Maggie McNamara (June 18, 1928 – February 18, 1978) was an Oscar-nominated American actress.
Born in New York City, McNamara worked as a teen model while studying drama and dance. In 1951, she began her acting career when she took over Barbara Bel Geddes' role as Patty O'Neill in the stage production of The Moon Is Blue. Later that year, she made her Broadway debut in The King of Friday's Men.
In 1953, she went to Hollywood to reprise her role in Otto Preminger's film version of The Moon Is Blue. Her performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and a BAFTA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer to Film.
McNamara's second film role was in Three Coins in the Fountain (1954). Although her career started off well, she made only two more films after Three Coins. In the early 1960s, she appeared in several television shows including an episode of The Twilight Zone entitled "Ring-a-Ding Girl". McNamara's last onscreen role was in a 1964 episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour entitled "The Body in the Barn".
McNamara was married to actor/director David Swift. The marriage ended in divorce and McNamara never remarried.
After her last onscreen role in 1964, McNamara fell out of public view and spent her later years working as a typist.
In February of 1978, McNamara was found dead after a deliberate overdose of sleeping pills. According to police reports, she left a suicide note and had a history of mental illness.
Maggie McNamara was interred in Saint Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York.
