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Moira Lister

2022-04-16T21:23:47Z

2A02:C7D:D627:9100:7507:72B3:5ED0:4BF1: /* Career */

{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Moira Lister
| image = Moira Lister 2 Allan Warren.jpg
| caption = Lister in 1973
| birthname =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1923|8|6}}
| birth_place = [[Cape Town]], South Africa
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2007|10|27|1923|8|6|df=y}}
| death_place = Cape Town, South Africa
| years_active = 1947–2007
| occupation = Actress
| spouse = {{marriage|Jacques Gachassin-Lafite, Viscount of Orthez|1951|1989|end=died}}
| children = 2
}}

'''Moira Lister Gachassin-Lafite, Viscountess of [[Orthez]]''' (6 August 1923{{spaced ndash}}27 October 2007) was a South African-British film, stage and television actress and writer.

== Early life ==
Born in [[Cape Town]] to Major James Lister and Margaret (née Hogan), Lister was educated at the Parktown Convent of the Holy Family, [[Johannesburg]].<ref name=":0" /> She was a theatre student of Anna Romain Hoffman, who with her husband Arthur Hoffman founded The Johannesburg Repertory Theatre.

== Career ==
She began her acting career on stage in South Africa and then went on to act in the London theatre at the age of 18.<ref name=fv>{{cite book|year=1980s|author=Jani Allan|author-link=Jani Allan|title=[[Face Value (book)|Face Value]] |publisher=Longstreet}}</ref> Lister began working in films in 1943, and appeared in a number of films over several decades. The most notable of these being for [[Ealing Studios]], such as ''[[Another Shore]]'' (1948), ''{{sortname|A|Run for Your Money}}'' (1949), ''[[Pool of London (film)|Pool of London]]'' (1951) and ''[[The Cruel Sea (1953 film)|The Cruel Sea]]'' (1953). She starred in [[Peter Ustinov]]'s long-running 1951 play ''[[The Love of Four Colonels]]'' in the West End.

She had a regular role in the first series of the [[BBC]] radio comedy ''[[Hancock's Half Hour]]'' in 1954–55,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2007/oct/30/guardianobituaries.obituaries1|title=Moira Lister|last=Shorter|first=Eric|date=30 October 2007|work=The Guardian|access-date=3 March 2017|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> and was also one of the girlfriends in ''A Life of Bliss'' starring [[George Cole (actor)|George Cole]] as David Bliss, a perpetual bachelor. She starred in the [[BBC]] television series ''The Whitehall Worrier'' and ''The Very Merry Widow'' from 1967 to 1968.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article2080378.ece|title=Moira Lister|work=The Times|date=30 October 2007|access-date=3 March 2017}}{{subscription required}}</ref> (Later series of this programme were titled ''The Very Merry Widow — and How!'') Lister also appeared on various other British TV series such as ''[[Danger Man]]'' and ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' ("The See-Through Man", 1967). In 1980, she made a guest appearance as a film star in the sitcom ''[[Only When I Laugh (TV series)|Only When I Laugh]]''.

She was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1971 when she was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]].{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

Lister was still performing until three years before her death, touring with her one-woman show about [[Noël Coward]]. She belonged to the [[British Catholic Stage Guild]].

== Personal life ==
[[File:Blason famille Gachassin-Lafite d'Orthez.svg|thumb|Coat of arms of the Gachassin-Lafite d'Orthez family|146x146px]]In 1946, Lister went on a date in London with [[Neville Heath]], a former [[South African Air Force]] captain who murdered two women in London only months later.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1567777/Moira-Lister.html|title=Moira Lister|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=30 October 2007|access-date=3 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h9lzQgAACAAJ&q=the+very+merry+moira|title=The Very Merry Widow Moira|last=Lister|first=Moira|date=1 December 1969|publisher=Hodder & Stoughton|isbn=978-0-340-10632-7}}</ref> Heath was convicted after a sensational trial, and he was hanged in October 1946.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AZxVOZ7CN7YC&q=neville+heath|title=Handsome Brute: The True Story of a Ladykiller|last=O'Connor|first=Sean|date=27 February 2014|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4711-0135-9|language=en}}</ref>

In 1951, Moira Lister married [[Belgium|Belgo]]-[[France|French]] aristocrat Jacques Gachassin-Lafite, Viscount of [[Orthez]], son of André Gachassin-Lafite, Viscount of Orthez and of [[Van Dievoet family|Louise van Dievoet]]. Jacques was a French [[Officer (armed forces)|officer]] of the [[Spahi]]s, owner of a champagne vineyard and hero of the [[Rif War (1920)|Rif War]]; they had two daughters, Chantal and Christobel. Lister also had two grand-daughters, Christina d'Orthez and Marina d'Orthez.

