Mary Philips

Brunette, convent-educated Mary Philips was an accomplished actress on the New York stage by the time she met the actor Humphrey Bogart in 1924 and became his 'speakeasy touring companion'. While both encouraged each other's prodigious affinity for alcohol, Mary proved beneficial in getting Bogie to approach his craft more seriously. Bogart considered her to be an 'inspirational influence' and the couple duly married at the home of Mary's mother in Hartford, Connecticut, in April 1928. They were briefly co-starred in a play, "Skyrocket" (which received a mixed critical reception), but soon both actors went their own way: Bogie concentrating on his film career, while Mary decided to honour her theatrical obligations on the East Coast, performing in her latest play "The Tavern". About a subsequent performance in "A Touch of Brimstone" (1935), the influential New York Times reviewer Brooks Atkinson remarked on her 'spirit and intelligence irradiating every scene'.