Remembered for her roles in early 20th-century Broadway productions of Romeo & Juliet and Having Wonderful Time, she is also famous for her association (through her director husband) with Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles.
She made her Broadway debut in a 1920 production of The Night Boat.
During the 1930s, she was a frequent performer with the Works Progress Administration's Federal Theatre Project.
Born Margaret Hirsdansky, she grew up in New York City and died at the age of ninety-eight in Los Angeles, California. Her marriage to stage and screen actor, director, and producer Norman Lloyd lasted from 1936 until her death and produced two children, including an actress daughter named Josie.
She and her husband met while rehearsing the Elia Kazan-directed Broadway production of Crime.