Margaret Irving

Margaret Irving (January 18, 1898 – March 5, 1988) was an American actress who worked across stage and film throughout a career spanning several decades. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she built a reputation as a versatile performer on Broadway before extending her work to Hollywood productions and television.

Irving's Broadway career ran from 1917 to 1946 and encompassed a range of productions. Her stage credits included Where There's a Will, Streets of Paris, the musicals Hairpin Harmony and Hold on to Your Hats, and Happy Birthday, among others. One of her most notable stage achievements was originating the role of Mrs. Whitehead in the Marx Brothers vehicle Animal Crackers, a production that later transferred to film.

Her screen work included the 1930 film adaptation of Animal Crackers, in which she reprised her stage role opposite the Marx Brothers. Irving appeared in a number of other films during the 1930s and 1940s, among them San Francisco, Captain Calamity, Follow Your Heart, and Charlie Chan at the Opera, all released in 1936, as well as Mr. Moto's Last Warning in 1939 and In Society in 1944. In television, she became familiar to audiences through her recurring role as Aunt Gus on the 1950s sitcom The People's Choice.

Irving was married to William Frederick James. She died on March 5, 1988, in San Francisco, California, at the age of 90.