Legends are those whose impacts are felt in their endeavors, who also leave indelible impressions in people’s minds of who they are and that is the case of the famous American actress, Agnes Moorehead. The film legend began her acting career at the age of three and continued in the industry until her death in 1974 with international recognition and fame for her notable roles in television dramas, films and radio programs.
Although our screen goddess has been gone for years, her legacy in the film industry lives on and her memories remain etched in the minds of many moviegoers.
Agnes Moorehead Biography
Agnes Moorehead was a prominent American actress with a mixed ancestry including English, Irish, Welsh, and Scottish. Agnes Robertson Moorehead was born on December 6, 1900 in Clinton, Massachusetts (USA), but according to some sources, she diminished her age as she claimed to have been born in 1906. The talented actress began performing at the age of three years when she reportedly gave a public presentation of the Lord’s Prayer at their local church where her father is also the priest. Agnes and her family then moved to St. Louis. During her stay, the enthusiastic young woman developed a deeper passion for the stage and wanted to become an actress.
In 1918, she graduated from high school from Central High School, after which she intended to go into the gambling screen but her father forced her to finish college. In accordance with her father’s requests, she enrolled at Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, where she earned a degree in biology. Later, she earned an honorary doctorate in literature from the same school. After graduating, she started working as a board member for a year.
Later, Agnes took a job teaching at a government school when her family moved to Reedsburg, Wisconsin. During her teaching time, Agnes Moorehead added another feather to her academic record by earning a master’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin. She then continued her postgraduate studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, where she graduated. She also holds an honorary doctorate from Bradley University.
Entertainment career
Agness Moorehead finally decided to pursue a career in entertainment with her appearance on a radio show; Believe it or not, and that at the same time, she participated in three plays; Soldiers and Women, Scarlet Pages and Candlelight. Later, Agnès also participated in the radio show; Sherlock Holmes which lasted three years. She has also participated in shows like Evenings in Paris, The Gumps and was featured in the play All the Horses of Kings. As a talk show presenter, she has pioneered programs such as The Shadow, Way Down East, Mercury Theater On Air, Superman’s Adventure, Terry and the Pirates and many more.
It was towards the end of the 1940s that she started acting in films such as The Youngest Profession, The Lost Moment, Cage, Keep Your Powder Dry, The Great Sinner etc. In the 1950s, she ventured into television series and television series. Adventure in Paradise, Twilight Zone, The World’s Greatest Show, Colgate Comedy Hour, Wagon Train and a plethora of others.
However, it is known that Agness Moorehead had most of her major work in the 1960s, where she played the role of Madame Acanti in the musical drama Entrain and the hilarious series Enchanté where she played Endora. The actress was also cast as Velma Cruther in the American thriller Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte for which she earned an Academy Award Best Supporting Actress nomination.
Throughout her career, the talented actress has garnered numerous awards and nominations to her credit. More so, Agnes was honored by the Hollywood Walk of Fame when she received a star in 1960 and after her death, she was posthumously inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1994.
Family: Spouse, Son
Agness Moorehead grew up in a pious household with her father John Henderson Moorehead being a Presbyterian priest and her mother, Mildred Moorehead, was a legendary singer. However, unlike her parents who had a happy marriage, the actress is known to have had two unsuccessful marriages.
The actress’ first marriage was in 1930 to John Griffith Lee who is also an artist. With the duo having no children together, they adopted a son, Sean in 1949, but after 22 years together, Agnes and John ended their marriage. Her next marriage was to co-actor Robert Gist, but the union only lasted four years.
Net value
At the time of her death, Agnes Moorehead had amassed a lot of wealth, including through her acting, radio presentation, and other pursuits as an entertainer. However, sources have yet to determine his net worth as some people have valued him at $2 million while others have bumped it up to $71 million. Regardless of this wide margin in her net worth estimates, it is no secret that Agnes Moorehead has surely earned a white sum which is evident from her comfortable lifestyle.
Cause of death of Agnes Moorehead
Agnes Moorehead died on April 30, 1974, at the age of 73. She died of uterine cancer and was buried in Dayton Memorial Park in Dayton, Ohio.