Megs Jenkins

Biography

Megs Jenkins, the daughter of an engineer, initially aspired to be a ballerina, going by her birth name, Muguette. However, by the age of 17, she reassessed her ambitions, realizing that her physique aligned more closely with her nickname, Megs. She honed her craft at the School of Dancing and Dramatic Art in Liverpool and subsequently became a member of the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1933. Four years later, she relocated to London to showcase her talent at the Player's Theatre.

Throughout the 1950s, Megs was actively engaged in theater, earning notable acclaim for her performances in two of Emlyn Williams' plays, 'Light of Heart' (1940) and 'The Wind of Heaven' (1945). In a surprising departure from her usual roles, she took on the complex character of Alma Winemiller, a troubled and volatile figure, in Tennessee Williams' 'Summer and Smoke' (1951). Her remarkable performance in Arthur Miller's 'A View from the Bridge' (1956) as the resilient wife of a longshoreman grappling with incestuous desires earned her the Clarence Derwent Award for Best Supporting Actress. The previous year marked her Broadway debut in Chekhov's 'A Day by the Sea,' where she portrayed a nurturing governess to a troubled physician battling alcoholism.