June 13, , Hamilton, Ontario. Jean studied acting in Chicago, Illinois, U. Most of her life she was a stage actor traveling with local stock companies and also appearing on the vaudeville in one-act plays.
In she had a starring role in the comedy hit, It's a Boy. She was seldom out of work after this performance. Perhaps she is best remembered as one of the sweet, but murderous, aunts in the film Arsenic and Old Lace in It was a role that she had originated on Broadway. In the early 's she would appear in some minor television roles. Died March 31, , Victoria, British Columbia. Marguerite organized the Montreal amateur dramatic group which would come to be known as the Montreal Repertory Theatre and would become one of the most successful amateur dramatic groups in Canada.
In she received the Canadian Drama Award for outstanding service in the development of the Canadian theatre. At the annual Dominion Drama Festival the Martha Allan Trophy is awarded in her memory for the best visual performance. She also wrote three plays: What fools we mortals be; All of a summer's day; and Summer solstice. For almost a decade Ricca performed as a dancer in the Nance O'Neil company which performed in the 's and 's throughout the U.
She moved on to perform on Broadway in the early 's and her last Broadway show was called Blind Alleys in It was in the 's that she headed up her own company of performers.
Between and she appeared in more than 50 movies. Mae was a shy child but family soon coaxed her to sing and dance and she even began to appear in local productions.
