Phyllis Calvert: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox person | {{Infobox person | ||
| name = Phyllis Calvert | | name = Phyllis Calvert | ||
| image = Phyllis Calvert.jpg | | image = Phyllis Calvert.jpg | ||
| caption = Calvert photographed by [[Allan Warren]] in 1974 | | caption = Calvert photographed by [[Allan Warren|Allan Warren]] in 1974 | ||
| birthname = Phyllis Hannah Bickle | | birthname = Phyllis Hannah Bickle | ||
| birth_date = {{birth date|1915|2|18|df=y}} | | birth_date = {{birth date|1915|2|18|df=y}} | ||
Line 12: | Line 9: | ||
| death_place = London, England | | death_place = London, England | ||
| yearsactive = 1927–2000 | | yearsactive = 1927–2000 | ||
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Peter Murray-Hill]]|1941|1957|reason=died}} | | spouse = {{marriage|[[Peter Murray-Hill|Peter Murray-Hill]]|1941|1957|reason=died}} | ||
| children = 2<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/12/movies/phyllis-calvert-87-virtuous-heroine-of-wartime-melodramas.html |title=Phyllis Calvert, 87, Virtuous Heroine of Wartime Melodramas |first=Paul |last=Lewis |date=12 October 2002 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> | | children = 2<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/12/movies/phyllis-calvert-87-virtuous-heroine-of-wartime-melodramas.html |title=Phyllis Calvert, 87, Virtuous Heroine of Wartime Melodramas |first=Paul |last=Lewis |date=12 October 2002 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill''' (née '''Bickle'''; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as '''Phyllis Calvert''', was an English film, stage and television actress.<ref name=obituaries>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3rGCwAAQBAJ&q=phyllis+calvert+obituary&pg=PA49 |title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture |first=Harris M. Lentz |last=III |date=9 April 2003 |publisher=McFarland |via=Google Books |isbn=9780786452071}}</ref> She was one of the leading stars of the [[Gainsborough melodramas]] of the 1940s such as ''[[The Man in Grey]]'' (1943) and was one of the most popular movie stars in Britain in the 1940s.<ref name="screen">{{cite web|last=Brooke|first=Michael|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/446920/ |title=BFI Screenonline: Calvert, Phyllis (1915–2002) Biography |work=BFI Screenonline|date=2003–14}}</ref> She continued her acting career for another 50 years.<ref name=bfi>{{cite web |url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4e655e |title=Phyllis Calvert |publisher=[[BFI]] |access-date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101114051/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4e655e |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | '''Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill''' (née '''Bickle'''; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as '''Phyllis Calvert''', was an English film, stage and television actress.<ref name=obituaries>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z3rGCwAAQBAJ&q=phyllis+calvert+obituary&pg=PA49 |title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture |first=Harris M. Lentz |last=III |date=9 April 2003 |publisher=McFarland |via=Google Books |isbn=9780786452071}}</ref> She was one of the leading stars of the [[Gainsborough melodramas|Gainsborough melodramas]] of the 1940s such as ''[[The Man in Grey|The Man in Grey]]'' (1943) and was one of the most popular movie stars in Britain in the 1940s.<ref name="screen">{{cite web|last=Brooke|first=Michael|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/446920/ |title=BFI Screenonline: Calvert, Phyllis (1915–2002) Biography |work=BFI Screenonline|date=2003–14}}</ref> She continued her acting career for another 50 years.<ref name=bfi>{{cite web |url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4e655e |title=Phyllis Calvert |publisher=[[BFI|]] |access-date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101114051/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4e655e |archive-date=1 January 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
In the words of an article by Michael Brooke for the BFI's [[Screenonline]] website: "Most of the time she drew what looked like the short straw, playing the 'good girl' in films that revelled in the exploits of her wicked opposite number, and it says much for her talent and charisma that she was able to hold attention in what must have seemed thankless parts – she herself acknowledged that 'I do think it is much more difficult to establish a really charming, nice person than a wicked one – and make it real'."<ref name="screen"/> | In the words of an article by Michael Brooke for the BFI's [[Screenonline|Screenonline]] website: "Most of the time she drew what looked like the short straw, playing the 'good girl' in films that revelled in the exploits of her wicked opposite number, and it says much for her talent and charisma that she was able to hold attention in what must have seemed thankless parts – she herself acknowledged that 'I do think it is much more difficult to establish a really charming, nice person than a wicked one – and make it real'."<ref name="screen"/> | ||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
