Aline MacMahon was born of Irish/Russian ancestry on May 3 1899, the daughter of William Marcus MacMahon and Jennie Simon MacMahon. Her father went on to become editor-in-chief of Munsey's Magazine, while her mother pursued a theatrical acting career from middle-age and lived to the ripe old age of 107. After the family moved to Brooklyn, Aline was educated in New York and graduated from Barnard College in 1920. She first appeared on stage in 'The Madras House' at the Neighbourhood Playhouse and subsequently made her bow on Broadway in 'The Mirage' in 1921. During the 1920's, Aline had a prolific career on Broadway, first, as a comedienne adept at impersonations (notably, in 'The Grand Street Follies' and 'Artists and Models'). By 1926, she proved to be equally adept at dramatic roles, making an impact in Eugene O'Neill's 'Beyond the Horizon'. Noël Coward described her as 'astonishing, moving and beautiful', while critic Alexander Woollcott commented on her 'extraordinary beauty, vitality and truth' (New York Times, October 14, 1991). Aline's distinguished career on the stage went on for five and a half decades, highlighted by many critically acclaimed performances in plays like 'The Eve of St.Mark' (1942-43), 'The Confidential Clerk' (1954), 'Pictures in the Hallway' (1956) and 'All the Way Home' (1960-61). Her somewhat melancholic, heavy-lidded and thickly eye-browed features inspired sculptor Isamu Noguchi and photographer Cecil Beaton.详情