Edith Evans
(1888 - 1976)Although one of the grand ladies of the stage, she was also a very fine character actress in films. Tall, thin and gangly with a homely face, a robust voice but with an aristocratic air about her, she exuded charm and charisma on stage and in films. Most often cast as a grand dame, matriarch or royalty, she could just as easily play a ghost, a nun, a spinster or a doctor. She was born Edith Mary Evans on February 8, 1888 in London, England. She began as a milliner's apprentice while dabbling in amateur acting in a local theatre group. After being discovered by a talent agent she made her professional debut in 1912 at the age of 24 in Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida." She became a national treasure in her native England and worked solely in theatre until at the age of 60 she was cast in her first film. She made few films, but they were quality performances. Her films include: "Queen of Spades" (1948) as Countess Ranevskaya, her film debut; "Women of Dolwyn" (1949) as Merri; "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1952) as Lady Bracknell; "Look Back in Anger" (1958) as Mrs. Tanner; "The Nun's Story" (1959) with Audrey Hepburn, as Mother Emmanuel, one of my favorite of her roles; "Tom Jones" (1963) with Albert Finney, as Miss Western, which brought her the first of three Oscar nominations, this time as Best Supporting Actress; "The Chalk Garden" (1964) as Mrs. St. Maugham, for which she received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress; "Young Cassidy" (1965) as Lady Gregory; probably her best known role "The Whisperers" (1966) as Mrs. Ross, for which she received much acclaim and won the BAFTA, a Golden Globe as Best Actress and an Oscar nomination as Best Actress; "Fitzwilly" (1967) as Miss Victoria Woodworth; "Prudence and the Pill" (1968) as Lady Roberta Bates; "The Madwoman of Chaillot" (1969) as Josephine; "Crooks and Coronets" (1969) as Lady Sophie Fitzmore; "Scrooge" (1970) with Albert Finney, as The Ghost of Christmas Past, another fine role; "A Doll's House" (1973) as Anne-Marie; "Craze" (1973) as Aunt Louise; "The Slipper and the Rose" (1976) as Dowager Queen and "Nasty Habits" (1977) as Sister Hildegard, her last film role. On TV she appeared in the TV movies: "David Copperfield" (1970) and "Upon This Rock" (1970) as well as the mini-series: "The Gambler" (1971) as Grandmama and "QB VII" (1974) as Dr. Parmentier. She married George Booth in 1925 until his death in 1935. She was honored for her services to the theatre by being made a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 1946. She died of a heart ailment on October 14, 1976 in Cranbrook, England at age 88.
From Great Character Actors, Page 8.
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