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Marianne E. Macphail, an actress and a model

Marianne Elizabeth Macphail, 86, formerly of Bala Cynwyd and Haverford, a TV moderator, stage actress, and model, died Tuesday, June 21, of a heart attack at Sunrise of Lafayette Hill.

Marianne Elizabeth Macphail
Marianne Elizabeth MacphailRead more

Marianne Elizabeth Macphail, 86, formerly of Bala Cynwyd and Haverford, a TV moderator, stage actress, and model, died Tuesday, June 21, of a heart attack at Sunrise of Lafayette Hill.

Born to Horace and Julia Holaday, she was the youngest of six children. She was reared in Highland Park, N.J., and graduated from Highland Park High School.

As Marianne Holaday, she had a long career in the spotlight, including as moderator of WHYY's TV show Nursing Today; in the lead role of Little Mary Sunshine in the late 1960s at the Society Hill Playhouse; as an actress for movies shot locally; and as a model in print campaigns arranged through agencies in Philadelphia and New York.

She married G. Bruce Macphail. The couple moved to Bala Cynwyd in 1960 so that he could take a job with a dairy company. The couple had three children.

She enjoyed painting and sketching with her husband, singing, sailing, and spending summers with friends on Cape Ann, Mass.

Mrs. Macphail was a longtime board member of the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Federation of Radio and Television Artists, and a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

She volunteered at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and at the Main Line Unitarian Church, where she was also a member.

She was president and a board member of the Levering Mill House Senior Center in Bala Cynwyd.

Her son, Bruce I. Macphail, said she was energetic and inquisitive, and enjoyed discussion groups at church or organized by peers.

"She liked great ideas and books," he said, "but she was also someone who enjoyed the companionship of other people. She was an excellent hostess."

Mrs. Macphail's husband died in 1989. A daughter, Laurie Ann Alexander, died in 1993.

Besides her son, she is survived by daughter Robin DiIoia; four grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

Plans for a memorial service in the fall were pending. Interment will be private.

Donations may be made to Crossroads Hospice, 523 Plymouth Rd., Suite 225, Plymouth Meeting, Pa. 19462.

bcook@phillynews.com

610-313-8102