Born in [[Chelsea, London]], she trained at the [[Margaret Morris (dancer)|Margaret Morris School of Dancing]], and performed from the age of ten, performing with [[Ellen Terry]] in ''Crossings''.<ref name=guardian/> She gained her first film role at the age of 12, in ''[[The Arcadians (film)|The Arcadians]]'' (1927), also known as ''The Land of Heart's Desire''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141908423 |title=PHYLLIS CALVERT Britain's Wartime Star |newspaper=[[The Australasian]] |volume=CLX |issue=5,065 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=26 January 1946 |access-date=29 August 2017 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> | Born in [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], she trained at the [[Margaret Morris (dancer)|Margaret Morris School of Dancing]], and performed from the age of ten, performing with [[Ellen Terry|Ellen Terry]] in ''Crossings''.<ref name=guardian/> She gained her first film role at the age of 12, in ''[[The Arcadians (film)|The Arcadians]]'' (1927), also known as ''The Land of Heart's Desire''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141908423 |title=PHYLLIS CALVERT Britain's Wartime Star |newspaper=[[The Australasian|The Australasian]] |volume=CLX |issue=5,065 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=26 January 1946 |access-date=29 August 2017 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> | ||
Calvert performed in repertory theatre in Malvern and Coventry. She made her London stage debut in ''A Woman's Privilege'' in 1939.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1409542/Phyllis-Calvert.html |title=Phyllis Calvert |date=9 October 2002 |work=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> Her early films include ''[[Two Days to Live]]'' (1939).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182797334 |title=Phyllis Calvert Featured in Picture |newspaper=[[Glen Innes Examiner]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=17 March 1948 |access-date=29 August 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> | Calvert performed in repertory theatre in Malvern and Coventry. She made her London stage debut in ''A Woman's Privilege'' in 1939.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1409542/Phyllis-Calvert.html |title=Phyllis Calvert |date=9 October 2002 |work=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> Her early films include ''[[Two Days to Live|Two Days to Live]]'' (1939).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article182797334 |title=Phyllis Calvert Featured in Picture |newspaper=[[Glen Innes Examiner]] |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=17 March 1948 |access-date=29 August 2017 |page=4 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> | ||
===Gainsborough Pictures=== | ===Gainsborough Pictures=== | ||
Calvert was spotted in a play ''Punch without Judy'', and was signed to a contract by [[Gainsborough Pictures]] which gave her the lead in ''[[They Came by Night]]'' (1940), opposite [[Will Fyffe]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65855570 |title=Phyllis Calvert. |newspaper=[[Morwell Advertiser]] |issue=2850 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=3 July 1941 |access-date=29 August 2017 |page=4 (morning.) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She was [[George Formby]]'s love interest in ''[[Let George Do It!]]'' (1940) and had a support part in ''[[Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt]]'' (1940), starring [[Arthur Askey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/let-george-do-it-v99403 |title=Let George Do It (1940) – Marcel Varnel – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a765646 |title=Charley's (Big-hearted) Aunt (1940) }}</ref> | Calvert was spotted in a play ''Punch without Judy'', and was signed to a contract by [[Gainsborough Pictures]] which gave her the lead in ''[[They Came by Night|They Came by Night]]'' (1940), opposite [[Will Fyffe|Will Fyffe]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article65855570 |title=Phyllis Calvert. |newspaper=[[Morwell Advertiser]] |issue=2850 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=3 July 1941 |access-date=29 August 2017 |page=4 (morning.) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> She was [[George Formby]]'s love interest in ''[[Let George Do It!]]'' (1940) and had a support part in ''[[Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt]]'' (1940), starring [[Arthur Askey]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/let-george-do-it-v99403 |title=Let George Do It (1940) – Marcel Varnel – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a765646 |title=Charley's (Big-hearted) Aunt (1940) }}</ref> | ||
