Margaret Littman: who was the girl who was filmed 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'
'19.11.2020'
Source: Forbes
In October 2020, Margaret Littman died, who once became the prototype of Audrey Hepburn's heroine in Breakfast at Tiffany's. She knew the whole bohemian world of New York and London, her neighbors were Mick Jagger and Margaret Thatcher, and Princess Diana gave her her dresses for a charity auction, where they were sold for $ 3 million, says Forbes.
She has raised millions of dollars around the world to fight HIV, taught Hollywood stars to speak with a southern accent, befriended almost every bohemian idol on both sides of the Atlantic, and became the protagonist in her friend Truman Capote's novel Breakfast at Tiffany's. Her name was Margaret Littman. On October 16, 2020, she died at the age of 90 at her home in London.
Louisiana, New York, Hollywood and New York again
Margaret Lamkin was born on May 4, 1930 in the small town of Monroe, Louisiana, in the family of the lawyer Ebenezer Tyler Lamkin. Her childhood was the same as that of thousands of other privileged white families in the southern states, still suffering from racial segregation. But Margaret did not consider the established order to be fair.
She felt cramped in her hometown. She first attended Newcomer's College for Women (now part of Tulane University in New Orleans), where she studied philosophy, and then moved to New York. There, Margaret entered the recently opened Finch College in Manhattan. Then she first plunged into the atmosphere of bohemia. The glamorous fifties were in the yard. And again moving. Her brother, playwright and writer Hillier Speed Lamkin, received an invitation from producer Jerry Wald to move to Los Angeles to work on a new film. And Margaret decided to try her luck in Hollywood with him.
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Jerry Wold was shocked by Ms. Lamkin's southern accent and sent her to a speech trainer. But these lessons were short-lived - Margaret decided to turn her "disadvantages" into advantages. At that time, preparations were in full swing for filming the movie "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" by Richard Brooks, and the leading actors Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor needed to speak with a southern accent in a short time. And then Mrs. Lamkin came to the rescue. She herself became a speech technique coach. And, importantly, Margaret could explain how true southerners behave. After all, she grew up in Louisiana and from childhood noted various types. Hollywood appreciated her talents. Subsequently, Margaret was involved in the filming of other "southern" films, including "Doll" by Eliya Kazan and "Long Hot Summer" by Martin Ritt.
Personal life Margaret was not very successful in the 1950s. First, she married her brother's friend, screenwriter Harry Brown, and then the actor Rory Harrity. Both marriages did not last long. Relations with her first husband were especially unsuccessful. He was an alcoholic and once got drunk and threatened his wife with a gun. Then Margaret fled to the house of her friend, the writer Christopher Isherwood, and his lover Don Bacardi. Isherwood helped his girlfriend in every possible way.
In the 1950s, Margaret made acquaintance with many prominent writers of the time. Among them were Gore Vidal, Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote. She inspired the latter to write the story "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Many recognized the main character Holly Golightly as Margaret Lamkin.
And in the fate of Margaret herself, changes again occurred. She decided to return to New York and change her field of activity.
"Margaret, you know everyone"
In the early 1960s, Margaret began working for Glamor magazine. There she led a column of questions and answers. She also collaborated with the famous photographer Richard Avedon, helping him with the "Nothing Personal" project. Avedon is featured among many public figures and civil rights activists.
In 1965, Margaret married the love of her life - British lawyer Mark Littman. The wedding was followed by a move to London. The young couple settled in the prestigious Belgravia area in Chester Square. Their neighbors included rock musician Mick Jagger and future British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Ms. Littman led an active social life, continuing to remotely collaborate with Glamor magazine. Many of Margaret's acquaintances and friends had the impression that she knew everyone.
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In the late 1970s, Littman was staying at the Cipriani Hotel in Venice with her friend Truman Capote. They were relaxing by the pool, and then Margaret pointed to an extremely thin woman: "This is anorexia nervosa!" Capote thought that this was indeed the name of the lady, and exclaimed in surprise: "Margaret, you know everyone." “I remember someone saying you shouldn't take her seriously, but there was such seriousness in her frivolity,” says theater critic Ben Brantley.
HIV control and retirement
She knew everyone and everyone knew her. As a result, Margaret Littman decided to take advantage of this fame for good. The 1980s were already in the yard. The HIV epidemic claimed dozens of lives every day, and patients were discriminated against. In 1986, Margaret asked a hundred of her friends to send a hundred pounds each as a contribution to the AIDS Charitable Trust she created.
In 1991, Faber and Faber published Hockney's Alphabet. This art project was initiated by the artist David Hockney and the poet Stephen Spender. Gore Vidal, Iris Murdoch, Ian McEwan, Seamus Heaney, William Golding and Kazuo Ishiguro contributed texts for the book. All proceeds from the sale of Hockney's Alphabet went to help people with HIV-positive status.
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But the largest donation came from Princess Diana in 1997. Shortly before her death, she called Margaret Littman and said: “I have a brilliant idea. I'm going to give you all my dresses. " Margaret then had a thought: “I don't quite understand what it all means. I thought: God, am I really dressing so badly? " As a result, Princess Diana's dresses were auctioned off at a charity auction for $ 3 million.
In 1999, Margaret Littman decided to retire. Her organization became part of the Elton John AIDS Foundation. She spent the last years of her life at her home in London. In 2011, her brother Hillier Speed Lamkin died, and four years later her husband Mark, with whom she lived happily for half a century.
