Sara Haden 1899 – 1981

"Aunt Millie" in the Hardy series.

Remember her? She was Andy Hardy’s spinster Aunt Millie in all but two of the Hardy films. After she played truant officer Agatha Morgan in “Captain January” (1936) and was so mean to Shirley Temple, little children wouldn’t speak to her and “even my nephew looked at me with baleful eyes”. That frozen-faced secretary, no-nonsense librarian and nosy neighbor or do-gooder were all roles Sara Haden played at one time or another in the 84 films she made from 1934 to 1958. But she didn’t retire….she just took her talents to television until 1965!

Sara's mother, Charlotte Walker

Sara was born on November 17, 1899 in Galveston, Texas, the second daughter of prominent physician Dr, John Haden and stage and silent film star Charlotte Walker. Her parents divorced when she was three years old and Sara often accompanied her mother on tour. It wasn’t long before she began appearing professionally on the New York stage herself. But Sara didn’t have her mother’s beauty so leading roles never came easily.

In 1921, while performing on Broadway in “MacBeth” (Sara played MacDuff’s son) she met and married actor Richard Abbott (who was playing Ross in the same production). They both continued their stage careers in New York until 1932 when they decided to go west and try their luck in films. Their marriage lasted 27 years before ending in divorce. There were no children and Sara never remarried.

.... with Virginia Weidler in "The Youngest  Profession" (1943)

Her first film role was that of Etta Dawson in “Spitfire” with Katharine Hepburn in 1934. She also played in “The Fountain” that year with husband Richard. It was his only credited role and he spent his film career in bit parts. From that time on Sara Haden was never out of work sometimes making up to 10 films a year! In 1951 she added television to her busy schedule. She made her last screen appearance on television in the 1965 “Web of Hate” episode of “Dr. Kildare” playing Mrs. Anderson.

Sara Haden died on September 15, 1981 in her 82 nd year at the Motion Picture and Television Country Home in Woodland Hills, California. She is buried near her mother in the Old Galveston City Cemetery, Galveston, Texas.