Marjorie Stewart (actress): Difference between revisions

{{Short description|British actress and spy (1912 - 1988)}}

'''Marjorie Frances Esclairmonde Stewart''' (Lady Marling) (18 May 1912{{spaced -en dash}}9 November 1988) was a British actress and a member of the [[Special Operations Executive|Special Operations Executive (SOE)]] during [[World War II]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zemler |first=Emily |date=2024-04-19 |title=How accurate is a new movie about the real-life spies who inspired Bond? We checked |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-04-19/ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-james-bond-ian-fleming-fact-fiction |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |title='Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' fact check: Did they really kill all those Nazis? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2024/04/20/ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-true-story/73329544007/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lincoln |first=Andi Ortiz and Ross A. |date=2024-04-19 |title='The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare': Here's the True Story of Operation Postmaster |url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-real-true-story/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2007-01-26 |title=Marjorie Stewart |url=https://www.specialforcesroh.com/index.php?media/marjorie-stewart.2741/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Special Forces Roll Of Honour |language=en-GB}}</ref>

She was born on 18 May 1912 in [[Kensington|Kensington, London]], the daughter of Sir Frances Stewart. She started her acting career at a young age and by the age of five, made her theatrical debut and continued to perform in various [[West End theatre|West End plays]]. Her early exposure to the stage set the foundation for her later career in acting.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swrup |first=Aahana |date=2024-05-14 |title=Marjorie Stewart: Was She a Real WWII SOE Agent? What Happened to Her? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/the-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-marjorie-stewart/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=The Cinemaholic |language=en-US}}</ref>

Stewart met [[Gus March-Phillipps|Gustavus Henry March-Phillipps]] during the war and married him on 18 April 1942, shortly after Operation Postmaster. SadlySubsequently, March-Phillips was killed later that year, and Stewart was left a widow. She gave birth to their daughter, Henrietta Sophia March-Phillipps, on June 15, 1943. After the war, she returned to her acting career and worked with at least 22 other productions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swrup |first=Aahana |date=2024-05-14 |title=Marjorie Stewart: Was She a Real WWII SOE Agent? What Happened to Her? |url=https://thecinemaholic.com/the-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-marjorie-stewart/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=The Cinemaholic |language=en-US}}</ref> In November 1957 she married Major Sir John Stanley Vincent Marling, son of Sir Charles Murray Marling and Lucia Slade. Her married name then became Marling.

Stewart died on 9 November 1988. While her cinematic portrayal introduced her to a wider audience, it is her quiet yet significant contributions to the war effort, particularly in supporting and planning roles within the SOE, that form her true legacy. Stewart's story is a reminder of the many women whose wartime services went unrecognised in popular histories.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zemler |first=Emily |date=2024-04-19 |title=How accurate is a new movie about the real-life spies who inspired Bond? We checked |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-04-19/ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-james-bond-ian-fleming-fact-fiction |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ryan |first=Patrick |title='Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' fact check: Did they really kill all those Nazis? |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/movies/2024/04/20/ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-true-story/73329544007/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lincoln |first=Andi Ortiz and Ross A. |date=2024-04-19 |title='The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare': Here's the True Story of Operation Postmaster |url=https://www.thewrap.com/the-ministry-of-ungentlemanly-warfare-real-true-story/ |access-date=2024-08-09 |website=TheWrap |language=en-US}}</ref>