Helen MacKellar

Helen MacKellar (February 13, 1895 – August 5, 1966) was an American actress born in Detroit, Michigan, of Scottish and French-Canadian ancestry. She pursued acting training in both Chicago and Spokane, and made her stage debut in Spokane at the age of 14 in the musical comedy The Whirl of the Town. Early in her career she performed in vaudeville and worked in repertory theatre with the Valencia Stock Company in Los Angeles. Her first stage work in the eastern United States came through the Poli Stock Company in New Haven.

MacKellar's Broadway career spanned nearly three decades, from 1916 to 1944. She made her Broadway debut in 1916 with appearances in both Seven Chances and Major Pendennis. Subsequent credits included The Unknown Purple (1918), The Storm (1919), Back Pay (1921), Bought and Paid For (1921), The Shadow (1922), The Masked Woman (1922), The Desert Flower (1924), Open House (1925), The Mud Turtle (1925), A Good Bad Woman (1925), Romancin' Round (1927), Through the Night (1930), Bloody Laughter (1931), and Dear Ruth (1944).

MacKellar also built a substantial screen career. Her film debut came in The Past of Mary Holmes, and she went on to appear in numerous productions including Two Against the World, Draegerman Courage, The Case of the Stuttering Bishop, Crime School, Little Tough Guy, Barefoot Boy, Valley of the Giants, Disbarred, Boy Slaves, Bad Boy, Northwest Passage, Dark Command, Cheers for Miss Bishop, The Great Mr. Nobody, The Great Train Robbery, Gangs of Sonora, Down Mexico Way, The Man Who Returned to Life, Street of Chance, The Sundown Kid, The Powers Girl, and Silver Spurs.

MacKellar was married to actor George McQuarrie. She died on August 5, 1966, in New York City.