Picture courtesy of wikipedia
At the cottage believed to be her birthplace, Dressler House,
Commemoration
Leila Maria Koerber, a talented actress and singer known internationally as Marie Dressler, was born in Cobourg. About 1883, she joined a touring stock company, later gaining recognition on Broadway in a series of successful comedy productions, including "Tillie's Nightmare". Although she made her first film in 1914, entitled "Tillie's Punctured Romance" with Charlie Chaplin, her real success in motion pictures began in 1930 when she played in "Anna Christie" with Greta Garbo. During the following years, she made over twenty films and created her best-known character roles such as "Min" and "Tugboat Annie". In 1931, she received the best actress award given annually by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. Marie Dressler died three years later at Santa Barbara, California
Background
In 1919, Dressler helped organize the first union for people working on the stage. This was done in conjunction with other actors including Canada’s own Mary Pickford.
On our tour, this is the only blue plaque dedicated to a person in the entertainment industry (unless you count hockey players).