Calvert was in a war movie, ''[[Neutral Port]]'' (1940), then had a good role as [[Michael Redgrave]]'s love interest in ''[[Kipps (1941 film)|Kipps]]'' (1941), directed by [[Carol Reed]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/neutral-port-v103754 |title=Neutral Port (1941) – Marcel Varnel – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/kipps-v27501 |title=Kipps (1941) – Carol Reed – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref> After a detective film ''[[Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It]]'' (1941) she had the co-lead in ''[[Uncensored (film)|Uncensored]]'' (1942), a war movie with [[Eric Portman]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ad296be |title=Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/uncensored-v114978 |title=Uncensored (1942) – Anthony Asquith – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref> Reed used her again in ''[[The Young Mr. Pitt]]'' (1942), playing [[Eleanor Eden]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bb6c9a7|title=The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)}}</ref> | Calvert was in a war movie, ''[[Neutral Port|Neutral Port]]'' (1940), then had a good role as [[Michael Redgrave|Michael Redgrave]]'s love interest in ''[[Kipps (1941 film)|Kipps]]'' (1941), directed by [[Carol Reed|Carol Reed]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/neutral-port-v103754 |title=Neutral Port (1941) – Marcel Varnel – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/kipps-v27501 |title=Kipps (1941) – Carol Reed – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref> After a detective film ''[[Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It]]'' (1941) she had the co-lead in ''[[Uncensored (film)|Uncensored]]'' (1942), a war movie with [[Eric Portman|Eric Portman]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6ad296be |title=Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941) }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/uncensored-v114978 |title=Uncensored (1942) – Anthony Asquith – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related |website=AllMovie}}</ref> Reed used her again in ''[[The Young Mr. Pitt|The Young Mr. Pitt]]'' (1942), playing [[Eleanor Eden|Eleanor Eden]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6bb6c9a7|title=The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)}}</ref> | ||
In 1942, she had the lead role as Patricia Graham in the [[West End theatre|West End]] production of [[Terence Rattigan]]'s play ''[[Flare Path (play)|Flare Path]]''.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=guardian>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/oct/09/guardianobituaries.filmnews |title=Obituary: Phyllis Calvert |author=Eric Shorter |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2002-10-09}}</ref> | In 1942, she had the lead role as Patricia Graham in the [[West End theatre|West End]] production of [[Terence Rattigan|Terence Rattigan]]'s play ''[[Flare Path (play)|Flare Path]]''.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=guardian>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/oct/09/guardianobituaries.filmnews |title=Obituary: Phyllis Calvert |author=Eric Shorter |newspaper=The Guardian |date=2002-10-09}}</ref> | ||
===Stardom=== | ===Stardom=== | ||
Calvert was by now well established in British films. She did not become a star, however, until given one of the four leading roles in the [[Gainsborough melodrama]] ''[[The Man in Grey]]'' (1943).<ref name=allmovie>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/phyllis-calvert-p10341|title=Phyllis Calvert – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos |website=AllMovie}}</ref> The movie was a huge success, making her and her three co-stars – [[Stewart Granger]], [[James Mason]] and [[Margaret Lockwood]] – genuine box office stars in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-man-in-grey-v31175/review |title=The Man in Grey (1943) – Leslie Arliss – Review |website=AllMovie}}</ref> | Calvert was by now well established in British films. She did not become a star, however, until given one of the four leading roles in the [[Gainsborough melodrama|Gainsborough melodrama]] ''[[The Man in Grey|The Man in Grey]]'' (1943).<ref name=allmovie>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/artist/phyllis-calvert-p10341|title=Phyllis Calvert – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos |website=AllMovie}}</ref> The movie was a huge success, making her and her three co-stars – [[Stewart Granger|Stewart Granger]], [[James Mason|James Mason]] and [[Margaret Lockwood|Margaret Lockwood]] – genuine box office stars in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-man-in-grey-v31175/review |title=The Man in Grey (1943) – Leslie Arliss – Review |website=AllMovie}}</ref> | ||
