Marilyn Harris

Biography

Marilyn Harris was a child actress from San Fernando, California. She was active from the early 1930s to the early 1940s, retiring from the profession at age 19. She is primarily remembered for playing the tragic character of Little Maria in the classic horror film "Frankenstein" (1931). Her character briefly befriends Frankenstein's monster (played by Boris Karloff), being the only person to treat him with kindness. The monster soon misinterprets the rules of a children's game, throwing Maria into the waters of a lake and accidentally causing her death by drowning. In 1924, Harris was born in San Fernando, California. Soon after her birth, she was placed in an orphanage located in Los Angeles. When she was only a month-old, the young girl was adopted by the Harris family. Her adoptive mother was a failed actress, and hoped that her daughter would get a chance at stardom. In later interviews, Harris recalled that her "stage mother" was physically and emotionally abusive. As an infant, Harris reportedly appeared as an extra in a film featuring the dog actor Rin Tin Tin. By 1930, she started regularly appearing in films. She had a bit part in the western "The Big Trail" (1930), which featured a caravan of settlers in an attempt to cross the Oregon Trail. "Frankenstein" (1931) was her first credited role, and the first where she had speaking lines. Her scenes are considered a highlight of the film. In her subsequent films, Harris was often an uncredited extra. Her next credited film appearance was in the drama film "A Wicked Woman" (1934). She played the character of Rosanne as a child, while Jean Parker played the older version of the character. In the war film "The Road Back" (1937), Harris played Maria, the sister of Ernst (one of the film's main characters). The film focused on German veterans of World War I, who had trouble adjusting to civilian life. After a hiatus of her film career from 1937 to 1943, Harris resumed working in films. She was again reduced to working as an extra. To supplement her income, worked as a cashier at the theater "Hollywood Palladium". She started dating the bouncer Wally Watkins, and they were married in 1944. She decided to retire from acting, and spend the subsequent decades as a housewife. In 1981, Harris was widowed when Wally Watkins died. She then married her second husband, Carl. In 1988, Harris was widowed again. She never remarried. In the 1990s, Harris appeared in a number of interviews about her film career. By that time, she was struggling with cancer. She died in December 1999, at the age of 75. She was the last surviving member cast member of "Frankenstein". While Harris is long gone, she is fondly remembered by horror fans for her supporting role in one the of the best horror films of Universal Pictures. While she never achieved the stardom which her mother wanted for her, she has had enduring fame. Enough for her to be the subject of biographical articles and book chapters, published long after her heyday.