauty in 1921 and played the lead role in John Ford's 1928 drama Four Sons, one of John Wayne's first films. She often played kind-hearted or suffering motherly roles. With the advent of sound films her roles got notably smaller and she was often uncredited. She portrayed the kindly grandmother Mrs. Mack in two Our Gang comedies in 1931. She also played bit parts in movies like Frankenstein, You Can't Take It With You, Gone with the Wind and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Her last of over 80 movies was The Remarkable Andrew (1942), released one year after her death.

Mann's husband was an invalid, and her earnings from working in films helped to cover the family's expenses.^[2] He was an accountant, and they met and married in South Africa.^[3] Mann died of cancer in 1941, aged 72. Not much about her private life is known, although a press release of 1928 said that Mann lived through many tragedies and hardships in her life. Her spouse was James F. Smythe.^[4][5]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Margaret Mann.

• Margaret Mann at IMDb
• Margaret Mann at Virtual History