My Take
Margaret O'Brien is one of those child actors who makes you genuinely forget she's a kid — there's a raw emotional intelligence in her work that still feels startling today. Her breakdown scene in Meet Me in St. Louis, where little Tootie destroys the snow family on Christmas Eve, is the kind of moment that makes you put down whatever you're doing and just watch. It's no surprise the Academy invented a special Juvenile Award in 1944 just to honor her — the regular categories probably felt unfair to the adults. Born in San Diego in 1937, she was churning out MGM films practically before she could read a full script, and she held her own opposite Judy Garland, which is saying something. She's earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame many times over, and honestly remains underrated in the broader conversation about great screen acting.
Overview
Angela Maxine O'Brien (born January 15, 1937), known professionally as Margaret O'Brien, is an American actress. Beginning a career in feature films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer at age four, O'Brien became a child star and received a Juvenile Academy Award as the outstanding child actress of 1944 for her role in Meet Me in St. Louis. In her later career, she appeared on television, stage, and in supporting film roles.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Margaret O'Brien
- Name (Japanese)
- マーガレット・オブライエン
- Reading
- まーがれっと・おぶらいえん
- Born
- January 15, 1937 (age 89)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Capricorn / Ox
- Origin
- San Diego, California, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- stage actor / television actor / film actor / actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1945 Academy Juvenile Award
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Academy Honorary Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.