Calvert followed it with ''[[Fanny by Gaslight (film)|Fanny by Gaslight]]'' (1944), co-starring Granger and Mason, which was another big hit.<ref name=heartthrobs>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cIELDgAAQBAJ&q=fanny+by+gaslight+1944+big+hit&pg=PT48 |title=Heartthrobs: A History of Women and Desire |first=Carol |last=Dyhouse |date=9 February 2017 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |via=Google Books |isbn=9780191078392}}</ref> Also popular was ''[[Two Thousand Women]]'' (1944), made by [[Frank Launder|Launder and Gilliat]], about British women interned in occupied France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/440851/index.html |title=BFI Screenonline: Two Thousand Women (1944) |website=www.screenonline.org.uk}}</ref> It co-starred [[Patricia Roc]], who appeared with Calvert and Granger in ''[[Madonna of the Seven Moons]]'' (1945), another Gainsborough melodrama, and another hit.<ref name=heartthrobs/> Calvert's successful run at the box office continued when she and Mason were reunited in ''[[They Were Sisters]]'' (1945), a more contemporary-set Gainsborough melodrama.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/440876/index.html |title=BFI Screenonline: They Were Sisters (1945) |website=www.screenonline.org.uk}}</ref> Exhibitors voted her the fifth-most popular star of 1945 in Britain.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26173215 |title=CROSBY and HOPE try their luck in Alaska |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=CLXIII |issue=23,475 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=2 March 1946 |access-date=9 August 2017 |page=3 (The Mercury Magazine) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> | Calvert followed it with ''[[Fanny by Gaslight (film)|Fanny by Gaslight]]'' (1944), co-starring Granger and Mason, which was another big hit.<ref name=heartthrobs>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cIELDgAAQBAJ&q=fanny+by+gaslight+1944+big+hit&pg=PT48 |title=Heartthrobs: A History of Women and Desire |first=Carol |last=Dyhouse |date=9 February 2017 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |via=Google Books |isbn=9780191078392}}</ref> Also popular was ''[[Two Thousand Women]]'' (1944), made by [[Frank Launder|Launder and Gilliat]], about British women interned in occupied France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/440851/index.html |title=BFI Screenonline: Two Thousand Women (1944) |website=www.screenonline.org.uk}}</ref> It co-starred [[Patricia Roc]], who appeared with Calvert and Granger in ''[[Madonna of the Seven Moons]]'' (1945), another Gainsborough melodrama, and another hit.<ref name=heartthrobs/> Calvert's successful run at the box office continued when she and Mason were reunited in ''[[They Were Sisters]]'' (1945), a more contemporary-set Gainsborough melodrama.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/440876/index.html |title=BFI Screenonline: They Were Sisters (1945) |website=www.screenonline.org.uk}}</ref> Exhibitors voted her the fifth-most popular star of 1945 in Britain.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article26173215 |title=CROSBY and HOPE try their luck in Alaska |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)|The Mercury]] |volume=CLXIII |issue=23,475 |location=Tasmania, Australia |date=2 March 1946 |access-date=9 August 2017 |page=3 (The Mercury Magazine) |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> | ||
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She acted in over 40 films, her later films including ''[[The Battle of the Villa Fiorita]]'' (1965), ''[[Twisted Nerve]]'' (1968), ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969) and ''[[The Walking Stick]]'' (1970).<ref name=bfi/> | She acted in over 40 films, her later films including ''[[The Battle of the Villa Fiorita]]'' (1965), ''[[Twisted Nerve]]'' (1968), ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (1969) and ''[[The Walking Stick]]'' (1970).<ref name=bfi/> | ||
From 1970 to 1972, she starred in her own TV series, ''[[Kate (TV series)|Kate]]'', playing the part of an [[agony aunt]] with problems of her own. | From 1970 to 1972, she starred in her own TV series, ''[[Kate (TV series)|Kate]]'', playing the part of an [[agony aunt]] with problems of her own. | ||
She made TV appearances in programmes such as ''[[Crown Court (TV series)|Crown Court]]'', ''Ladykillers'', ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]'', ''[[Boon (TV series)|Boon]]'', ''[[After Henry (TV series)|After Henry]]'', ''[[Victoria Wood (1989 TV series)|Victoria Wood]]'' and ''Limelight: The Film Years – The Lime Grove Story''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/people/phyllis-calvert/|title=Phyllis Calvert|last=TV.com|website=TV.