Moira Lister died at the age of 84 in 2007. Both she and her husband are interred in the churchyard of St Edward's Catholic Church in [[Sutton Green, Surrey]].<ref name=":1" />

== Honours ==
* [[Naledi Theatre Award]], a lifetime achievement award for her services to the theatre in South Africa.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/moira-lister-398214.html|title=Moira Lister|date=29 October 2007|work=The Independent|access-date=3 March 2017|language=en-GB}}</ref>
* Best Actress of the Year (1971)
* [[Freedom of the City]] of London (2000)

== Filmography ==

=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1943
|''{{sortname|The|Shipbuilders}}''
|Rita
|
|-
|1944
|''{{sortname|A|Lady Surrenders|nolink=1}}''
|Carol
|
|-
|1945
|''My Ain Folk''
|Joan Mackenzie
|
|-
|1945
|''[[Don Chicago]]''
|Telephone Operator
|
|-
|1945
|''{{sortname|The|Agitator}}''
|Joan Shackleton
|
|-
|1946
|''[[Wanted for Murder (film)|Wanted for Murder]]''
|Miss Willis
|AKA, ''A Voice in the Night''
|-
|1948
|''[[So Evil My Love]]''
|Kitty Feathers
|
|-
|1948
|''[[Uneasy Terms]]''
|Corinne Alardyse
|
|-
|1948
|''[[Another Shore]]''
|Jennifer
|
|-
|1949
|''Maniacs on Wheels''
|Dotty Liz
|
|-
|1949
|''{{sortname|A|Run for Your Money}}''
|Jo
|
|-
|1951
|''[[Files from Scotland Yard]]''
|Joanna Goring
|
|-
|1951
|''[[Pool of London (film)|Pool of London]]''
|Maisie
|
|-
|1951
|''[[My Seal and Them]]''
|Diana
|
|-
|1951
|''[[White Corridors]]''
|Dolly Clark
|
|-
|1952
|''[[Something Money Can't Buy]]''
|Diana Haverstock
|
|-
|1953
|''{{sortname|The|Cruel Sea|The Cruel Sea (1953 film)}}''
|Elaine Morell
|
|-
|1953
|''[[Grand National Night]]''
|Babs Coates
|
|-
|1953
|''{{sortname|The|Limping Man|The Limping Man (1953 film)}}''
|Pauline French
|
|-
|1953
|''[[Trouble in Store]]''
|Peggy Drew
|
|-
|1955
|''[[John and Julie]]''
|Dora
|
|-
|1955
|''{{sortname|The|Deep Blue Sea|The Deep Blue Sea (1955 film)}}''
|Dawn Maxwell
|
|-
|1957
|''[[Seven Waves Away]]''
|Edith Middleton
|AKA, ''Abandon Ship''
|-
|1964
|''{{sortname|The|Yellow Rolls-Royce}}''
|Lady Angela St. Simeon
|
|-
|1965
|''[[Joey Boy (film)|Joey Boy]]''
|Lady Thameridge
|
|-
|1967
|''{{sortname|The|Double Man|The Double Man (1967 film)}}''
|Mrs. Carrington
|
|-
|1967
|''Cop-Out''
|Mrs. Flower
|
|-
|1973
|''[[Not Now, Darling (film)|Not Now, Darling]]''
|Maude Bodley
|
|-
|1989
|''[[Ten Little Indians (1989 film)|Ten Little Indians]]''
|Ethel Mae Rodgers
|
|-
|2007
|''[[Flood (film)|Flood]]''
|Grandma
|
|}

