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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Jessica Knibbs

Who is Mary McCartney? Daughter of Beatles star directs documentary

Mary McCartney has stepped out of her fathers shadows making a name for herself in a number of creative ventures

(Picture: PA Wire)

The daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney, Mary McCartney, has directed a documentary on the iconic Abbey Road Studios.

Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Ringo Starr were joined by famous faces such as Sir Elton John and Liam Gallagher to celebrate the premiere on Monday, December 12.

Speaking of her inspiration to get involved in the project, Ms 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.”

Who is Mary McCartney?

Mary Anna McCartney, 53, is a documentary filmmaker, photographer and cookbook author and Sir Paul’s eldest daughter.

She was born on August 28 in St John’s Wood in London and made a name for herself after a number of creative ventures.

Ms McCartney has followed in her mother Linda McCartney’s footsteps, as she was also a photographer, cookbook author, and vegetarian activist.

The documentary looks at the history of Abbey Road Studios in London bringing together the memories and experiences of some of the music superstars who have walked through the studio doors.

Ms McCartney said her late mom inspired her to direct the upcoming documentary, titled If These Walls Could Sing.

“My mum is such an inspiration and I just love seeing her. She’s sort of scattered throughout the documentary. She loved the space here,” she said in an interview with PA News.

Her creation culminates as the Centrepiece of the studio’s 90th anniversary celebrations last month.

Vegetarian cookbooks

With a love for vegetarian cooking, McCartney worked with her mother on a number of cookbooks.

She is also a consultant for Linda McCartney Foods, a brand specialising in meat-free dishes.

She has written two vegetarian cookbooks including Food: Vegetarian Home Cooking in 2012 and At My Table: Vegetarian Feasts for Family and Friends in 2015.

Ms McCartney also featured on Season one to three of the Discovery+ Food Network vegan cooking show Mary McCartney Serves It Up! which was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award in 2022.

Personal life

Ms McCartney married director and producer Alistair Donald in 1998. They have two sons together.

The couple divorced and she went on to marry writer, director and producer Simon Aboud, with whom she also has two sons. She lives with Mr Aboud and her four sons in London.

She has four siblings, fashion designer Stella McCartney, musician James McCartney, artist Heather McCartney, and half-sister, Beatrice McCartney.

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