Madeleine Carroll | |
|---|---|
 Carroll in 1938 | |
| Born | Marie-Madeleine Bernadette O'Carroll 26 February 1906 West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England |
| Died | 2 October 1987 (aged 81) Marbella, Spain |
| Resting place | Sant Antoni de Calonge |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1928–1955 |
| Spouses | Captain Phillip Astley
(m. 1931; div. 1939) |
| Children | 1 |
Marie-Madeleine Bernadette O'Carroll (26 February 1906 – 2 October 1987)[1] was an English actress, popular both in Britain and in America in the 1930s and 1940s. At the peak of her success in 1938, she was the world's highest-paid actress.
Carroll is remembered for starring in Alfred Hitchcock's The 39 Steps (1935) where she originated the "ice cold blonde" role in Hitchcock films.[2] The director stated, "how very well Madeleine fitted into the part. I had heard a lot about her as a tall, cold, blonde beauty. After meeting her, I made up my mind to present her to the public as her natural self".[3] She is also noted for largely abandoning her acting career after the death of her sister Marguerite in the London Blitz to devote herself to helping wounded servicemen and children displaced or maimed by the war. She was awarded both the Legion d'Honneur and the Medal of Freedom for her work with the Red Cross.
- ^ "Madeleine Carroll Dies at 81; Film Actress of 30's and 40's". The New York Times.
- ^ Chapman, James (2017). Hitchcock and the Spy Film. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 54.
Carroll was the archetypal 'Hitchcock blonde' – the first in a lineage that would also include Grace Kelly, Eva Marie Saint, Kim Novak and Tippi Hedren
- ^ Hare, William (2015). Hitchcock and the Methods of Suspense. MacFarland. p. 32.