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Mary Nash (August 15, 1884 – December 3, 1976) was an American actress. Nash was born on August 15, 1884 (some say 1885) in Troy, New York, to parents Philip Nash, who worked for B. F. Keith Vaudeville Circuit, and Ellen Frances MacNamara. She was educated at the Convent of St. Anne in Montreal and trained for acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her younger sister was theater actress Florence Nash. She was a noted stage actress in New York and successful in vaudeville before moving to Hollywood in 1934, where she was in films until 1946. According to Allmovie: "Nash was... MORE

Mary Nash (August 15, 1884 – December 3, 1976) was an American actress. Nash was born on August 15, 1884 (some say 1885) in Troy, New York, to parents Philip Nash, who worked for B. F. Keith Vaudeville Circuit, and Ellen Frances MacNamara. She was educated at the Convent of St. Anne in Montreal and trained for acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her younger sister was theater actress Florence Nash. She was a noted stage actress in New York and successful in vaudeville before moving to Hollywood in 1934, where she was in films until 1946. According to Allmovie: "Nash was often cast as seemingly mild-mannered women who turned vicious when challenged, as witness her work in College Scandal (1936) and Charlie Chan in Panama (1940). ... Mary Nash's most sympathetic role was as the long-suffering wife of blustering capitalist J. B. Ball in Easy Living (1937)." Nash probably is best known for two films where she acted alongside Shirley Temple, first as Fraulein Rottenmeier in Heidi (1937) and then as the selfish and authoritarian Miss Minchin in The Little Princess (1939). She also was well known as Katharine Hepburn's socialite mother in both stage and movie productions of LESS