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b5c40dd|title=Limelight – The Film Years (1991)}}</ref> She also played [[Tom Barnaby|D.I. Barnaby]]'s Aunt Alice (Alice Bly) in a ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' episode "Blue Herrings" in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8419489b|title=Blue Herring (2000)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/midsomer-murders-blue-herrings-v274567|title=Midsomer Murders: Blue Herrings (2000) – Peter Smith – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> She was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1972 when she was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]]. | She made TV appearances in programmes such as ''[[Crown Court (TV series)|Crown Court]]'', ''Ladykillers'', ''[[Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)|Tales of the Unexpected]]'', ''[[Boon (TV series)|Boon]]'', ''[[After Henry (TV series)|After Henry]]'', ''[[Victoria Wood (1989 TV series)|Victoria Wood]]'' and ''Limelight: The Film Years – The Lime Grove Story''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/people/phyllis-calvert/|title=Phyllis Calvert|last=TV.com|website=TV.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7b5c40dd|title=Limelight – The Film Years (1991)}}</ref> She also played [[Tom Barnaby|D.I. Barnaby]]'s Aunt Alice (Alice Bly) in a ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' episode "Blue Herrings" in 2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b8419489b|title=Blue Herring (2000)}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmovie.com/movie/midsomer-murders-blue-herrings-v274567|title=Midsomer Murders: Blue Herrings (2000) – Peter Smith – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related|website=AllMovie}}</ref> She was the subject of ''[[This Is Your Life (British TV series)|This Is Your Life]]'' in 1972 when she was surprised by [[Eamonn Andrews]]. | ||
==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
Line 131: | Line 128: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*{{Screenonline name|id=446920|name=Phyllis Calvert biography and filmography}} | *{{Screenonline name|id=446920|name=Phyllis Calvert biography and filmography}} | ||
*{{IMDb name|0130829}} | *{{IMDb name|0130829}} | ||
*{{Find a Grave|7385246}} | *{{Find a Grave|7385246}} | ||
*[http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=5537 Photographs and literature] | *[http://film.virtual-history.com/person.php?personid=5537 Photographs and literature] | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calvert, Phyllis}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Calvert, Phyllis}} |
Latest revision as of 22:04, 12 February 2023
Phyllis Calvert | |
---|---|
Born | Phyllis Hannah Bickle 18 February 1915 Chelsea, London, England |
Died | 8 October 2002 London, England | (aged 87)
Years active | 1927–2000 |
Spouse | |
Children | 2[1] |
Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert, was an English film, stage and television actress.[2] She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s such as The Man in Grey (1943) and was one of the most popular movie stars in Britain in the 1940s.[3] She continued her acting career for another 50 years.[4]
In the words of an article by Michael Brooke for the BFI's Screenonline website: "Most of the time she drew what looked like the short straw, playing the 'good girl' in films that revelled in the exploits of her wicked opposite number, and it says much for her talent and charisma that she was able to hold attention in what must have seemed thankless parts – she herself acknowledged that 'I do think it is much more difficult to establish a really charming, nice person than a wicked one – and make it real'."[3]
Biography
Born in Chelsea, she trained at the Margaret Morris School of Dancing, and performed from the age of ten, performing with Ellen Terry in Crossings.[5] She gained her first film role at the age of 12, in The Arcadians (1927), also known as The Land of Heart's Desire.[6]
Calvert performed in repertory theatre in Malvern and Coventry. She made her London stage debut in A Woman's Privilege in 1939.[7] Her early films include Two Days to Live (1939).[8]
Gainsborough Pictures
Calvert was spotted in a play Punch without Judy, and was signed to a contract by Gainsborough Pictures which gave her the lead in They Came by Night (1940), opposite Will Fyffe.[9] She was George Formby's love interest in Let George Do It! (1940) and had a support part in Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940), starring Arthur Askey.[10][11]
Calvert was in a war movie, Neutral Port (1940), then had a good role as Michael Redgrave's love interest in Kipps (1941), directed by Carol Reed.[12][13] After a detective film Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It (1941) she had the co-lead in Uncensored (1942), a war movie with Eric Portman.[14][15] Reed used her again in The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), playing Eleanor Eden.[16]
In 1942, she had the lead role as Patricia Graham in the West End production of Terence Rattigan's play Flare Path.[7][5]
Stardom
