{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "Person",
  "@id": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/person/121220/marilyn-knowlden",
  "name": "Marilyn Knowlden",
  "url": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/person/121220/marilyn-knowlden",
  "knownForDepartment": "Acting",
  "description": "In 1931, a one-day effort by Marilyn Knowlden's attorney father led to an interview, a next-day screen test and a large part for four-year-old  Marilyn in one of the early \"talkies\", Women Love Once (1931). A ten-year movie career followed, where she played the daughter of such stars as Claudette Colbert, Katharine Hepburn, Allan Jones and Norma Shearer.\n\nShe appeared in some of the screen's great classics, including Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), David Copperfield (1935) and Les Misérables  (1935), in which she played the child Cosette. She appeared in six  films nominated by the Academy for Best Production of the Year and  performed with such distinguished actors as Fredric March, Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Greta Garbo and Bette Davis.\n\nCollege,  marriage and four children followed. A composer and playwright as well  as an actress, she wrote the music and lyrics for ten produced musicals,  including three for which she also wrote the scripts. The latter  included her musical, \"I'm Gonna Get You in the Movies!\" for which she  drew heavily on her own early experience.\n\nAfter a 50-year hiatus,  Marilyn returned to acting in 1994. She appeared in over 20 plays and  musicals in San Diego County, including the role of Aunt Abby in  \"Arsenic and Old Lace,\" the leads in \"Sorry, Wrong Number\" and  \"Quilters,\" and Prof. Higgins' mother in \"My Fair Lady.\" In 2011 Bear  Manor published Marilyn Knowlden's autobiography \"Little Girl in Big  Pictures\".\n\nKnowlden died on September 15, 2025 of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Eagle, Idaho.",
  "birthDate": "1926-05-12",
  "deathDate": "2025-09-15",
  "birthPlace": "Oakland, California, USA",
  "alternateName": [
    "Marilynne Knowlden"
  ],
  "image": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/evdelp2vEjtP8Ugx1QuRjHKn7gO.jpg",
  "sameAs": [
    "https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0461490"
  ],
  "lastVerified": "7 May 2026",
  "filmography": [
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 39938,
      "title": "Little Women",
      "year": "1933",
      "role": "as Meg’s Charge (uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 6.804,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/6jbBsk4uDuSkO2Uxv5YxoPNmVVj.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/39938/little-women-1933"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 43847,
      "title": "Marie Antoinette",
      "year": "1938",
      "role": "as Princesse Therese",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 6.514,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/nmsqzJUN6B0guVHfXINhofe4Myt.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/43847/marie-antoinette-1938"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 43893,
      "title": "Les Misérables",
      "year": "1935",
      "role": "as Little Cosette (as Marilynne Knowlden)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 7.14,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/9hSPMlFppQBCcDDECA0TgTL0F8k.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/43893/les-miserables-1935"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 13696,
      "title": "Angels with Dirty Faces",
      "year": "1938",
      "role": "as Laury - as a Child",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 7.541,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/k23E4UAcow8eczLRmVCMdukL4Mx.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/13696/angels-with-dirty-faces-1938"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 47921,
      "title": "Imitation of Life",
      "year": "1934",
      "role": "as Jessie Pullman, Age 8 (uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 7.029,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/nA8pXV1C2WDJrGQWHwqNUW6RG5i.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/47921/imitation-of-life-1934"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 43899,
      "title": "David Copperfield",
      "year": "1935",
      "role": "as Agnes Wickfield as a Girl",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 6.717,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/4MtgfnOvnUioz04Yp4Km4JGUOCQ.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/43899/david-copperfield-1935"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 80918,
      "title": "Broadway Rhythm",
      "year": "1944",
      "role": "as Co-ed in Drugstore (uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 6.333,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/9SdTWl1ojKLrjkhfumphbxhsgPj.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/80918/broadway-rhythm-1944"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 415506,
      "title": "The Way of All Flesh",
      "year": "1940",
      "role": "as Julie Kriza",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 4.625,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/nR7aEYlQisENxeNcEXD6SIzf9da.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/415506/the-way-of-all-flesh-1940"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 43807,
      "title": "All This, and Heaven Too",
      "year": "1940",
      "role": "as Marianna Van Horn (uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 7.241,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/j4KbLsCLnJVALXuV3djKOI8sUfc.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/43807/all-this-and-heaven-too-1940"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 37658,