=== Television ===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
|1948
|''Frieda''
|Frieda
|TV film
|-
|1949
|''And So to Bed''
|Mrs. Pepys
|TV film
|-
|1950
|''[[Sunday Night Theatre]]''
|Senora Maria
|"The Bridge of Estaban"
|-
|1951
|''Joseph Proctor's Money''
|Poppy Marsh
|TV film
|-
|1954
|''{{sortname|The|Concert|nolink=1}}''
|Anne
|TV film
|-
|1954
|''{{sortname|The|Bear|nolink=1}}''
|Yelena Ivanovna Popova
|TV short
|-
|1954
|''Stage by Stage''
|Berinthia
|"The Relapse or, Virtue in Danger"
|-
|1956
|''[[Douglas Fairbanks Presents]]''
|Eve
|"The Intruder"
|-
|1956
|''[[ITV Play of the Week]]''
|Letty Golightly
|"The Golden Cuckoo"
|-
|1957
|''[[ITV Play of the Week]]''
|Maggie Palmer
|"His and Hers"
|-
|1957
|''[[Armchair Theatre]]''
|Mathilde Loisel
|"The Necklace"
|-
|1957
|''[[Sunday Night Theatre]]''
|Amelia Laurenson
|"Mayors' Nest"
|-
|1957
|''[[Sunday Night Theatre]]''
|Orinthia
|"The Apple Cart"
|-
|1960
|''Somerset Maugham Hour''
|Vesta Grange
|"Flotsam and Jetsam"
|-
|1960
|''Theatre Night''
|Nell Nash
|"The Gazebo"
|-
|1961
|''[[Danger Man]]''
|Vanessa Stewart
|"Find and Return"
|-
|1961
|''[[ITV Play of the Week]]''
|Louise Yeyder
|"Gilt and Gingerbread"
|-
|1963
|''Zero One''
|Mrs. Grey
|"The Golden Silence"
|-
|1964
|''[[Thursday Theatre]]''
|Laura Foster
|"Simon and Laura"
|-
|1966
|''[[Danger Man]]''
|Claudia Jordan
|"The Hunting Party"
|-
|1966
|''[[Theatre 625]]''
|Laura Foster
|"Simon and Laura"
|-
|1966
|''[[Comedy Playhouse]]''
|Janet Pugh
|"The Mallard Imaginaire"
|-
|1966
|''Major Barbara''
|Lady Britomart
|TV film
|-
|1967
|''{{sortname|The|Avengers|The Avengers (TV series)}}''
|Elena
|"The See-Through Man"
|-
|1967
|''[[The Whitehall Worrier]]''
|Janet Pugh
|TV series
|-
|1967–68
|''{{sortname|The|Very Merry Widow|nolink=1}}''
|Jacqui Villiers
|TV series
|-
|1968
|''{{sortname|A|Touch of Venus|nolink=1}}''
|Emma Grant
|"Desmond"
|-
|1968
|''{{sortname|The|Sex Game|nolink=1}}''
|Mimsy
|"The Lovemakers"
|-
|1969
|''[[Love Story (UK TV series)|Love Story]]''
|Ariade
|"The Dolly Spike"
|-
|1969
|''{{sortname|The|Very Merry Widow and How|nolink=1}}''
|Jacqui Villiers
|TV series
|-
|1973
|''[[Late Night Theatre]]''
|Vicky Labone
|"She'll Have to Go"
|-
|1980
|''Life Begins at Forty''
|Gertie
|"The Christening"
|-
|1980
|''[[Only When I Laugh (TV series)|Only When I Laugh]]''
|Gloria
|"Whatever Happened to Gloria Robins?"
|-
|1984
|''Hayfever''
|Judith Bliss
|TV film
|-
|1987
|''{{sortname|The|Finding|nolink=1}}''
|Gran
|TV film
|-
|2000
|''{{sortname|The|10th Kingdom}}''
|Grandmother
|TV miniseries
|-
|2005
|''Sterne über Madeira''
|Mutter Oberin
|TV film
|}

== Publications ==
* ''The Very Merry Moira'' (1971)

== Bibliography ==
* « Lister, Moira », in : ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography 2005–2008'', Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2013, pp. 696–697 [https://books.google.be/books?id=nbGcAQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=fr#v=onepage&q&f=false].

