Biography
Mary Forbes (born Ethel Louise Young) was a British-American actress. She appeared in more than 130 films between 1919 and 1958, often in supporting roles as dowagers or society women. Her credited film roles include Miss Van Campen in A Farewell to Arms (1932), Mrs. Anthony Kirby in You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Lady Lavenham (uncredited) in Ninotchka (1939).
Forbes made her stage debut in London in 1908 and her Broadway debut in 1913. She had several years of stage experience in Britain and America before moving into films. Two of her children from her first marriage, Ralph Forbes and Brenda Forbes, also became actors.
She became a naturalised United States citizen in 1943. Forbes died in Beaumont, California, in 1974.
