Biography

Ngaio Marsh was born on April 23, 1895 in Christchurch, New Zealand. She was a writer and actress, known for Detective (1964), Crown Court (1972) and The Philco Television Playhouse (1948). She died on February 18, 1982 in Christchurch, New Zealand.

In June 1980, several London newspapers ran obituaries of her after she had been taken to intensive care in Christchurch, NZ. She lived another two years.

Her first name is pronounced "NIGH-oh".

She was actually born on April 23, 1895, according to reliable reference sources; but her father gave her birth year as 1899, thus starting her life with a mystery; no wonder that she became one of the most popular mystery writers of the 20th century. Her mystery novels are intellectual and are influenced by S.S. Van Dine.

[speaking in 1949] I always make a point of keeping the most pleasant-sounding name for the murderer. As he or she is bound to come to an unpleasant end, it seems the very least the author can do.

What does 'Ngaio' mean? I don't know. Like many Maori words it has a number of meanings - clever, light on the water, a little bug - but I don't know which my parents had in mind.