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{IMDb name|0514263}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lister, Moira}}
[[Category:1923 births]]
[[Category:2007 deaths]]
[[Category:South African people of British descent]]
[[Category:British film actresses]]
[[Category:British radio actresses]]
[[Category:British Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:British television actresses]]
[[Category:French vicomtesses]]
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in South Africa]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:Actresses from Cape Town]]
[[Category:South African emigrants to the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:South African Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:20th-century British actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century British actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century English women]]
[[Category:20th-century English people]]
[[Category:21st-century English women]]
[[Category:21st-century English people]]

Eric Barker

2022-04-16T14:21:49Z

2A02:C7D:D627:9100:7507:72B3:5ED0:4BF1:

{{short description|English actor}}
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Eric Barker
| image = Actor_Eric_Barker.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = in ''[[Carry On Sergeant]]'' (1958)
| birth_name = Eric Leslie Barker
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1912|02|12}}
| birth_place = [[Thornton Heath]], England
| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|1990|06|01|1912|02|12}}
| death_place = [[Faversham]], England
| occupation = Comedy actor
| years_active = 1916–1978
| spouse = [[Pearl Hackney]]
| awards = BAFTA {{awd|Most Promising Newcomer to Film|1958|[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]|Alec Blair}}
}}

'''Eric Leslie Barker''' (12 February 1912 – 1 June 1990) was an English comedy actor.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f591958|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120721215350/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f591958|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-21|title=Eric Barker|work=BFI}}</ref> He is most remembered for his roles in the popular British ''[[Carry On (film series)|Carry On]]'' films, although he only appeared in the early films in the series, apart from returning for ''[[Carry On Emmannuelle]]'' in 1978.<ref name=allmovie>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/eric-barker-p3946|title=Eric Barker – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos – AllMovie|author=Hal Erickson|work=AllMovie}}</ref>

==Career==
Eric Barker was born in [[Thornton Heath]], London, on 20 February 1912, the youngest of three children. He was brought up in [[County Borough of Croydon|Croydon]], Surrey, and educated at [[Whitgift School]]. He joined his father's paper merchants' company in the city but left to concentrate full-time on writing. His first novel ''The Watch Hunt'' was published when he was eighteen. He wrote short stories and plays, appearing in the latter himself and gradually turned to writing and performing lyrics, revues and sketches for stage and on radio.

He later became one of the most familiar faces in British comedy in his day. Barker gained his renewed start in show business during the [[Second World War]], when he was part of the armed forces radio show ''[[Merry-Go-Round (radio programme)|Merry Go Round]]'', which he helped to write. After the war the show continued, alternating between Army, Royal Air Force and Royal Navy shows. The Navy show was named ''Waterlogged Spa'', with Barker and his wife, actress [[Pearl Hackney]]. His "Steady Barker" catchphrase and verbal stumbling over words beginning with the letter "h" became well known to audiences.<ref name=allmovie/> The show's success led to Barker's starring in other radio shows, where he achieved a sizeable following due to his versatility at doing voices.

In the 1950s, he moved into television and films. On television he wrote and appeared in his own show, ''The Eric Barker Half-Hour'', a comedy sketch show on the [[BBC]]. As well as his wife, the cast included [[Nicholas Parsons]] and [[Deryck Guyler]].<ref>
{{cite web
| title = The Eric Barker Half-Hour
| publisher = [[IMDb]]
| url = https://m.imdb.com/title/tt1607982/?ref_=m_tt_ov_inf
| access-date = 27 January 2019
}}
</ref> The show ran for three series (21 episodes) between 1951 and 1953, and was broadcast fortnightly on Wednesdays around 9.00 pm. Such was Barker's success that it led to him writing his autobiography ''Steady Barker'' in 1956.

He had already appeared as an adult in nine films, including ''Carry On London'', a 45-minute crime short in 1937.<ref>This film is unconnected to the later ''[[Carry On (film series)|Carry On]]'' British comedy film series.</ref> when in 1958 he received a [[BAFTA]] as "Most Promising Newcomer" for his role as a barrister's clerk in the film ''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'' (1957).<ref>
{{cite web
| title = BAFTA Awards Database
| publisher = [[BAFTA]]
| url = http://www.bafta.org/awards-database.html?sq=eric+barker
| access-date = 4 May 2008
}}
</ref> The award led to more film work over the next 20 years, including three ''[[St Trinians]]'' films, and four in the classic ''[[Carry On (film series)|Carry On]]'' British comedy film series. He found his niche in playing variations on the busybody sticking his nose in everyone's business, or as some authority figure, ''[[Carry On Constable]]'' (1960) being a good example. Along with [[Kenneth Williams]] and [[Kenneth Connor]], he is the only actor to appear in the first, ''[[Carry On Sergeant]]'' in 1958, and the last of the original series of ''Carry On'' films, ''[[Carry On Emmannuelle]]'' in 1978. Barker's other ''Carry On'' appearance was in ''[[Carry On Spying]]'' (1964).

