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Madge Evans

Madge Evans

Actor · 1909 – 1981 · New York City, New York, USA

Lovely Madge Evans was the perennial nice girl in films of the 1930s. By then, she had been in front of the camera for many years, starting with Fairy Soap commercials at the age of two (she sat on a bar of soap holding a bunch of violets with the tag line reading "have you a little fairy in your home?"). 'Baby Madge' also lent her name to a children's hat company. In 1914, aged five, she was picked out by talent scouts to appear in the William Farnum movie The Sign of the Cross (1914), followed by The Seven Sisters (1915) with Marguerite Clark. By the end of the following year, she had amassed some twenty film credits, appearing with such noted contemporary stars as Pauline Frederick or Alice Brady. All of her early films were made on the East Coast, at studios in Ft.Lee, New Jersey. In 1917 (aged eight), Madge made her Broadway debut in 'Peter Ibbetson' with John Barrymore and Lionel Barrymore. She resumed her stage career in 1926 as an ingenue with 'Daisy Mayme' and the following year appeared with Billie Burke in Noel Coward's costume drama 'The Marquise' (1927). Her pleasing looks and personality soon attracted the attention of Hollywood and she was eventually signed by MGM in 1931. During the next decade, she appeared in several A-grade productions, notably as Lionel Barrymore's daughter in MGM's Dinner at Eight (1933) and as the dependable Agnes Wickfield in one of the best-ever filmed versions of David Copperfield (1935). She co-starred opposite James Cagney in the gangster movie The Mayor of Hell (1933), Spencer Tracy in The Show-Off (1934) and listened to Bing Crosby crooning the title song in Pennies from Heaven (1936). Madge received praise for her performance as the star of Beauty for Sale (1933) and The New York Times review of January 13 1934 described her acting in Fugitive Lovers (1934) (opposite Robert Montgomery ) as 'spontaneous and captivating'. Many of her 'typical American girl' roles did not allow her to express aspects of the greater acting range she undoubtedly possessed. Too often she was cast as the 'nice girl' - and those rarely make much of a dramatic impact. On the few occasions she was assigned the role of 'other woman' , such as the Helen Hayes-starrer What Every Woman Knows (1934), audiences found her character difficult to believe and disassociate from her all-round wholesome image. When her contract with MGM expired in 1937, Madge wound down her film career and, following her 1939 marriage, concentrated on being the wife of celebrated playwright Sidney Kingsley. She last appeared on stage in one of his plays, "The Patriots", in 1943.

Movies24

  • Movie6.7
  • Movie6.3
  • Movie6.8

    Dinner at Eight

    1933 · 133 votes

  • Movie7.0

    The Mayor of Hell

    1933 · 33 votes

  • Movie5.3

    Stand Up and Cheer!

    1934 · 12 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Army Girl

    1938 · 4 votes

  • Movie7.3

    Death on the Diamond

    1934 · 6 votes

  • Movie6.2

    Fugitive Lovers

    1934 · 6 votes

  • Movie4.8

    Moonlight Murder

    1936 · 6 votes

  • Movie7.0

    Huddle

    1932 · 6 votes

  • Movie5.6

    Are You Listening?

    1932 · 5 votes

  • Movie
  • Movie5.7

    Son of India

    1931 · 3 votes

  • Movie7.2

    Beauty for Sale

    1933 · 6 votes

  • Movie7.6

    What Every Woman Knows

    1934 · 5 votes

  • Movie5.9

    Guilty Hands

    1931 · 15 votes

  • Movie8.5

    Fast Life

    1932 · 4 votes

  • Movie1.0

    Beloved Adventuress

    1917 · 1 votes

  • Movie7.2

    Exclusive Story

    1936 · 5 votes

  • Movie7.6

    Hallelujah, I'm a Bum

    1933 · 10 votes

  • Movie5.4

    Sporting Blood

    1931 · 10 votes

  • Movie6.8

    Piccadilly Jim

    1936 · 2 votes

  • Movie6.0

    Lovers Courageous

    1932 · 6 votes

  • Movie

Series7

  • TV5.3

    Matinee Theater

    1955 · 7 votes

  • TV5.4

    Studio One

    1948 · 13 votes

  • TV6.6
  • TV7.3

    Your Show of Shows

    1950 · 4 votes

  • TV6.7

    Lux Video Theatre

    1950 · 7 votes

  • TV8.8

    Hallmark Hall of Fame

    1951 · 8 votes

  • TV7.0

    The Alcoa Hour

    1955 · 2 votes