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Mercedes McCambridge(1916-2004)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Mercedes McCambridge C. 1950
Trailer for The Exorcist
Play trailer1:41
L'exorciste (1973)
5 Videos
32 Photos
Mercedes McCambridge was a highly talented radio performer who won a best supporting Actress Oscar for her film debut.

Mercedes McCambridge was born in Joliet, Illinois, to Marie (Mahaffry) and John Patrick McCambridge, a farmer. She was of mostly Irish (with a small amount of English and German) ancestry. Despite a career full of supporting roles, she later became something of a cult figure. Her memorable voice-over for the demon child in L'exorciste (1973) has secured her place in movie history. Ironically, she took Warner Bros. to court over her being uncredited for the role, which was probably the most important in the film.

Mercedes enjoyed a quiet retirement starting from the early 1980s. She was a special guest star at the 70th Annual Anniversary Academy Awards in 1998 along with many other Oscar winners. Mercedes also made special television appearances to discuss her role in L'exorciste (1973) at the 30th Anniversary of the film's release.

She died in La Jolla in California on 2nd March 2004 from natural causes.
BornMarch 16, 1916
DiedMarch 2, 2004(87)
BornMarch 16, 1916
DiedMarch 2, 2004(87)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 5 wins & 3 nominations total

Photos32

Katharine Hepburn, Montgomery Clift, and Mercedes McCambridge in Soudain l'été dernier (1959)
Mercedes McCambridge in Les fous du roi (1949)
Arlene Dahl, David Brian, Mercedes McCambridge, and Paula Raymond in Inside Straight (1951)
Broderick Crawford, Walter Burke, Ralph Dumke, Mercedes McCambridge, and Will Wright in Les fous du roi (1949)
Broderick Crawford, Walter Burke, John Ireland, and Mercedes McCambridge in Les fous du roi (1949)
John Ireland and Mercedes McCambridge in Les fous du roi (1949)
Joanne Dru, John Ireland, Mercedes McCambridge, and Anne Seymour in Les fous du roi (1949)
Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, and Mercedes McCambridge in Les fous du roi (1949)
Broderick Crawford, Walter Burke, John Ireland, and Mercedes McCambridge in Les fous du roi (1949)
John Ireland and Mercedes McCambridge in Les fous du roi (1949)
John Ireland and Mercedes McCambridge in Les fous du roi (1949)
Mercedes McCambridge in Soudain l'été dernier (1959)

Known for:

James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, and Rock Hudson in Géant (1956)
Géant
7.6
  • Luz Benedict
  • 1956
John Derek, Broderick Crawford, Joanne Dru, John Ireland, Mercedes McCambridge, and Shepperd Strudwick in Les fous du roi (1949)
Les fous du roi
7.4
  • Sadie Burke
  • 1949
Max von Sydow in L'exorciste (1973)
L'exorciste
8.1
  • Demon(voice)
  • 1973
Joan Crawford in Johnny Guitare (1954)
Johnny Guitare
7.6
  • Emma Small
  • 1954

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Peter Bogdanovich, John Huston, and Susan Strasberg in De l'autre côté du vent (2018)
    De l'autre côté du vent
    6.7
    • Maggie Noonan
    • 2018
  • Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless in Cagney et Lacey (1981)
    Cagney et Lacey
    6.8
    TV Series
    • Sister Elizabeth
    • 1988
  • Histoires fantastiques (1985)
    Histoires fantastiques
    7.4
    TV Series
    • Miss Lestrange (voice)
    • 1987
  • Lyman H. Howe's High Class Moving Pictures
    TV Movie
    • Narrator (voice)
    • 1983
  • Echoes (1982)
    Echoes
    3.7
    • Lillian Gerben
    • 1982
  • Tom Selleck in Magnum (1980)
    Magnum
    7.5
    TV Series
    • Agatha Kimball
    • 1981
  • Chad Everett in Hagen (1980)
    Hagen
    6.4
    TV Series
    • Rosemary
    • 1980
  • Alain Delon in Airport 80 Concorde (1979)
    Airport 80 Concorde
    4.4
    • Nelli
    • 1979
  • Sam Elliott, Tom Selleck, and Jeff Osterhage in Le Clan des Sacketts (1979)
    Le Clan des Sacketts
    7.6
    TV Mini Series
    • Ma Sackett
    • 1979
  • Pat Klous, Connie Sellecca, and Kathryn Witt in Embarquement immédiat (1978)
    Embarquement immédiat
    6.6
    TV Series
    • Claire
    • 1978
  • Farrah Fawcett, Kate Jackson, and Jaclyn Smith in Drôles de dames (1976)
    Drôles de dames
    6.5
    TV Series
    • Norma
    • 1978
  • Thieves (1977)
    Thieves
    4.6
    • Street Lady
    • 1977
  • Le daliah noir (1975)
    Le daliah noir
    7.0
    TV Movie
    • Grandmother
    • 1975
  • Max von Sydow in L'exorciste (1973)
    L'exorciste
    8.1
    • Demon (voice)
    • 1973
  • The President's Plane Is Missing (1973)
    The President's Plane Is Missing
    5.9
    TV Movie
    • Hester Madigan
    • 1973

Soundtrack

  • Mercedes McCambridge in The Scarf (1951)
    The Scarf
    6.7
    • performer: "Summer Rains"
    • 1951

Videos5

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:59
Official Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 2:35
Official Trailer
All the King's Men -- Trailer
Trailer 2:28
All the King's Men -- Trailer
The Exorcist: 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition
Trailer 1:41
The Exorcist: 40th Anniversary Blu-ray Edition
Giant
Trailer 1:30
Giant

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 1.60 m
  • Born
    • March 16, 1916
    • Joliet, Illinois, USA
  • Died
    • March 2, 2004
    • La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA(undisclosed)
  • Spouses
      Fletcher MarkleFebruary 19, 1950 - 1962 (divorced, 1 child)
  • Parents
      John Patrick McCambridge
  • Other works
    (1974-78) Radio: Appeared in "The CBS Radio Mystery Theater".
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 10 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Suffered from bronchitis for the most part of her life. She later revealed she was able to use this to her advantage for the chilling, unearthly breathing of the demon in L'exorciste (1973).
  • Quotes
    One of the most destructive things in my life was the kind of parts I played in pictures. I studied Shakespeare and the classics, and I end up shooting Joan Crawford and killing a horse that Elizabeth Taylor was in love with. I'm serious. I played the worst harridans, the most hard-bitten women, the absolute heavies, and it just about did me in.
  • Trademarks
      Strong and sometimes fierce voice
  • Nickname
    • Mercy

FAQ13

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  • When did Mercedes McCambridge die?
  • How did Mercedes McCambridge die?
  • How old was Mercedes McCambridge when she died?

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