Calvert was by now well established in British films. She did not become a star, however, until given one of the four leading roles in the Gainsborough melodrama The Man in Grey (1943).[17] The movie was a huge success, making her and her three co-stars – Stewart Granger, James Mason and Margaret Lockwood – genuine box office stars in Britain.[18]
Calvert followed it with Fanny by Gaslight (1944), co-starring Granger and Mason, which was another big hit.[19] Also popular was Two Thousand Women (1944), made by Launder and Gilliat, about British women interned in occupied France.[20] It co-starred Patricia Roc, who appeared with Calvert and Granger in Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945), another Gainsborough melodrama, and another hit.[19] Calvert's successful run at the box office continued when she and Mason were reunited in They Were Sisters (1945), a more contemporary-set Gainsborough melodrama.[21] Exhibitors voted her the fifth-most popular star of 1945 in Britain.[22]
She was one of Stewart Granger's loves in The Magic Bow (1946) and had the female lead in a drama about colonialism in Africa Men of Two Worlds (1946), made a few years before being released.[23] It was a success, though not profitable because of its high cost.[24] The Root of All Evil (1947) was one of the last of the Gainsborough melodramas.[25] She was voted the sixth most popular British star at the box office in 1946.[26]
Hollywood
Calvert's success had been noticed in the US, although her films had not been as popular there. Universal-International signed her to star in Time Out of Mind (1947), which was a box office disappointment.[27][28][29] She received several offers from studios and eventually decided to sign a six-picture deal with Paramount.[30][31]
She returned to Britain to make Broken Journey (1948) playing a role written especially for her, but the film failed at the box-office.[32]
Calvert went to Hollywood to make two films, both for Paramount: My Own True Love (1949), with Melvyn Douglas, and Appointment with Danger (1951 but made two years earlier) with Alan Ladd, in which she played a nun.[33][17] She did Peter Pan on stage in Britain.[34]
Producer
Back in Britain she made two films with director Ladislao Vajda, neither particularly successful: Golden Madonna (1950), shot in Italy, and The Woman with No Name (1950).[4] She invested her own money in the latter.[35] She wanted to produce other films: Eastward Ho, about an Englishwoman who romances a cowboy, and Equilibrium, about a trapeze artist, as well as star in a third film for Paramount but none of these were made.[36][37]
Calvert was in a thriller Mr. Denning Drives North (1951) with John Mills and a BBC TV production The Holly and the Ivy (1951).[38][39] She had her first big hit in a while, Mandy (1952).[3]
Calvert was a wife in The Net (1953), then was off screen for a while.[4] She acted on stage in It's Never Too Late (1956), then appeared in the film version.[40] She followed it with Child in the House (1956).[41]
On TV she was in Strindberg's The Father for ITV's Television Playhouse, and played the lead in Tatiana, the Czar's Daughter.[42][4] She also played Mrs March in a six-part BBC adaptation of Little Women.[43]
Calvert had a support part in the Hollywood-financed Indiscreet (1958), then played a concerned mother in The Young and the Guilty (1958) and a wacky spinster in A Lady Mislaid (1959).[44][4][45] On TV she was in "The Break" for Armchair Theatre (1959) and played Katherine O'Shea in Parnell for Play of the Week (1959), then reprised her role as Mrs March for the BBC in Good Wives (1959).[4][46] She was Constance Wilde in Oscar Wilde (1960) with Robert Morley and A Righteous Woman on Play of the Week (1962).[4]
The only time people recall Calvert risking loss of sympathy for an apparent lapse of taste, grace or charm was during her stage career at the Lyric in 1963, and at the Duke of York's in 1964. In the first, as the wife in Ronald Duncan's Ménage à Trois, she condoned his misconduct - as long as it took place off the premises, herself departing as a lesbian with his mistress as the curtain fell. Then, as the cold, insensitive stepmother in James Saunders's A Scent Of Flowers, she left no trace of "the rose that sings". [1]
Later career
She acted in over 40 films, her later films including The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965), Twisted Nerve (1968), Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) and The Walking Stick (1970).[4]
From 1970 to 1972, she starred in her own TV series, Kate, playing the part of an agony aunt with problems of her own.
She made TV appearances in programmes such as Crown Court, Ladykillers, Tales of the Unexpected, Boon, After Henry, Victoria Wood and Limelight: The Film Years – The Lime Grove Story.[47][48] She also played D.I. Barnaby's Aunt Alice (Alice Bly) in a Midsomer Murders episode "Blue Herrings" in 2000.[49][50] She was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1972 when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.
