Madeleine Astor during the first class dinner scene

Madeleine Astor (née Talmage Force, June 19, 1893 – March 27, 1940), boarded the RMS Titanic as a first class passenger with her husband John Jacob Astor IV, who was said to be the richest man on the ship. She was 17 at the time, but the marriage was as much for love as the social scandal.

In James Cameron's film, Titanic, she was played by Charlotte Chatton.

Depiction[edit | edit source]

In the first class dinner scene, she was introduced to Jack Dawson. She politely greeted him and took a seat next to her husband. Rose DeWitt Bukater told Jack somewhat snobbishly that Madeleine was as old as she was and "in delicate a condition", meaning she was pregnant; and trying to hide it. Rose then called it "quite the scandal". Madeleine would give birth to John Jacob Astor VI, J.J. Astor V was already the son of J.J. IV's William Waldorf Astor, on August 14, 1912.

When the Titanic struck an iceberg and began to sink, she boarded Lifeboat No. 6 when Molly Brown said "You heard the man, sister, into the boat!" She left her husband, showing some reluctance, and started to row into the Atlantic. Her husband perished while attempting to find their dog.

Molly Brown later tried to go back for more survivors and reminded the women "It's your men out there!" Madeleine just continued to cry and did not take any action. Madeleine was possibly too distraught by the disaster to make sense of what Molly was saying. They eventually got onto the RMS Carpathia, yet such does not say were she boarded.

Trivia[edit | edit source]

  • The film made an historical error. Madeleine Astor was actually put into lifeboat number 4, not 6.
  • She only had one line of dialogue throughout the entire film, if you don't include her sobbing.

External links[edit | edit source]
