Marina Gregg

Marina Gregg was an actress. When Dolly Bantry sold Gossington Hall, Marina moved to St. Mary Mead, with her husband Producer Jason Rudd, hoping to start afresh on her career, but her past confronted her in a way everyone wouldn't believe.

Bio
Spoilers Ahead

Bio Before
Marina Gregg is a film actress, she made a smash in her performance in a film about Mary Queen of Scots, she had several marriages, including the ex of Lola Brewster who was upset by this at the time and now has forgiven her. She then marries Jason Rudd a Film Producer, she failed to get pregnant and had adopted 3 children but then managed to deliver a child who was born mentally retarded causing a breakdown (this was hidden from many). She was retired as a actress due to problems including her mood swings, but now is back as a actress making a movie about Elisabeth of Austria.

The husbands of Marina Gregg
1. An early one that didn't count 2. A foreign Prince or Count 3. The film star Robert Truscott (it only lasted four years) 4. Isidore Wright, the playwright (the father of her child) 5. Jason Rudd

Book Bio
She and Jason throw a fete for the local St John's Ambulance, at a party for important guests which includes Brewster, Rudd, Bantry, Gregg's personal friend Ardwyck Fenn, and Heather Badcock and her husband Arthur. Heather tells her the story of meeting her years before, Gregg is polite, but then, Gregg is visibly shaken and after recovering offers Heather a Daiquiri made by Jason. Soon afterwards Heather collapses dead, it is revealed she ingested a lethal dose of Calmo, a painkiller that was in the house. As Miss Marple hears it from Dolly, she describes Gregg's expression of fear like the doom that effected The Lady of Shalott, later on it's discovered that Heather spilt her drink and Gregg gave her own in replacement meaning Marina was the intended victim.

As the investigation goes on, Marina reveals that somebody has been sending her threatening letters, then at the studio, she has a panic attack when she claims that her coffee was poisoned, which is discovered to be true. Miss Marple finds out that one of Gregg's adopted children Margot Bence was at the fete taking photos, she captured the look. However soon afterwards Jason's secretary Ella Zielinsky is murdered, she had been calling the suspects to find the killer and was poisoned with prussic acid in her nasal spray. Also Giuseppe the butler is after depositing £500, he had been speaking to Gladys Dixon who witnessed the spill at the fete and felt something wasn't right. With Gladys on a special holiday, Miss Marple goes to Gossington to reveal the truth with Inspector Craddock and Rudd present.

The Solution
Miss Marple sets the scene, Marina hears a fan tell her story of their meeting, Heather tells her that she got her autograph when she was in Bermuda, Heather was ill with German Measles which is dangerous for mothers to be, Marina was pregnant with the child she finally wanted and Heather unknowingly infected her causing the child's problems. That's what caused her look of fear, the hidden anger that Heather was taking pleasure from ruining her life, she put the overdose in her glass, nobody noticed her missing and then bumped into Heather spilling her drink, gave the poisoned one and watched as she took the overdose. Then Marina realised what she did and created a alibi by writing threatening letters to herself and poisoning her own coffee.

However Ella Zielinsky took matters into her own hands calling several of the people that were there to expose the truth but she called Marina after overhearing Gladys' suggestion that the spilling of the cocktail wasn't right, Marina then poisoned Ella with Prussic Acid and after Giuseppe threaten her, she shot him.

Fate
Marina killed herself with an overdose, but Miss Marple suggests that Jason did it out of love for his wife, but she lets him go. As she looks at Marina Marple quotes the final three lines from The Lady of Shalott.

Changes

 * In the novel and 1992 Television version Marina is going to make a film about Empress Elisabeth of Austria.
 * In the 1992 version, while watching Marina at the studio, Miss Marple notices the expression of the actress being believable, she is told by her companion that Marina uses Emotional Memory, which is Method Acting.
 * In the 1992 version, Ella called Marina at the studio which causes her to break down, rather than the coffee.
 * In the 1980 film she is going to play Mary Queen of Scots, to Lola Brewster's Elizabeth I of England.
 * In the 1980 Version Jason realises what Marina did when she didn't tell him about the threatening letters and so poisoned her Hot Chocolate, but Marina realising what he planned, instead takes an overdose protecting him.
 * In the 2010 television episode she recently has portrayed Marie Antoinette and is going to play Nefertiti.
 * In the 2019 stage adaptation, Marina is portraying Catherine of Aragon, to Lola Brewster's Anne Boleyn.

Portrayals

 * In the 1980 film collection The Mirror Crack'd, Marina Gregg was played by Elizabeth Taylor. She reveals that her true name is Shirley Bookbinder and that she grew up in Oklahoma City.
 * In 1992 Claire Bloom portrayed Marina Gregg in an episode of the television series Miss Marple.
 * Gayle Hunnicutt played Marina in the BBC Radio version in 1998.
 * Lindsay Duncan played Marina Gregg in Agatha Christie's Marple, in 2010.
 * In Le miroir se brisa, the France Télévisions adaptation of the novel, the parallel character is Blanche Dulac.