Margaret Sullavan(1909-1960)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Born in Norfolk, Virginia to wealthy stockbroker Cornelius Hancock
Sullavan and heiress Garland Council Sullavan, Margaret Brooke overcame
a muscle weakness in her childhood to go on to become a rebellious
teenager at posh private schools. She went on to perform with the
University Players at Harvard and made her Broadway debut in Hello,
Lola in 1926. Her Christmas Day marriage in 1931 to
Henry Fonda lasted only 15 months, and her
later marriages to director William Wyler
and agent Leland Hayward were also
tempestuous. Two of her three children, Bridget and Bill, would spend
some time in mental institutions, and commit suicide. Friends noted
that the collapse of her family life led to her breakdown. Her
condition worsened over time, until she was discovered unconscious from
barbiturate poisoning in a hotel room. Her death was ruled accidental
by the county coroner.
