She was born Marjorie Ann Guthrie on July 21, 1904 (some sources say 1907) in Winnipeg, Canada. Her father, Robert Guthrie, was a grain merchant. When she was a child she joined the Winnipeg Kiddies, a troupe of child performers who toured the country. At the age of seventeen she moved to San Francisco, California and teamed up with actress Thelma White. They began performing in vaudeville where they known as The White Sisters. Marjorie married Edwin J. Tierney, a vaudeville dancer, on August 10. 1924. She appeared in several Broadway shows including Hello Lola and Lady Fingers. In 1929 she was signed by Fox and made her film debut in the musical Happy Days.

Marjorie had featured roles in Sunny Side Up, The Golden Calf, and Just Imagine. Fox executives told her she needed to lose weight even though she was only 105 pounds! She returned to Broadway in 1932 to star in the musical Hot-Cha. In 1933 she appeared in the comedies Diplomaniacs and Her Bodyguard. Then she costarred with The Threes Stooges in the 1934 short Woman Haters. Sadly this would be her final film. On August 20, 1935 she was badly injured in a car crash in Santa Monica. The next day, August 21, she tragically died from her internal injuries. Marjorie was only thirty-one years old. She was buried at Hollywood Forever in Los Angeles, California.