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Lot Essay
Madeleine Carroll was a British actress who was one of the first to succeed in Hollywood. Born in West Bromwich in 1906, she undertook a number of stage and screen roles before being discovered by Alfred Hitchcock, who cast her as the original 'Blonde' in The 39 Steps (1935) and Secret Agent (1936). As a consequence she was one of the first British actresses to be offered a major contract in Hollywood, becoming the highest paid actress in the world and starred with Gary Cooper in The General Died at Dawn, and with Ronald Colman in The Prisoner of Zenda. Although her acting career was relatively short, Carroll has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her outstanding contribution to the cinema industry.
Madeleine Carroll became a naturalised American citizen in 1943 and after the death of her only sister, Marguerite, in the London Blitz she volunteered for the American Red Cross serving in Italy. In January 1946, she was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by the French Government and the Medal of Freedom in America. Carroll was also involved with UNESCO helping children whose lives had been shattered by war. She returned to the United States in late 1947, appearing on Broadway in Goodbye my Fancy. Her last film The Fan (1949) was directed by Otto Preminger, after which she retired in order to devote herself to her husband, Andrew Heiskell, and their daughter Anne-Madeleine (born in 1951).
She was married four times: to Captain Philip Astley (1931-1939), Stirling Hayden (1942-1946), Henri Lavorel (1946-1949), and Andrew Heiskell (1950-1965). During her retirement she lived in Paris with her mother before moving to Spain where she spent the rest of her life. This portrait is thought to date from 1931, the year she married her first husband, Captain Philip Astley. Gunn later became a favoured portraitist of the Royal Family.
Madeleine Carroll became a naturalised American citizen in 1943 and after the death of her only sister, Marguerite, in the London Blitz she volunteered for the American Red Cross serving in Italy. In January 1946, she was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by the French Government and the Medal of Freedom in America. Carroll was also involved with UNESCO helping children whose lives had been shattered by war. She returned to the United States in late 1947, appearing on Broadway in Goodbye my Fancy. Her last film The Fan (1949) was directed by Otto Preminger, after which she retired in order to devote herself to her husband, Andrew Heiskell, and their daughter Anne-Madeleine (born in 1951).
She was married four times: to Captain Philip Astley (1931-1939), Stirling Hayden (1942-1946), Henri Lavorel (1946-1949), and Andrew Heiskell (1950-1965). During her retirement she lived in Paris with her mother before moving to Spain where she spent the rest of her life. This portrait is thought to date from 1931, the year she married her first husband, Captain Philip Astley. Gunn later became a favoured portraitist of the Royal Family.