Aline MacMahon

Aline MacMahon was born of Scottish-Irish and Russian-Jewish ancestry on May 3,1899, the daughter of William Marcus MacMahon and Jennie Simon MacMahon. Her father went on to become editor-in-chief of Munsey's Magazine, while her mother pursued a theatrical acting career from middle-age and lived to the ripe old age of 107. After the family moved to Brooklyn, Aline was educated at then-prestigious Erasmus Hall High School. She later attended Barnard College where she was graduated in 1920. MacMahon first appeared onstage in 'The Madras House' at the Neighbourhood Playhouse Theater and subsequently made her bow on Broadway in 'The Mirage' in 1921. During the 1920s, she had a prolific career on Broadway, first, as a comedienne adept at impersonations (notably, in 'The Grand Street Follies' and 'Artists and Models'). By 1926, she proved to be equally adept at dramatic roles, making an impact in Eugene O'Neill's 'Beyond the Horizon'. Noël Coward described her as "astonishing, moving and be