Margerie Bonner Lowry (Margerie Bonner Lowry)

Margerie Bonner Lowry

Actress, Author, Editor. The younger sister of silent screen star Priscilla Bonner, she also appeared in several films (spelling her first name Marjorie), among them Cecil B. De Mille’s “King of Kings” (1927),  “The Sign of the Cross” (1932),  and “Cleopatra” (1934).  By the late 1930’s her movie career was over and she was working as a personal assistant to actress Penny Singleton of “Blondie” fame.  On June 7,  1939,  she encountered British author Malcolm Lowry on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Western Avenue.  They married in 1940 and settled in a tiny shack in the woods outside Vancouver,  British Columbia.  Margerie wrote radio scripts for the CBC and published two mystery novels,  “The Shapes That Creep” (1944) and “The Last Twist of the Knife” (1946).  But her greatest achievement was her unsung role in the creation of Lowry’s masterpiece,  “Under the Volcano” (1947).  Not only did she provide the supportive environment her hypersensitive husband needed in order to write,      she meticulously edited the novel’s manuscript and many passages were rewritten at her suggestion.  After Lowry’s death in 1957 Margerie returned to Los Angeles and helped edit and publish his unfinished works.  She wished to be buried beside him,  but when she died 31 years later there were no nearby plots available.  Today this creative couple,  inseperable while alive,  lie at almost opposite ends of the same churchyard in Ripe,  England.  Ironically,  tourists claim it is much easier to find Margerie’s grave than Lowry’s. (bio by: Bobb Edwards)  Family links:  Spouse:  Malcolm Lowry (1909 – 1957)* *Calculated relationship

Born

  • February, 17, 1905

Died

  • September, 09, 1988

Cemetery

  • St John the Baptist Churchyard
  • England

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