In that same year (1964) he appeared in the ITC filmed series ''[[Danger Man]]'', playing the titular character in "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove". Barker took his "authoritarian busybody" characterisation to the limit, with the twist that Mr. Lovegrove existed only in spy [[John Drake (Danger Man)|John Drake]]'s semi-unconscious mind after crashing his car on his way to the airport, inspired by one of the responding ambulance operators attending the scene of Drake's accident.

Barker was also a writer and published a number of novels: ''Sea Breezes'' in the early 1930s under the pen name of Christopher Bentley and ''Day Gone By'' under his own name in 1933, as well as ''Golden Gimmick'' in 1958 published by [[Hodder & Stoughton]]. According to [[P. G. Wodehouse]], Barker had "a real talent for humorous writing".<ref>P. G. Wodehouse (ed.), ''A Century of Humour'', Hutchinson and Co. (Publishers) Ltd, 1935, p. 775.</ref>

==Personal life==
Barker married the actress [[Pearl Hackney]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/tv-radio-obituaries/6274759/Pearl-Hackney.html|title=Pearl Hackney|date=8 October 2009|work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> (28 October 1916 – 18 September 2009) with whom he often worked, though she also had a comedy career of her own. They had a daughter, [[Petronella Barker (actress, born 1942)|Petronella Barker]], in 1942, who also appeared in films and television between 1964 and 1983.

In 1971, Barker was the subject of the British [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] television show ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]''.

Barker died in [[Canterbury]], Kent, and was buried in the churchyard of St. Mary's, [[Stalisfield Green]], near [[Faversham]], where he had lived for a number of years.

==Partial filmography==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1916 film)|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' (1916) – Arthur
* ''[[Daddy (1917 film)|Daddy]]'' (1917) – John, as a child
* ''[[Nelson (1918 film)|Nelson]]'' (1918) – Nelson as a child
* ''[[His Dearest Possession]]'' (1919) – Charlie Lobb
* ''[[The Toilers (1919 film)|The Toilers]]'' (1919) – Jack as a child
* ''[[Sheba (film)|Sheba]]'' (1919) – Rex Ormatroyd
* ''[[On Velvet]]'' (1938)
* ''[[The World Owes Me a Living]]'' (1945) – Chuck Rockley
* ''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'' (1957) – Alec Blair
* ''[[Blue Murder at St Trinian's]]'' (1957) – Culpepper Brown
* ''[[A Clean Sweep]]'' (1958) – George Watson
* ''[[Happy Is the Bride]]'' (1958) – Vicar
* ''[[Carry On Sergeant]]'' (1958) – Captain Potts
* ''[[Bachelor of Hearts]]'' (1958) – Aubrey Murdock
* ''[[Left Right and Centre]]'' (1959) – Bert Glimmer
* ''[[Carry On Constable]]'' (1960) – Inspector Mills
* ''[[Dentist in the Chair]]'' (1960) – The Dean
* ''[[Watch Your Stern]]'' (1960) – Capt. David Foster
* ''[[The Pure Hell of St Trinian's]]'' (1960) – Culpepper-Brown
* ''[[Nearly a Nasty Accident]]'' (1961) – The Air Minister
* ''[[Dentist on the Job]]'' (1961) – Colonel J.J. Proudfoot / The Dean
* ''[[Raising the Wind (1961 film)|Raising the Wind]]'' (1961) – Dr. Morgan Rutherford
* ''[[On the Fiddle]]'' (1961) – Doctor
* ''[[The Fast Lady]]'' (1962) – Wentworth
* ''[[On the Beat (1962 film)|On the Beat]]'' (1962) – Police Doctor
* ''[[The Mouse on the Moon]]'' (1963) – M.I.5. Man
* ''[[Heavens Above!]]'' (1963) – Bank Manager
* ''[[Father Came Too!]]'' (1963) – Mr. Gallagher
* ''[[The Bargee]]'' (1964) – Mr. Parkes, the Foreman
* ''[[Carry On Spying]]'' (1964) – The Chief
* TV series ''[[Gideon's Way]]'' episode ''[[How To Retire Without Really Working]]'' (1964) as petty crook Eric Barker
* ''[[Ferry Cross the Mersey (film)|Ferry Cross the Mersey]]'' (1965) – Col. Dawson
* ''[[Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines]]'' (1965) – French Postman
* ''[[Doctor in Clover]]'' (1966) – Prof. Halfbeck
* ''[[The Great St Trinian's Train Robbery]]'' (1966) – Culpepper Brown
* ''[[Three Hats for Lisa]]'' (1966) – Station Sergeant
* ''[[Maroc 7]]'' (1967) – Prof. Bannen
* ''[[Lola (1969 film)|Twinky]]'' (1969) – Tight Scottish Clerk
* ''[[Cool It Carol!]]'' (1970) – Signalman
* ''[[There's a Girl in My Soup]]'' (1970) – Wedding Guest (uncredited)
* ''[[That's Your Funeral]]'' (1972) – Pusher
* ''[[Carry On Emmannuelle]]'' (1978) – Ancient General (final film role)
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* {{IMDb name|0054879}}