Personal life
She was married to the actor and antiquarian bookseller Peter Murray-Hill[5] until his sudden death in 1957.[51] The couple had two children, Ann Murray-Hill (born 1943) and Piers Murray-Hill (born 1954). Calvert never remarried. She died in her sleep in London in 2002 from natural causes,[51] aged 87.[2]
Partial filmography
- The Arcadians (1927) – Young Girl (uncredited)
- Discord (1933) – (uncredited)
- Anne One Hundred (1933) – (uncredited)
- School for Stars (1935) – (uncredited)
- They Came by Night (1940) – Sally
- Let George Do It! (1940) – Mary Wilson
- Charley's (Big-Hearted) Aunt (1940) – Betty Forsythe
- Neutral Port (1940) – Helen Carter
- Kipps (1941) – Ann Pornick – as a woman
- Inspector Hornleigh Goes To It (1941) – Mrs. Wilkinson
- Uncensored (1942) – Julie Lanvin
- The Young Mr. Pitt (1942) – Eleanor Eden
- The Man in Grey (1943) – Clarissa Marr
- Fanny by Gaslight (1944) – Fanny
- Two Thousand Women (1944) – Freda Thompson
- Madonna of the Seven Moons (1945) – Maddalena
- They Were Sisters (1945) – Lucy Moore
- The Magic Bow (1946) – Jeanne de Vermond
- Men of Two Worlds (1946) – Dr. Caroline Munro
- The Root of All Evil (1947) – Jeckie Farnish
- Time Out of Mind (1947) – Kate Fernald
- Broken Journey (1948) – Mary Johnstone
- My Own True Love (1949) – Joan Clews
- Golden Madonna (1949) – Patricia Chandler
- The Woman with No Name (1950) – Yvonne Winter
- Appointment with Danger (1951) – Sister Augustine
- Mr. Denning Drives North (1951) – Kay Denning
- Mandy (1952) – Christine
- The Net (1953) – Lydia Heathley
- It's Never Too Late (1956) – Laura Hammond
- Child in the House (1956) – Evelyn Acheson
- Indiscreet (1958) – Mrs. Margaret Munson
- The Young and the Guilty (1958) – Gladys Connor
- A Lady Mislaid (1958) – Esther Williams
- Oscar Wilde (1960) – Constance Wilde
- The Battle of the Villa Fiorita (1965) – Margot
- Twisted Nerve (1968) – Enid Durnley
- Oh! What a Lovely War (1969) – Lady Dorothy Haig
- The Walking Stick (1970) – Erica Dainton
- Mr. Bean (1991) – Old Woman
- Mrs Dalloway (1997) – Aunt Helena
- Midsomer Murders (2000) – Alice Bly
Box office ranking
For a number of years, British film exhibitors voted her among the top ten British stars at the box office via an annual poll in the Motion Picture Herald.
References
- ^ Lewis, Paul (12 October 2002). "Phyllis Calvert, 87, Virtuous Heroine of Wartime Melodramas". The New York Times.
- ^ a b III, Harris M. Lentz (9 April 2003). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452071 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c Brooke, Michael (2003–14). "BFI Screenonline: Calvert, Phyllis (1915–2002) Biography". BFI Screenonline.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Phyllis Calvert". [[BFI|]]. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
- ^ a b c Eric Shorter (2002-10-09). "Obituary: Phyllis Calvert". The Guardian.
- ^ "PHYLLIS CALVERT Britain's Wartime Star". The Australasian. Vol. CLX, no. 5, 065. Victoria, Australia. 26 January 1946. p. 13. Retrieved 29 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ a b "Phyllis Calvert". Telegraph.co.uk. 9 October 2002.
- ^ "Phyllis Calvert Featured in Picture". Glen Innes Examiner. New South Wales, Australia. 17 March 1948. p. 4. Retrieved 29 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Phyllis Calvert". Morwell Advertiser. No. 2850. Victoria, Australia. 3 July 1941. p. 4 (morning.). Retrieved 29 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Let George Do It (1940) – Marcel Varnel – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "Charley's (Big-hearted) Aunt (1940)".
- ^ "Neutral Port (1941) – Marcel Varnel – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "Kipps (1941) – Carol Reed – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "Inspector Hornleigh Goes to It (1941)".
- ^ "Uncensored (1942) – Anthony Asquith – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)".
- ^ a b "Phyllis Calvert – Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Man in Grey (1943) – Leslie Arliss – Review". AllMovie.
- ^ a b Dyhouse, Carol (9 February 2017). Heartthrobs: A History of Women and Desire. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780191078392 – via Google Books.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Two Thousand Women (1944)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: They Were Sisters (1945)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ "CROSBY and HOPE try their luck in Alaska". The Mercury. Vol. CLXIII, no. 23, 475. Tasmania, Australia. 2 March 1946. p. 3 (The Mercury Magazine). Retrieved 9 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "BFI Screenonline: Magic Bow, The (1946)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
- ^ "MEN OF TWO WORLDS – colonialfilm". www.colonialfilm.org.uk.
