Mary McCartney was born on 28 August 1969 at Avenue Clinic in St John's Wood, London, England. Her father is the muscian Paul McCartney and her mother was the photographer Linda Eastman. Her siblings are Heather, Stella, James and Beatrice.[1] McCartney was raised as a vegetarian (along with the rest of her siblings), as both of her parents were notable vegetarian activists.[2]
Photography and film
McCartney is a British photographer,[3][4][5] who in 2015 was chosen to photograph Queen Elizabeth II as part of a campaign to celebrate the "longest-reigning British monarch in more than 1,000 years".[6]
McCartney directed the documentary If These Walls Could Sing. It is her feature documentary debut, about the history of Abbey Road Studios in London and the experiences and memories of the musicians who have played there. It was created as the centrepiece of Abbey Road Studios' 90th anniversary celebrations in November 2022.[7]
It was announced in January 2021 that McCartney would direct a documentary about Abbey Road Studios.[8] McCartney said "some of my earliest memories as a young child come from time spent at Abbey Road, I've long wanted to tell the story of this historic place."[9] As well as her father Paul McCartney, contributions are reported to be from Jimmy Page, Kate Bush, Noel Gallagher, Liam Gallagher, Pink Floyd, John Williams, Celeste, Elton John, Giles Martin, and Shirley Bassey.[10] Production is by Mercury Studios and Ventureland. McCartney said what she "wanted from the interviews was to drill down into those musicians really feel about Abbey Road. 'Do you really care about Abbey Road? It's a building and you recorded here, but whatever. Do you really care?' And I think from the interviews, you can really see they are thinking fondly about it."[11]
Plant-based and vegetarian cooking
In 2009, McCartney along with her father Paul and sister Stella, launched Meat-free Mondays in the United Kingdom.[12]
Cookbooks
McCartney has written two vegetarian cookbooks, Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking (2012) and At My Table: Vegetarian Feasts for Family and Friends (2015).[13][14]
In 2021, Mary, Paul, and Stella McCartney turned 90 of Linda McCartney's vegetarian recipes into the plant-based cookbook Linda McCartney's Family Kitchen: Over 90 Plant-Based Recipes to Save the Planet and Nourish the Soul.[15][16]
In 2023, McCartney released the plant-based cookbook Feeding Creativity: A Cookbook for Friends and Family, that features 60 recipes created for celebrities.[17]
McCartney married Alistair Donald on 26 September 1998,[28] and had two sons.[29] After McCartney and Donald divorced, she married Simon Aboud in 2010.[30] They have two sons.[29]
Feeding Creativity: A Cookbook for Friends and Family. Taschen America, 2023. ISBN978-3836589420.
McCartney, Linda (with Paul, Mary, and Stella McCartney). Linda McCartney's Family Kitchen: Over 90 Plant-Based Recipes to Save the Planet and Nourish the Soul.. Voracious/Little, Brown, 2021. ISBN978-0-316-49798-5.[15]
The Meat Free Monday Cookbook: A Full Menu for Every Monday of the Year. Kyle, 2011. ISBN978-0-85783-067-8. Foreword by Paul, Stella, and Mary McCartney.[12]
Off Pointe: A Photographic Study of the Royal Ballet After Hours, The Royal Opera House, London (2004) and presented by The Royal Photographic Society at Photo London (2019)[37]
British Style Observed, National History Museum, London (2008)[38]
From Where I Stand, National Portrait Gallery and Michael Hoppen Gallery, London (2010)[31]
Linda McCartney and Mary McCartney: Mother, Daughter, Gagosian Gallery, New York (2015); and at Fotografiska, Stockholm (2018)[39][4][40]
