Aline McDermott

Mary Aline Langdon McDermott was born on October 23, 1881, in Jersey City, New Jersey, to Allan Langdon McDermott and Margaret Elizabeth O'Neill McDermott. Her father was both a lawyer and a Congressman. McDermott died on February 16, 1951, in New York City.

McDermott built a stage career spanning more than three decades, with Broadway appearances from 1911 to 1945. In addition to her New York work, she performed on the London stage and was a leading lady in touring and stock companies, among them the Northampton Players. She was also known for discouraging young women from pursuing careers in the theater.

Her Broadway debut came with The Runaway in 1911, and subsequent credits included Go West, Young Man (1923), Bachelors' Brides (1925), American Born (1925), The Rhapsody (1930), and Page Pygmalion (1932). Among her most significant stage work was creating the role of Mrs. Lily Mortar in Lillian Hellman's The Children's Hour, which ran on Broadway from 1934 to 1936. She was also part of the original Broadway cast of Thornton Wilder's Our Town in 1938. Later credits included Blind Alley (1940) and State of the Union, which ran from 1945 to 1947. The database also lists Strangers at Home among her Broadway productions.

Outside the theater, McDermott was a noted amateur photographer during the 1910s. In 1936, she sustained an arm injury after slipping on an icy sidewalk.