Mary Philips

Biography

Philips was born in New London, Connecticut, and she was educated at a New Haven convent. She was a chorus girl in her debut on Broadway. During her stage career, she appeared in such shows as The Postman Always Rings Twice (1936) and Chicken Every Sunday (1944). She had a long working relationship with the New York theatre and as her own personal scrapbook shows, worked closely with such individuals as George M. Cohan. In 1924 she appeared in the Broadway play Nerves with Humphrey Bogart and Kenneth MacKenna, both lifelong friends and future husbands.

Philips's career would later expand into films. One of her fondest memories was the role she played as Helen Ferguson in A Farewell to Arms (1932). She had featured roles in the films Leave Her to Heaven (1945), Dear Ruth (1947) and A Woman's Secret (1949).

Personal life

Philips married Humphrey Bogart on April 3, 1928, at her mother's apartment at 24 Hopkins Street in Hartford, Connecticut, by a Justice of the Peace. This was Philips's first marriage and Bogart's second. He was then a little-known stage actor, and she was an established actress in the New York theatre. When Bogart began to gain film roles in Hollywood, Philips declined to move with him to California, as her stage career was firmly established in New York. Philips and Bogart divorced in 1938 after ten years. The couple had no children, but remained on good terms. Philips and her second husband attended Bogart's memorial in California following his death in 1957.