Mary Tomlinson, later known as Marjorie Main, was born on February 24, 1890, and passed away on April 10, 1975. She was an American actress, best known for her work as a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player and for her iconic role as Ma Kettle in a series of ten Ma and Pa Kettle movies.
Main began her career in vaudeville, performing on the Orpheum circuit and in Chautauqua presentations. She made her Broadway debut in 1916 and her first film appearance in 1931 with the movie "A House Divided". Initially, she played upper-class dowagers, but soon became typecast in abrasive, domineering, and salty roles, which her distinctive voice was well-suited for.
She repeated her stage role in "Dead End" in the 1937 film version and was subsequently cast as the mother of gangsters in several films. She also guest-starred on radio programs such as "Columbia Presents Corwin" and "The Goldbergs".
In 1940, Main was signed to a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract, which she stayed with until the mid-1950s. During this time, she made six films with Wallace Beery, including "Barnacle Bill" (1941),"Jackass Mail" (1942),and "Bad Bascomb" (1946). She played the role of Sonora Cassidy, the chief cook, in "The Harvey Girls" (1946).
Main's most famous role is arguably that of Ma Kettle, which she first played in "The Egg and I" (1947) opposite Percy Kilbride as Pa Kettle. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for the part and went on to portray the character in nine more Ma and Pa Kettle films.
In the early 1950s, Main appeared in several MGM musicals, including "Meet Me in St. Louis" and "The Belle of New York". She played Mrs. Wrenley in the studio's all-star film "It's a Big Country" (1951). In 1954, she played her last roles for the studio: Mrs. Hittaway in "The Long, Long Trailer" and Jane Dunstock in "Rose Marie".
In 1956, Main's performance as the widow Hudspeth in the hit film "Friendly Persuasion" was well-received, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. In 1958, she appeared twice as rugged frontierswoman Cassie Tanner in the episodes "The Cassie Tanner Story" and "The Sacramento Story" on NBC's television series "Wagon Train".