- ^ Harper, Sue (14 September 2000). Women in British Cinema: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780826447333 – via Google Books.
- ^ "FILM WORLD". The West Australian. Vol. 63, no. 18, 916. Western Australia. 28 February 1947. p. 20 (SECOND EDITION.). Retrieved 9 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PHYLLIS CALVERT Makes Her Hollywood Delrit". The Mercury. Vol. CLXVI, no. 23, 915. Tasmania, Australia. 2 August 1947. p. 3 (The Mercury Magazine). Retrieved 29 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "FILMS AND FILM STARS". The Examiner. Vol. CVI, no. 121. Tasmania, Australia. 2 August 1947. p. 1 (WEEK-END MAGAZINE SECTION). Retrieved 29 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Hollywood can't get along without British stars". The World's News. No. 23[?]. New South Wales, Australia. 4 October 1947. p. 17. Retrieved 4 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "PARAMOUNT SIGNS PHYLLIS CALVERT: British Actress to Be Seen in Six Films, With 'Make You a Fine Wife' as First Waugh to Adapt His Book of Local Origin". The New York Times. 13 December 1946. p. 29.
- ^ GRADY JOHNSON. (7 September 1947). "PHYLLIS CALVERT – RED-HEAD WITHOUT TEMPER". The New York Times. p. X3.
- ^ Andrew Spicer, Sydney Box Manchester Uni Press 2006 p 210
- ^ "My Own True Love (1948) – Compton Bennett – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "Phyllis Calvert Off To London for New Stage Job". The Washington Post. 26 October 1947. p. L2.
- ^ "Phyllis Calvert talks of home and career". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 17, no. 50. 20 May 1950. p. 52. Retrieved 29 August 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Strong, Edwin J. (18 September 1949). "PHYLLIS CALVERT RETAINS 'INTERNATIONAL' RATING". Los Angeles Times. p. D1.
- ^ Scheuer, Philip K. (30 August 1949). "Phyllis Calvert Maps International Features; Italian Woos Medea". Los Angeles Times. p. A7.
- ^ "Mr. Denning Drives North (1951) – Anthony Kimmins – Cast and Crew". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Holly and the Ivy (1951)".
- ^ S. W. (25 September 1955). "OBSERVATIONS ON THE BRITISH SCREEN SCENE". The New York Times. ProQuest 113205684.
- ^ "Phyllis Calvert – Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
- ^ "The Father". 27 June 1957 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ "Little Women Part 6 (1958)".
- ^ "Indiscreet (1958) – Stanley Donen – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "A Lady Mislaid – review – cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times.
- ^ "Parnell". 10 February 1959 – via www.imdb.com.
- ^ TV.com. "Phyllis Calvert". TV.com.
- ^ "Limelight – The Film Years (1991)".
- ^ "Blue Herring (2000)".
- ^ "Midsomer Murders: Blue Herrings (2000) – Peter Smith – Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ a b "BBC NEWS – Entertainment – Actress Phyllis Calvert dies". bbc.co.uk. 2002-10-09.
- ^ "CROSBY and HOPE try their luck in Alaska". The Mercury. Hobart, Tasmania. 2 March 1946. p. 3 Supplement: The Mercury Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "FILM WORLD". The West Australian (SECOND ed.). Perth. 28 February 1947. p. 20. Retrieved 27 April 2012 – via National Library of Australia.
- "Phyllis Calvert". The Times. 9 October 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- Lewis, Paul (12 October 2002). "Phyllis Calvert, 87, Virtuous Heroine of Wartime Melodramas". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- "Actress Phyllis Calvert dies". BBC News. 9 October 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- "Phyllis Calvert". The Telegraph. 9 October 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
- "Modest star a symbol of womanhood". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 October 2002. Retrieved 2009-10-28.
External links
- Pages with script errors
- CS1: abbreviated year range
- Find a Grave template with ID not in Wikidata
- 1915 births
- 2002 deaths
- 20th-century English actresses
- Actresses from London
- Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama
- English film actresses
- English stage actresses
- English television actresses
- People from Chelsea, London