Carol Grace

Acting · 1924–2003 · New York City, New York, U.S.

American actress, author, and socialite, Carol Grace (September 11, 1924 – July 20, 2003) was an American actress and author. She is often referred to as Carol Marcus Saroyan or Carol Matthau.

Full biography

Carol Grace was born in New York City's Lower East Side; her mother, who was sixteen when she gave birth, was a Russian Jewish immigrant who arrived in New York on August 20, 1913. Her parents arrived later. Grace never knew her biological father. Her mother, Rosheen "Ray" Marcus (née Brofman, formerly Shapiro), would reportedly later claim it was British-Jewish actor Leslie Howard, who was killed during WWII. Young Carol was placed in foster care until the age of eight. In 1933, her mother married her second husband, Charles Marcus, who was some two decades Rosheen's senior. He was the very wealthy co-founder of the Bendix Corporation. Grace took his last name as her own. They lived on Park Avenue in luxury, with servants. Two years later he learned that his wife had hidden the existence of another daughter, Elinor, who had been left in a foster home when they married.

Grace was reportedly the inspiration for the Holly Golightly character in Truman Capote's novella Breakfast at Tiffany's.