Canadian-born, convent-educated Lucille Watson studied acting in the waning years of the 19th century at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. On the Broadway stage from 1900, Watson scored her first big hit in the 1902 production The Girl with Green Eyes. She made her first film in 1916, but for the most part avoided Hollywood until after the death of her husband, playwright Louis Shipman, in 1934. Frequently cast as the mother, grandmother or maiden aunt of the hero/heroine, the formidable Ms. Watson was seen in such roles as Louisa Bradley in The Razor's Edge (1946) and Aunt March in the 1949 version of Little Women. In 1943, Lucille Watson earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of blinkered Washington D.C. matriarch Fanny Fannelly in Watch on the Rhine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Education
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American Academy of Dramatic Arts, New York, New York
Milestones
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1909 Had first major success in the Broadway production of The City
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1920 Had stage triumph in George Bernard Shaw s Heartbreak House
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1925 London stage debut in Dancing Mothers
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1926 Co-starred in Ghosts
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1934 Feature film debut at age 55 in What Every Woman Knows
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1935 Appeared as Mrs. Bennett in stage version of Pride and Prejudice
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1939 First major film roles in The Women and Made for Each Other
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1940 Had memorable role in Waterloo Bridge
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1941 Returned to Broadway in Lillian Hellman s Watch on the Rhine
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1943 Reprised her stage role in film version of Watch on the Rhine ; received Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress
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1946 Co-starred in Disney s Song of the South
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1948 Narrated and acted in The Emperor s Waltz
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1949 Portrayed Aunt March in the remake of Little Women
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1950 Again returned to stage work starring in Jean Anouilh s Ring Around the Moon
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1950 TV acting debut in episode of Armstrong Circle Theatre
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1951 Final film appearance in My Forbidden Past
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Final Broadway appearance in Late Love
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Starred in the play Under Cover