{{Bafta Award for Most Promising Newcomer}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barker, Eric}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1990 deaths]]
[[Category:English male film actors]]
[[Category:English male silent film actors]]
[[Category:English male television actors]]
[[Category:English male radio actors]]
[[Category:People from Thornton Heath]]
[[Category:20th-century English male actors]]
[[Category:People educated at Whitgift School]]
[[Category:BAFTA Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles winners]]
[[Category:People from Stalisfield Green]]

Joyce Carey

2022-04-15T20:52:55Z

2A02:C7D:D627:9100:7507:72B3:5ED0:4BF1: /* Career */

{{Short description|English actress (1898–1993)}}
{{about|the actress|the novelist|Joyce Cary}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox actor
| name = Joyce Carey
| honorific_suffix = [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]]
| image = Actress_Joyce_Carey.jpg
| caption = Carey as Myrtle in ''[[Brief Encounter]]'', 1945
| birth_name = Joyce Lilian Lawrence
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1898|03|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Kensington]], [[London]], England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1993|02|28|1898|03|30|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Westminster]], London, England
| occupation = Actress
| years_active = 1916–1988
| parents = [[Gerald Lawrence]]<br>[[Lilian Braithwaite]]
| spouse =
| children =
}}

'''Joyce Carey''', [[Order of the British Empire|OBE]] (30 March 1898 – 28 February 1993) was an English actress, best known for her long professional and personal relationship with [[Noël Coward]]. Her stage career lasted from 1916 until 1987, and she was performing on television in her 90s. Although never a star, she was a familiar face both on stage and screen. In addition to light comedy, she had a large repertory of [[Shakespeare]]an roles.

==Career==
[[File:Barretts-of-Wimpole-Street-3.jpg|thumb|right|260px|Joyce Carey (seated right) as Arabella Barrett in the original Broadway production of ''[[The Barretts of Wimpole Street]]'' (1931)]]
Joyce Carey was born '''Joyce Lilian Lawrence''', the daughter of actor [[Gerald Lawrence]], a matinée idol who had been a juvenile in [[Henry Irving]]'s Shakespeare company, and his wife, actress [[Lilian Braithwaite]],<ref name=who>''Gaye'', pp 426–427</ref> a major [[West End theatre|West End]] star.<ref name=times>"Obituary", ''The Times'', 3 March 1993, p. 17</ref> Carey was educated at the Florence Etlinger Dramatic School.<ref name=who/>

Carey made her stage debut in 1916, aged 18, as Princess Katherine in an all-female production of ''[[Henry V (play)|Henry V]]''. She joined [[George Alexander (actor)|Sir George Alexander]]'s company at the [[St James's Theatre]] playing Jacqueline, a French countess, in ''The Aristocrat''. After a succession of [[West End theatre|West End]] roles in light comedy, Carey took on further Shakespearean parts, appearing at [[Royal Shakespeare Theatre|Stratford-upon-Avon]] as Anne Page, [[Perdita (The Winter's Tale)|Perdita]], [[Titania (A Midsummer Night's Dream)|Titania]], [[Miranda (The Tempest)|Miranda]] and [[Juliet]]. Over the next few years she added [[Hermia]], [[Celia (As You Like It)|Celia]] and [[Olivia (Twelfth Night)|Olivia]] to her Shakespearean repertoire, in between regular appearance in West End comedies.<ref name=who/>

Her first appearance in a [[Noël Coward]] play was as Sarah Hurst in ''[[Easy Virtue (play)|Easy Virtue]]'' in New York in 1926.<ref name=who/> For most of the following seven years, her career was chiefly in New York, following a great success in ''The Road to Rome'' in 1927.<ref name=times/> In 1934 she wrote (pseudonymously), and acted a supporting role in, a comedy, ''Sweet Aloes'', which ran in London for more than a year.<ref name=who/> In 1936 she resumed her connection with Coward, playing a series of character roles in his cycle of short plays, ''[[Tonight at 8.30]]'' in London and New York.<ref name=who/> In 1938 she starred in the comedy play ''[[Spring Meeting (play)|Spring Meeting]]'' in the West End.

