Madeleine Carroll

Diagnoses

Personal

Vocation

Lifestyle

Notable

Family

British actress who was a gentle, well-bred leading lady of the '30s and '40s. On-screen from 1928, her work includes the Hollywood pictures "39 Steps," "Prisoner of Zenda," and "My Favorite Blonde." Though she became a U.S. citizen in 1943, England was always first in her heart. With WW II she returned to London to work for the Allied Relief Fund and was also very active with the American Red Cross. For her efforts, she was honored by the American Legion and the French government, and in 1948 the National Conference of Christians and Jews named her "Woman of the Year." She made only three postwar pictures before retiring to devote her time to UNESCO, nonetheless playing an occasional role on stage or TV. Because of her beautifully modulated voice and diction, she was welcomed to radio dramas. Carroll married and divorced four times. Her husbands included Philip Astley, 1931, followed by the French film producer Henri Lavorel, then Sterling Hayden, 1942-1946, and Life magazine publisher Andrew Heiskell 1950-1965. At 78, she lived on a large farm near Paris. Carroll died of gall bladder cancer 10/2/1987 near Marbella, Spain. Link to Wikipedia biography