Jump to content

Kathleen Byron: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tags: Mobile edit Mobile web edit
m Changing short description from "English actress (1921-2009)" to "English actress (1921–2009)"
 
(42 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|English actress}}
{{Short description|English actress (1921–2009)}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
{{EngvarB|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| image = Kathleen Byron.jpg
| image = Kathleen Byron.jpg
| imagesize = 250px
| caption = Byron in ''[[Black Narcissus]]''
| caption = Byron in ''[[Black Narcissus]]''
| name = Kathleen Byron
| name = Kathleen Byron
| birthname = Kathleen Elizabeth Fell<ref name="ODNB"/>
| birthname = Kathleen Elizabeth Fell<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/19026|title=Kathleen Byron|publisher=bfi.org.uk|accessdate=11 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018021131/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/19026|archive-date=18 October 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1921|1|11}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1921|1|11}}
| birth_place = [[West Ham]], Essex (now [[West Ham]], London), England, UK
| birth_place = [[Manor Park, London|Manor Park]], Essex, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2009|1|18|1921|1|11}}
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2009|1|18|1921|1|11}}
| death_place = [[Northwood, London]], England, UK
| death_place = [[Northwood, London]], England
| othername = Kathleen Jacob
| othername = Kathleen Jacob
| years_active = 1938–2001
| years_active = 1938–2001
| occupation = Actress
| occupation = Actress
| spouse = {{marriage|Daniel Bowen|1943|1950|end=divorced}}<br/>{{marriage|[[Alaric Jacob]]|1953|1995|end=died}}
| spouse = {{plainlist|
* {{marriage|Daniel Bowen|1943|1950|end=divorced}}
* {{marriage|[[Alaric Jacob]]|1953|1995|end=died}}
}}
|children = 3
|children = 2 (+ 1 stepdaughter)
}}
}}


'''Kathleen Elizabeth Fell''' (11 January 1921 – 18 January 2009),<ref name=Tele/> known professionally as '''Kathleen Byron''', was a British actress.
'''Kathleen Elizabeth Fell''' (11 January 1921 – 18 January 2009), known professionally as '''Kathleen Byron''', was an English actress.


==Early life==
==Early life==
Byron was born in [[West Ham]] (then part of [[Essex]])<ref>[[:File:Kathleen Byron Birth.jpg|1921 Birth records index]]</ref> to what she described as "staunch working-class socialists", who later became [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] mayors of the [[County Borough of East Ham]]. She attended the local [[grammar school]] and trained at the [[Bristol Old Vic Theatre School]]. She had her first speaking film role in [[Carol Reed]]'s ''[[The Young Mr. Pitt]]'' (1942), in which she had two lines as a maid opposite [[Robert Donat]].<ref name=Tele>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4299737/Kathleen-Byron.html Kathleen Byron obituary], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 21 January 2009.</ref>
Byron was born '''Kathleen Elizabeth Fell''' in [[Manor Park, London|Manor Park]] (then part of [[Essex]])<ref name="ODNB">{{Cite ODNB|id=100787|title=Byron, Kathleen (1921–2009)}}</ref><ref>[[:File:Kathleen Byron Birth.jpg|1921 Birth records index]]</ref> to what she described as "staunch working-class socialists", who later became [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] mayors of the [[County Borough of East Ham]]. She attended the local [[grammar school]] and trained at the [[Bristol Old Vic Theatre School]]. She had her first speaking film role in [[Carol Reed]]'s ''[[The Young Mr. Pitt]]'' (1942), in which she had two lines as a maid opposite [[Robert Donat]].<ref name=Tele>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/4299737/Kathleen-Byron.html Kathleen Byron obituary], ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'', 21 January 2009.</ref>