During the Second World War, Carey toured with [[John Gielgud]] for the [[Entertainments National Service Association]] (ENSA) bringing theatre to members of the armed forces at home and abroad, recreating some of her roles from ''Tonight at 8.30''. In 1942 she rejoined Coward to tour in his three newest plays, ''[[This Happy Breed]]'' as Sylvia, ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'' as Ruth, and ''[[Present Laughter]]'' as Liz – a character based partly on the actress herself.<ref>Hoare, p. 294</ref> She later played all three roles in London. After the war she played in new Coward plays, ''[[Quadrille (play)|Quadrille]]'' (with [[Alfred Lunt]] and [[Lynn Fontanne]]) and ''[[Nude with Violin]]'' (with Gielgud in London and Coward in New York).<ref name=who/><ref name=times/>

''[[The Times]]'' stated of her film work: "One role in a film written by Coward will remain always in the memory: with haughty disdain and an accent of fearful gentility Carey was the manageress of the station buffet in ''[[Brief Encounter]]'', who froze her customers and slapped down attempts at familiarity from [[Stanley Holloway]]'s ticket collector."<ref name=times/> Carey's other Coward film roles were the petty officer's wife in ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' and Mrs Bradman in ''[[Blithe Spirit (1945 film)|Blithe Spirit]]''. Her other films included ''[[The Way to the Stars]]'' and ''[[Cry, the Beloved Country (1951 film)|Cry the Beloved Country]]''.<ref name=who/><ref name=times/>

Between 1976 and 1979, Carey starred in the popular series ''[[The Cedar Tree]]''.<ref>[http://www.worldcat.org/title/cedar-tree-the-complete-second-series/oclc/890947361&referer=brief_results "The Cedar Tree"], WorldCat, accessed 27 December 2014</ref> Her last stage performance was in 1984, as Mrs Higgins in ''[[Pygmalion (play)|Pygmalion]]'', opposite [[Peter O'Toole]];<ref name=times/><ref>Wardle, Irving. "Pygmalion", ''The Times'', 17 May 1984, p. 9</ref> the critic [[Michael Coveney]] described her performance as plaintive and touching.<ref>Coveney, Michael. "Pygmalion/Shaftesbury", ''[[Financial Times]]'', 16 May 1984, p. 15</ref> She continued working on screen into her nineties, attracting enthusiastic notices for her portrayal of a frail old lady faced with eviction in [[Michael Palin]]'s [[BBC]] play ''No 27''.<ref name=times/>

She was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1985 when she was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]] at London's Waldorf Hotel.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

==Critical opinion and personal life==
''The Times'' commented in its obituary of Carey:
{{quote|Without ever becoming a big star, Joyce Carey was a graceful and distinctive actress whose performances consistently added lustre to the productions in which she appeared. Slight in build, with a wide-eyed and wistful face, she looked vulnerable and had a social poise that secured her many aristocratic roles among them [[Oscar Wilde|Wilde]]'s Lady Markby and the Hon. Gwendolen Fairfax. In private life her quiet, amusing personality endeared her to many people, notably Noel Coward and she became part of "the Master's" private world.<ref name=times/>|}}
Carey was awarded the [[OBE]] in 1982. She never married: she enjoyed the enduring friendship of Coward's adopted "family".<ref name=times/> When Coward received his knighthood in 1970, Carey, along with the costume designer [[Gladys Calthrop]], accompanied him to the ceremony at [[Buckingham Palace]].<ref>Lesley pp. 428-29</ref> She died in London, aged 94.<ref name=times/>

