Margaret Ford

Acting

1916-01-01 · Boksburg, South Africa

Margaret Ford (born Margaret McClure Campbell, 1916 - 2010) was South African-born Australian stage and screen actress. From a very early age Margaret was a natural per- former. As a plucky child of four, she would demand to stand on a table and recite in front of the class at the local school, which was run by her uncle. At six, she took up dancing and decided to pursue a career on the stage. After completing school, Margaret trained as a speech teacher and in 1939 travelled to England to study acting at Citizen House Theatre in Bath. When World War II began, Margaret returned to South Africa and became a military nurse. For five years she served in South Africa, Egypt and Italy. As a legacy of her work as a military nurse, Margaret never fails to march in the Anzac Day parade every year. While serving in Egypt, Margaret met the late Frederich James Ford whom she married in 1947. Margaret moved to Perth, her husband's home, and quickly grew to love Western Australia. Although Margaret visited South Africa on occasions, Perth has remained her home. Her only son, Richard, was born in 1952. Margaret's first professional appearance was in Emlyn Williams' The Corn is Green for Company of Four productions. She also performed in nine other plays for the same company including Noel Coward's Hay Fever (1951), Mary Chase's Harvey (1952), Shakespeare's Richard III (1953) and Jean Anouilh's Ring Round the Moon (1954). Margaret has also done an extensive amount of film and television work, including the films Fran (1985) and Shame (1988), three series of Ship to Shore for Barron Films, as well as the children's television series The Adventures of Bush Patrol.