CINEFILER

Marcia Mae Jones

Born
August 1, 1924
Died
September 2, 2007
Marcia Mae Jones was born on August 1, 1924, to an acting family. Her mother, Freda Jones, was an actress, and all three of her siblings - Margaret Jones, Macon Jones, and Marvin Jones - were child actors. But Marcia Mae had the most successful career, and she was the only one of her siblings to become a child star. She made her acting debut when just six months old, when director James Cruze saw her in her baby carriage and immediately cast her as the baby in his film Mannequin (1926). Her first major role was in Night Nurse (1931), in which she played a sick child that a sinister hospital staff was trying to murder. By age 10, Marcia Mae had appeared in several dramatic films. In 1936, she played a terrified victim of school bullying in These Three (1936), a role that brought her much attention. In 1937, she played the crippled Klara in Heidi (1937). The film starred two other child actors, Delmar Watson and Shirley Temple. Despite a four-year age difference, Marcia Mae and Shirley acted well with each other, and they appeared together again in The Little Princess (1939). Besides Shirley Temple and Delmar Watson, Marcia Mae worked with several other child stars of the 1930s, including Jane Withers, Bonita Granville, Jackie Moran, Sybil Jason, and her favorite, Jackie Cooper. Marcia Mae's film career began to slow down in the early 1950s, after which she largely appeared in television roles. Her adult life was marred by the suicide of her second husband, Bill Davenport, and problems with alcohol. She eventually conquered her alcohol dependency and became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Marcia Mae Jones died on 2 September 2007 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.
Known For
Night Nurse
(1931)
Nanny Ritchey (uncredited)
Heidi
(1937)
Klara Sesemann
The Way We Were
(1973)
Peggy Vanderbilt
The Life of Emile Zola
(1937)
Helen Richards
Imitation of Life
(1934)
Peola's Frontrow Classmate (uncredited)
These Three
(1936)
Rosalie Wells
The Little Princess
(1939)
Lavinia
Full Filmography
Acting
Mannequin
(1926)
Joan Herrick as a baby (uncredited)
The Bishop Murder Case
(1929)
Hungry Child in Park (uncredited)
King of Jazz
(1930)
Child ('Bridal Veil') (uncredited)
Night Nurse
(1931)
Nanny Ritchey (uncredited)
Street Scene
(1931)
The Champ
(1931)
Mary Lou Carleton
Birthday Blues
(1932)
Girl with Whistle
Mush and Milk
(1933)
Doctor Bull
(1933)
Ruth
Employees' Entrance
(1933)
Flower Girl at Wedding (uncredited)
Imitation of Life
(1934)
Peola's Frontrow Classmate (uncredited)
A Dog of Flanders
(1935)
Little Girl at Party (uncredited)
This Is the Life
(1935)
Child
These Three
(1936)
Rosalie Wells
The Life of Emile Zola
(1937)
Helen Richards
Heidi
(1937)
Klara Sesemann
Two Wise Maids
(1937)
Geraldine 'Jerry ' Karns
Lady Behave!
(1937)
Patricia Cormack
Mountain Justice
(1937)
Bethie Harkins
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
(1938)
Mary Sawyer
Barefoot Boy
(1938)
Pige Blaine
Mad About Music
(1938)
Olga
First Love
(1939)
Marcia Parker
Meet Dr. Christian
(1939)
Marilee
The Little Princess
(1939)
Lavinia
The Flying Irishman
(1939)
Teenager
Tomboy
(1940)
Pat Kelly
Haunted House
(1940)
Millie Henshaw
The Old Swimmin' Hole
(1940)
Betty Elliott
Anne of Windy Poplars
(1940)
Jen Pringle
The Gang's All Here
(1941)
Patsy Wallace
Let's Go Collegiate
(1941)
Bess Martin
Nice Girl?
(1941)
Jane's Friend at Benefit
Secrets of a Co-Ed
(1942)
Blonde Co-Ed in Black Outfit [Script Name: Laura Wright]
Top Man
(1943)
Erna Lane
The Youngest Profession
(1943)
Vera Bailey
Nobody's Darling
(1943)
Lois
Nine Girls
(1944)
Shirley Berke
Lady in the Death House
(1944)
Suzy Kirk Logan
Snafu
(1945)
Martha
Trouble Preferred
(1948)
Virginia Evans
The Fabulous Fraud
(1948)
Blind Girl
Street Corner
(1948)
Lois Marsh
Tucson
(1949)
Polly Johnson
Arson, Inc.
(1949)
Betty - Fender's Secretary
The Daughter of Rosie O'Grady
(1950)
Katie O'Grady
Hi-Jacked
(1950)
Jean Harper (as Marsha Jones)
Chicago Calling
(1951)
Peggy (as Marsha Jones)
Life with Buster Keaton
(1951)
The Yellow Haired Kid
(1952)
Amy
The Star
(1952)
Waitress (uncredited)
Live a Little, Love a Little
(1968)
Woman #1 (uncredited)
A Great American Tragedy
(1972)
Claire
The Way We Were
(1973)
Peggy Vanderbilt
The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe
(1974)
Sarah
Shirley Temple: America's Little Darling
(1993)
Self
Data provided by TMDB