Born Mary Gilmour, she was an apple-cheeked, gray-haired character actress with a slight Irish or Scottish lilt. Gordon was a member of a touring stage company in Europe, with which she traveled to the U.S. She remained in the states and from the mid '20s played character roles in numerous Hollywood films until 1950. She was often cast as the lead characters dear old mother, but was most memorable as Sherlock Holmes's housekeeper, Mrs. Hudson, in six of the 14 Basil Rathbone Holmes films as well as on the radio show.