Margaret Leighton

Margaret Leighton

A tall, rail-thin, charming British actress, she began training for the stage at age 15, and made her professional debut at 16. After joining the Old Vic Company under the direction of Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson, she rose to prominence in the late '40s; over the next decade she became a highly respected actress for her work in both London and Broadway, typically portraying fragile, neurotic women. For her performances in the Broadway plays Separate Tables (1956) and The Night of the Iguana (1962) she won Tony Awards. Onscreen from the late '40s, she appeared in numerous films over nearly three decades. For her work in The Go-Between (1971) she received a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination. She was married to publisher Max Reinhardt, actor Laurence Harvey, and actor Michael Wilding. She died of multiple sclerosis at 53. ~ All Movie Guide