==Selected filmography==
===Film===
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[God and the Man]]'' (1918) as Priscilla Sefton
* ''[[Because (film)|Because]]'' (1918)
* ''[[Colonel Newcome (film)|Colonel Newcome]]'' (1920) as Rose
* ''[[In Which We Serve]]'' (1942) as Mrs. Hardy / Kath
* ''[[Blithe Spirit (1945 film)|Blithe Spirit]]'' (1945) as Violet Bradman
* ''[[The Way to the Stars]]'' (1945) as Miss Winterton
* ''[[Brief Encounter]]'' (1945) as Myrtle Bagot
* ''[[The October Man]]'' (1947) as Mrs. Vinton
* ''[[London Belongs to Me]]'' (1948) as Mrs. Vizzard
* ''[[It's Hard to Be Good]]'' (1948) as Alice Beckett
* ''[[The Chiltern Hundreds (film)|The Chiltern Hundreds]]'' (1949) as Lady Caroline
* ''[[The Astonished Heart (film)|The Astonished Heart]]'' (1950) as Susan Birch
* ''[[Happy Go Lovely]]'' (1951) as Bruno's Secretary
* ''[[Cry, the Beloved Country (1951 film)|Cry, the Beloved Country]]'' (1951) as Margaret Jarvis
* ''[[Street Corner (1953 film)|Street Corner]]'' (1953) as Miss Hopkins
* ''[[The End of the Affair (1955 film)|The End of the Affair]]'' (1955) as Miss Palmer
* ''[[Stolen Assignment]]'' (1955) as Ida Garnett
* ''[[Loser Takes All (film)|Loser Takes All]]'' (1956) as Bird's Nest
* ''[[Alive and Kicking (1959 film)|Alive and Kicking]]'' (1959) as Matron
* ''[[The Rough and the Smooth]]'' (1959) as Mrs. Thompson
* ''[[Libel (film)|Libel]]'' (1959) as Miss Sykes
* ''[[Let's Get Married (1960 film)|Let's Get Married]]'' (1960) as Miss Finch
* ''[[Nearly a Nasty Accident]]'' (1961) as Lady Trowborough
* ''[[The Naked Edge]]'' (1961) as Victoria Hicks
* ''[[Greyfriars Bobby (film)|Greyfriars Bobby]]'' (1961) as First Lady
* ''[[The V.I.P.s (film)|The V.I.P.s]]'' (1963) as Mrs. Damer (uncredited)
* ''[[The Eyes of Annie Jones]]'' (1964) as Aunt Helen
* ''[[A Jolly Bad Fellow]]'' (1965) as Hotel Manageress
* ''[[A Nice Girl Like Me]]'' (1969) as Aunt Celia
* ''[[Lady Caroline Lamb (film)|Lady Caroline Lamb]]'' (1972) as Marquise (uncredited)
* ''[[Father, Dear Father (film)|Father, Dear Father]]'' (1973) as Mother
* ''[[The Black Windmill]]'' (1974) as Miss Monley
{{div col end}}

===Television===
* ''[[Danger Man]]'' (1965) Season 2: Episode 15 as Lord Ammonford's wife
* ''[[Father, Dear Father]]'' (1968-1973, ITV) as Patrick's Mother
* ''[[The New Avengers (TV series)|The New Avengers]]'' (1976, ITV) as Lady with Dog
* ''[[The Cedar Tree]]'' (1976–1979, ATV TV series) as Alice, Lady Bourne
* ''[[My Son, My Son (TV series)|My Son, My Son]]'' (1979, BBC) as Mrs. Bendall
* ''[[Miss Marple (TV series)|Miss Marple - A Murder is Announced]]'' (1985, BBC) as Belle Goedler
* ''[[Number 27]]'' (1988, TV movie, BBC) as Miss Barwick

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* Hoare, Philip. ''Noël Coward, A Biography''. [[Sinclair-Stevenson]] 1995. {{ISBN|1-85619-265-2}}.
* Gaye, Freda (ed). ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', Fourteenth edition. Pitman Publishing, London, 1967
* Lesley, Cole. ''The Life of Noël Coward''. Cape 1976. {{ISBN|0-224-01288-6}}.

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0136983}}
* {{IBDB name|34499}}
* {{Screenonline name|id=586158|name=Joyce Carey biography and filmography}}
* {{cite archive |collection-url= http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp17569/joyce-carey |collection= Joyce Carey |institution= National Portrait Gallery (NPG) |location= London }}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carey, Joyce}}
[[Category:1898 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English silent film actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]