      "title": "Anthony Adverse",
      "year": "1936",
      "role": "as Florence Udney",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.764,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/9SPjkq5z86t80Q7XBw8AG2si2vQ.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/37658/anthony-adverse-1936"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 179139,
      "title": "As the Earth Turns",
      "year": "1934",
      "role": "as Esther",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.556,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/iAf302zXuNh5dDph5aHcnFjBMWO.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/179139/as-the-earth-turns-1934"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 176747,
      "title": "The World Changes",
      "year": "1933",
      "role": "as Young Selma (uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 4.75,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/fv2bfu6uBJTJCxllcXFCP20AOZi.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/176747/the-world-changes-1933"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 31548,
      "title": "Show Boat",
      "year": "1936",
      "role": "as Kim as a Child",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 6.76,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/vFJ1vdOvOJjKVsoi8x7eZUthAJm.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/31548/show-boat-1936"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 302516,
      "title": "The Cisco Kid",
      "year": "1931",
      "role": "as Annie Benton",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 6.5,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/wgqd8q3M0RkBCOfAnGFPkuEkXBd.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/302516/the-cisco-kid-1931"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 204040,
      "title": "Slave Ship",
      "year": "1937",
      "role": "as Girl",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.063,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/2bDWOVoRWc5PHJKFzA01PsZt5XA.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/204040/slave-ship-1937"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 43157,
      "title": "Just Around the Corner",
      "year": "1938",
      "role": "as Gwendolyn (uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.769,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/62WfUGlPycugm4eU9HnoDBmjcIM.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/43157/just-around-the-corner-1938"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 108348,
      "title": "A Woman Rebels",
      "year": "1936",
      "role": "as Flora at Age 9 (uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.853,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/ai6kdrJEh6G2aQLITTeFEhySPKM.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/108348/a-woman-rebels-1936"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 601248,
      "title": "Hidden Power",
      "year": "1939",
      "role": "as Imogene",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 10,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/7GGADmg0cKp9ogsHArvpgI3swyg.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/601248/hidden-power-1939"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 247780,
      "title": "The Conquerors",
      "year": "1932",
      "role": "as Frances Standish, as a child",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.6,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/9Y2uk6Cd9UIeTMElG6G4axw8GI6.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/247780/the-conquerors-1932"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 38756,
      "title": "Barefoot Boy",
      "year": "1938",
      "role": "as Julia Blaine",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.429,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/fr6ag65vLop0cKpAnyST6f5y9KH.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/38756/barefoot-boy-1938"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 633658,
      "title": "Easy to Take",
      "year": "1936",
      "role": "as Gwen Ferry",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 10,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/aehpPVUP3fHyN5BuAHoyU1Df4VX.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/633658/easy-to-take-1936"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 359982,
      "title": "Rainbow on the River",
      "year": "1936",
      "role": "as Lucille Layton",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 8.667,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/bGUTKFnTFV8ILJitzu5ecUbuFWg.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/359982/rainbow-on-the-river-1936"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 86457,
      "title": "Call Her Savage",
      "year": "1932",
      "role": "as Ruth as a Girl (Uncredited)",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.833,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/817TDYCmdxN0TVuiGoXHiHwnRLr.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/86457/call-her-savage-1932"
    },
    {
      "mediaType": "movie",
      "tmdbId": 41024,
      "title": "Condemned to Live",
      "year": "1935",
      "role": "as Maria",
      "roleKind": "cast",
      "voteAverage": 5.156,
      "posterUrl": "https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w500/2StercLz8j8YG7frZS1fNkB8xyV.jpg",
      "screenSearchUrl": "https://www.screensearch.co.uk/watch/movie/41024/condemned-to-live-1935"
    }
  ]
}