Edith Motridge
American swimmer (1913–2007)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Edith Segal Motridge (July 30, 1913 – November 1, 2007), also known by her married name Edith Polster[1] or as Edith Motridge Segal,[2][3] was an American competitive swimmer who represented the United States in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, Germany, coming fourth in the women's 100-meter backstroke. After her competitive swimming career, she became Esther Williams' stand-in when filming Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movies, although she also had minor roles in films such as Cynthia (1946) and The Cobweb (1955).
United StatesMotridge in 1936 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Edith Segal Motridge |
| National team | United States |
| Born | July 30, 1913 |
| Died | November 1, 2007 (aged 94) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Swimming |
| Strokes | Backstroke |
| Club | Los Angeles Athletic Club |
After Motridge's swimming and film career, she was involved in philanthropic efforts with her husband, including a Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito Foundation scholarship. She died in Fairbanks Ranch in 2007.
Early life
Motridge was born in San Francisco on July 30, 1913,[4] later attending Hollywood High School and the University of Southern California. Due to Hollywood High School not having a girls' swim team, she trained with the boys' team, and later with the Los Angeles Athletic Club.[1]
Career
Competitive swimming
At the 1936 Summer Olympics, Motridge placed fourth in the women's 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:19.6.[5][6] She was also the US champion in the 100m backstroke in 1939[6] with a time of 1:18.9.[7] Along with Esther Williams, she set the national record in either the 300m or 300-yard medley in 1939.[a]
Film
After her competitive swimming career, Motridge worked on movies at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) as Esther Williams' stunt double and stand-in.[6][11][12] She worked on all swimming films made by MGM.[6] Motridge later appeared in other films without Williams, such as in 1945 in Without Love.[13] She went on to play a role in The Harvey Girls in 1946,[14] then played a teacher in the 1947 film Cynthia.[15] She played a nurse in 1955's The Cobweb.[16] In 1956, she had an acting role in The Swan.[17]
Personal life
In 1969, Motridge married Leonard Polster.[1] They moved to Fairbanks Ranch in 1983.[6][18] They had three children and four grandchildren.[1] Throughout their partnership they were involved in philanthropic efforts,[1] including a Boys & Girls Clubs of San Dieguito Foundation scholarship[19] started in the late 1980s[20] which was reported in 1999 to give $25,000–$30,000 scholarships to students in North County, California.[18]
Motridge died on November 1, 2007, at her home in Fairbanks Ranch.[1]