On the 20th anniversary of her death, IVOR CASEY remembers the Irish actress who lit up Hollywood and who once turned down the role of Scarlet O’Hara …

 

Enriched with energy and enthusiasm, she was an actress who shone bright with a youthful spirit. From her appearances at Dublin’s Gate Theatre to roles in British cinema and then on to big league Hollywood hits, she became a successful and Academy Award-nominated actress, leaving an indelible mark on the cinematic universe with movies such as Wuthering Heights (1939) and Dark Victory (1939).

This is actress Geraldine Fitzgerald, who showcased vigour and vitality in performances which highlighted the charisma a young Irish actress could present to the world of arts and entertainment.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Irish star’s death, who had a varied career working in several areas of the arts.

Geraldine Mary Fitzgerald was born on 24th November, 1913, to Edith Richards and Edward Martin Fitzgerald.
Born into a privileged family with a lawyer at the head of the household, Geraldine was one of four children and was born on Dublin’s Leeson Street but later raised in Greystones, Co. Wicklow.

In her late teenage years she studied at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art, which later became known as the National College of Art of Design. However, it wasn’t long until she decided to give acting a shot, which was an inspiration credited to her maternal aunt, actress Shelah Geraldine Richards, who had a successful stage career in her own right.

Geraldine took a keen interest in the craft having begun to train and appear on stage in 1933 at the Gate Theatre on Parnell Square in Dublin, including appearing in a highly lauded performance of Wuthering Heights. She received praise for her acting and her noted talent and skill led to her soon receiving film roles in London.

Some of her earliest credits included her début role as Peggy Summers in the thriller Blind Justice (1934) followed by the drama Open All Night (1934). She frequently took on supporting roles and appeared in a range of genre including comedies, crime and dramas including Turn Of The Tide (1935) which was critically compared to the Irish fictional documentary Man Of Aran (1934). Fitzgerald co-starred with Dublin actor Niall MacGinnis in this movie and later again in Debt Of Honor (1936). She took the leading lady role in the adventure Lieutenant Daring R.N. (1936) and headlined the comedy Café Mascot (1936) where she played the part of Moira O’Flynn.

After beginning to secure her name as a popular leading lady in the movie business, Geraldine found time between jobs to settle into a relationship which resulted in her marrying horse racing-enthusiast, Edward William Lindsay-Hogg, in 1936.

Edward, who was a regular visitor to Ireland and was also an amateur playwright, would go on to be the 4th Baronet of Rotherfield Hall in Sussex, England. They had one son, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, who later became a film director.

In 1938, she travelled with Edward to the United States starting out in New York where Geraldine performed on Broadway.
She was directed by the renowned Orson Welles in Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw’s Heartbreak House, produced by Welles’ Mercury Theatre. Geraldine later admitted that she had an affair with Orson with whom she had great admiration during this period and they later worked together again, and rumours later surfaced that her son may have been Orson’s due to their resemblance.

While in New York, Geraldine was noticed by Hollywood producer Hal B. Wallis which led to her signing a seven-year contract with Warner Brothers. However, she made sure to add a stipulation to her contract that she be given six months leave from making movies to appear on stage.

Her first Hollywood movie was the successful Wuthering Heights (1939) with Laurence Olivier, in which she had first appeared in at the Gate Theatre. This was followed by the popular melodrama Dark Victory (1939) in which she appeared with Bette Davis and Irish actor George Brent, and for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Her first headlining role was the drama A Child Is Born (1939) and she followed this working again with Irish star Brent in the romance ‘Til’ We Meet Again (1940).

Continue reading in this week’s Ireland’s Own