Marie Nordstrom

Marie Nordstrom (April 12, 1881/1886 – January 2, 1979) was an American actress whose Broadway career spanned from 1904 to 1936. She was born in Fort Apache, Arizona Territory, the daughter of United States Cavalry Captain Charles E. Nordstrom, and was the older sister of actress, novelist, and playwright Frances Nordstrom. Following their father's death, the two sisters relocated with their mother to Washington, D.C. Nordstrom received her education at Georgetown Convent in the District of Columbia and subsequently studied voice with Oscar Saenger.

Her interest in the theater took root around age 12, when she and Frances attended a performance in San Antonio, Texas. Frances recalled to a reporter in 1908 that the experience left both sisters determined to pursue acting careers. Their time in Washington deepened that resolve, as the two continued attending plays after the family's move to the capital.

Nordstrom launched her professional life in opera, appearing in productions that included La Tosca and Madame Butterfly, before actor-manager Henry E. Dixey persuaded her to concentrate on acting. Her introduction to Dixey came about by chance: she had accompanied Frances to an audition, but Dixey insisted it was Marie he wanted for his production of David Garrick. In 1904, she became the leading lady of the company Dixey headed, a credit that also marks her Broadway debut. In 1908, she joined the Chicago Opera House troupe in the same capacity.

Her Broadway appearances across more than three decades included Henry E. Dixey and Company (1904), The Man on the Box (1905), Papa Lebonnard (1908), The Devil (1908), Bought and Paid For (1911), The Charm of Isabel (1914), Girl o' Mine (1918), The Passing Show of 1917, Bought and Paid For (1921), Lady Bug (1922), Fashions of 1924 (1923), Sweetheart Time (1926), Mirrors (1928), and The Sap Runs High (1936).

In May 1909, Nordstrom married Dixey in Milwaukee. The couple kept the marriage private for approximately one month before announcing it in New York in June 1909. Together they had one daughter, children's publisher Ursula Nordstrom. In 1925, Nordstrom married Elliott Brown in New York City. Brown was a manufacturer of marine machinery.