Greer Garson

To movie goers, the late Greer Garson is excellence personified - she is remembered and loved for such films as Goodbye Mr. Chips, Pride and Prejudice, Mrs. Miniver, Random Harvest, and, of course, Madame Curie, among many, many roles. She was one of the most beloved actresses of our times, and a list of her nominations and awards would be too long to enumerate here, but it is true that she was given "most loved" and "best actress" tributes from eleven countries from around the globe.

The late Miss Garson's active and productive life had extended far beyond the screen and stage, however. She was globally known for her civic and benevolent causes. Her activities on behalf of educational and cultural institutions have earned her many Honorary Doctorates from various universities, and she was Adjunct Professor at two of them. She and her late husband, E. E. "Buddy" Fogelson, have endowed scholarship programs at various colleges and universities, as well as a library complex and the Greer Garson Theatre Centre. Miss Garson's contributions go on and on.

It is with enormous pride that Women's International Center welcomes Miss Greer Garson, who portrayed Marie Curie on the screen, to present the Tribute to Greatness, honoring the magnificent Marie Curie.

For the first time in its history, Women's International Center had the privilege to present Honorary Living Legacy Awards to two women who truly deserve this international acknowledgment in their own right, Eve Curie Labouisse and Greer Garson.

Greer Garson was born in Manor Park, Essex (now Greater London), England in 1904. She was the only child of George Garson (1865-1906), a clerk born in London but with Scottish lineage, and his Irish wife, Nancy ("Nina") Sophia Greer (d. 1958). Her maternal grandfather was David Greer, a RIC sergeant in Castlewellan, Co Down, Ireland in the 1880s and who later became a land steward to the Annesleys' wealthy landlords, who built the town of Castlewellan. He lived in a large detached house built on the lower part of what was known as Pig Street or known locally as the Back Way near Shilliday’s builder’s yard. The house was called ‘Claremount’ and today the street is named Claremount Avenue. It was often reported that Ms. Garson was born in this house. She was, in fact born in London, but spent many of her childhood days in Castlewellan.