Veda Borg
Veda Borg was born in the old West End, and became “Boston’s own” as an actor in many movies from the 1930s to the 1950s.
Veda Ann Borg was born in the old West End on January 11, 1915. Her parents were Minna Noble, a secretary, and Gottfried Borg, a decorator and painter who immigrated from Sweden. Veda became a successful actor after moving to New York to become a model in the 1930s. Her debut film, produced by Paramount, was Three Cheers for Love (1936). She also starred that year in Lady, Be Careful; the Boston Globe reported that “Boston’s Veda Borg” was in the cast. But Borg’s movie acting career was put on pause after a serious car accident in 1937, which required plastic surgery to completely reconstruct her face. Borg made a successful comeback after a two-year break from acting. Just before the accident, Borg was under contract at Warner Brothers, who paid her the remainder of the salary she was owed under contract. However, the plastic surgery had cost thousands of dollars, and Borg’s parents sold their home and their car to help pay for it. After the surgery, Veda was still paying off the debt. The Boston Globe celebrated her return, reporting on January 1, 1941 that “All Hollywood is applauding our “Miss Borg from Boston,” also admiring the new quality of beauty in her face.”
From the 1940s through the 1960s, Veda Borg had a series of “bit parts,” or very small supporting roles, though her characters and the lines she delivered were often noteworthy. Veda divorced her first husband, Paul Herrick, in 1942, and went on to marry Andrew V. McLaglen, a director, in 1946. Borg met McLaglen in 1945 while starring with his father, Victor McLaglen, in Love, Honor and Goodbye (1945). Although the Boston Globe was eager to report that Veda Borg was “Boston’s own,” their reviewers did not pull punches about the movies she starred in. On Love, Honor and Goodbye, one reviewer wrote that “For the most part, the comedy is so contrived and dialogue so uninspired the picture fails to appeal to the risibilities.” Borg continued to act in many roles up until 1960, when she starred in The Alamo, her final movie.
Veda and Andrew had three children, Mary, Josh, and Andrew V. McLaglen II, though they got a divorce in June 1958. Borg died in 1973 from cancer while still in Hollywood. Veda Borg had at least 100 movie roles in a career defined by an improbable comeback from a serious accident.
