Up until this weekend in the Star's obit section, I never heard of Beryl Marie Hart. But she had quite a life and if you're a fan of Neil Young, you owe her a lot. Because you never would have heard of him without her. 

Hart was the daughter of a famous author named Max Braithwaite and she became an actress at the tender age of 8 on CBC Radio in the 40s, eventually going on to play "Maggie Muggins," a Canadian institution in those early days. (I barely remember the TV version, but by then, she was too old to play the role.)

She eventually married John Hart. If that name sounds familiar, it's because you grew up with him on TV. He played Hawkeye on the series "Last of the Mohicans," which was very popular in the 50s, and he briefly replaced Clayton Moore for one season on "The Lone Ranger," another early TV classic. 

But it was perhaps off stage that we owe a huge debt of gratitude to this old radio actress. It was Hart who was at the Lake of Bays in 1948, when a then nearly 3-year-old Neil Young somehow got into the water and almost drowned. She saw what was happening and saved his life, or you would never have heard of the Canadian music star. 

Hart's life in the spotlight was brief, but she never completely left showbiz behind. She died on October 25th at the Motion Picture and TV Fund home in California. She was 88. 

Beryl Marie Hart Obit