Born Angela Maxine O'Brien on January 15, 1937 in San Diego, California. Her film debut was one-minute shot in MGM's Débuts à Broadway (1941). Her big moment came when she was cast in Journey for Margaret (1942). This film shot her into instant stardom and also resulted in Angela changing her name to Margaret. Throughout the 1940s Margaret was a major child star. Her unforgettable performance as "Tootie" in Vincente Minnelli's Le chant du Missouri (1944) won her an Academy Award as "Outstanding Child Actress" of her day. She gave brilliant performances in such films as The Canterville Ghost (1944), Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), The Secret Garden (1949) and Les quatre filles du Dr March (1949). By the early 1950s Margaret had made a mint for MGM and earned a personal fortune. But like most other child stars, she failed in her bid to graduate into adolescent roles and in 1951 she retired from the screen. She remained active on TV and on the dinner-theater circuit. In 1979 she began a stint as a civilian aide for Southern California to Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander.
