- Born
- Died
- Birth nameMartha Ellen Scott
- Martha Ellen Scott was born in Jamesport, Missouri, to Letha (McKinley) and Walter Alva Scott, an engineer and garage owner. She entered films in the early 1940s, following an initial appearance in stock. Her first film appearance was Our Town (1940), playing the same character as she played on the stage. She won an Academy Award nomination for her superb performance in the film. Martha Scott is remembered as a highly talented actress, however her work is often forgotten today as she was never seen as a truly bankable star by the major studios.
A recent memorable performance for Martha was as Sister Beatrice in the camp disaster movie Airport 1975 (1974). She played a dominant experienced nun with Helen Reddy, in a cast of major stars facing disaster on the stricken Boeing 747 jetliner.
She continued to work consistently throughout the 1970s and 1980s, often appearing in television movies and on the stage. She died at the age of 90 in May 2003 and is buried with her husband Mel Powell.
- IMDb mini biography by: Bobby G
- SpousesMel Powell(July 23, 1946 - April 24, 1998) (his death, 2 children)Carlton W. Alsop(September 25, 1940 - July 23, 1946) (divorced, 1 child)
- Has played Charlton Heston's mother twice - in Ben-Hur (1959) and The Ten Commandments (1956) and his wife twice on stage.
- Was offered the role of Mary Hatch Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946) after Jean Arthur turned it down, but she also turned down the role. Donna Reed was cast instead and this went on to be one of her most famous performances.
- Unusually, she was not a part of the Memorial Tribute at The 76th Annual Academy Awards (2004), even though she was a member of the Academy and was also a previous nominee in 1940.
- Received her Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan (1934).
- She had previously played Charlton Heston's wife in a rather less celebrated period drama, a play called "Design for a Stained-Glass Window". She was hired for Ben-Hur (1959), at Heston's suggestion, when the original actress was sacked. A couple of years later a similar situation occurred when Heston was due to appear in the play "The Tumbler". The actress hired to play his wife was sacked and Heston again suggested Scott. "I could vouch for her absolutely, both as actress and pro," he said in his memoirs.
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