Actress. She may perhaps be best remembered for playing ‘Bessie Watty’ in the picture “The Corn Is Green” (1945). She received an Academy Award nomination for her effort. Born Mary Magdalene Ellis into a family of Anglo-Russian descent in Hong Kong, she fled with her mother to San Francisco as a result of the Japanese aggressions in 1939. After moving to Los Angeles, she got her break in the entertainment industry on radio and marked her motion picture debut in the 1944 picture “Song of Russia”. In only her third motion picture, she received her Oscar nomination. Among her other films include “Three Strangers” (1946), “The Verdict” (1947) and “The Other Love” (1947). During the 1950s, she appeared on such TV programs as “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and “Robert Montgomery Presents”. In 1950, she originated the role of ‘Marie’ in the hit Broadway production “Come Back, Little Sheba”. She was married to renown endocrinologist Doctor Martin Sonenberg until his death in 2011. (bio by: C.S.)