Margaret Sullavan (May 16, 1911 - January 1, 1960) was an American actress. She was born in Norfolk, Virginia, the daughter of a wealthy stockbroker. She made her Broadway debut in 1931. She married Henry Fonda on December 25 of that year. The marriage ended the following year, although Sullavan and Fonda remained lifelong friends, despite her infidelity. Her next marriage, to director William Wyler, was equally brief.
Sullavan's film debut came in 1933 in Only Yesterday. She co-starred frequently with Jimmy Stewart, with whom she and Fonda had acted in a stock company when they were all unknowns.
Her third marriage, to agent and producer Leland Hayward, lasted thirteen years and produced three children. While married to Hayward, she worked less and less. Her last film role was in 1950. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1751 Vine Street.
Sullavan suffered from depression and a congenital hearing defect that worsened as she aged. She was found dead in a hotel room in New Haven, Connecticut, from a deliberate barbiturate overdose at age 48.
Her daughter, actress Brooke Hayward, wrote Haywire, a memoir about her family. It was made into a television movie starring Lee Remick. Another daughter, Bridget Hayward, died months after Sullavan's death.