==Career==
==Career==
{{moresources|section|date=February 2019}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=February 2019}}
[[File:Life in Her Hands (1951) Kathleen Byron.png|thumb|Kathleen Byron as Ann Peters in ''[[Life in Her Hands]]''<ref>{{Cite web|title=Watch Life in Her Hands|url=https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-life-in-her-hands-1951-online|access-date=2020-11-15|website=BFI Player|language=en}}</ref>]]
In 1943, she married a [[USAAF]] pilot, Lt. John Daniel Bowen, and moved to the United States. The director [[Michael Powell]] persuaded her to return to Britain where she made her best remembered films.<ref name=Tele/> She was cast in several films of the Michael Powell and [[Emeric Pressburger]] partnership:<!-- ignoring "The Silver Fleet" --> as an angel in ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946), the disturbed Sister Ruth in ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947, for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the New York Film Critics' Circle) and in ''[[The Small Back Room]]'' (1949). Byron was romantically linked with Michael Powell for a time; he was named as a [[co-respondent]] when her first marriage was dissolved in 1950.<ref name=Tele/>
Her success in ''Black Narcissus'' eventually led her to Hollywood, which resulted in a supporting role in ''[[Young Bess]]'' (1953). She found the experience an unrewarding one and soon returned to Britain. Her subsequent roles of the time were mostly in [[B-movie|B films]]. She had an occasional role in the 1957–67 soap ''[[Emergency Ward 10]]'', playing the alcoholic wife of the consultant gynaecologist Harold de la Roux ([[John Barron (actor)|John Barron]]).
In 1943, Byron married a [[USAAF]] pilot, Lt. John Daniel Bowen, and moved to the United States. The director [[Michael Powell]] persuaded her to return to Britain where she made her best remembered films.<ref name=Tele/> She was cast in several films of the Michael Powell and [[Emeric Pressburger]] partnership:<!-- ignoring "The Silver Fleet" --> as an angel in ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' (1946), the disturbed Sister Ruth in ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' (1947, for which she was nominated for Best Actress by the New York Film Critics' Circle) and in ''[[The Small Back Room]]'' (1949). Byron was romantically linked with Michael Powell for a time; he was named as a [[co-respondent]] when her first marriage was dissolved in 1950.<ref name=Tele/> Her success in ''Black Narcissus'' eventually led her to Hollywood, which resulted in a supporting role in ''[[Young Bess]]'' (1953). She found the experience an unrewarding one and soon returned to Britain. Her subsequent roles of the time were mostly in [[B-movie|B films]]. She had an occasional role in the 1957–67 soap ''[[Emergency Ward 10]]'', playing the alcoholic wife of the consultant gynaecologist Harold de la Roux ([[John Barron (actor)|John Barron]]).


In the 1960s and 1970s, she did extensive television work, including a small role as [[Louise of Sweden|Queen Louise of Denmark]] in ''[[Edward the Seventh]]'' (1975), Madame Celeste Lekeu in two episodes of the BBC drama ''[[Secret Army (TV series)|Secret Army]]'' (1977), entitled "Bait" and "Good Friday", and a brief stint on the soap opera ''[[Emmerdale|Emmerdale Farm]]'' in 1979. Byron continued to act into the new millennium, her film, theatre and television work included [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[The Mousetrap]]'' (1990), an adaptation of [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Emma (1996 theatrical film)|Emma]]'' (1996), [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' (1998), [[Midsomer Murders]] (1999) (as Dorothea Pike in S2:E2 “Strangler’s Wood”) and [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s series, ''[[Perfect Strangers (drama)|Perfect Strangers]]'' (2001).
In the 1960s and 1970s, Byron did extensive television work, including a 1961 appearance in a ''[[Danger Man]]'' episode entitled "Name, Date and Place" as Deidre; ''[[Crown Court (TV series)|Crown Court]]'' (episode: "A Case of Murder"); a small role as [[Louise of Sweden|Queen Louise of Denmark]] in ''[[Edward the Seventh]]'' (1975), Madame Celeste Lekeu in two episodes of the BBC drama ''[[Secret Army (TV series)|Secret Army]]'' (1977), entitled "Bait" and "Good Friday", a brief stint on the soap opera ''[[Emmerdale|Emmerdale Farm]]'' in 1979, and one of the leads in the daytime soap ''[[Together (1980 TV series)|Together]]'' (1980–81, its second series broadcast live). Byron continued to act into the new millennium, her film, theatre and television work including [[Agatha Christie]]'s ''[[The Mousetrap]]'' (1990), an adaptation of [[Jane Austen]]'s ''[[Emma (1996 theatrical film)|Emma]]'' (1996), [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''[[Saving Private Ryan]]'' (1998), ''[[Midsomer Murders]]'' (1999) (as Dorothea Pike in S2:E2 “Strangler’s Wood”) and [[Stephen Poliakoff]]'s series, ''[[Perfect Strangers (drama)|Perfect Strangers]]'' (2001).


==Personal life and death==
==Personal life and death==
In 1953, she married her second husband, the British journalist and writer [[Alaric Jacob]] (who predeceased her); Jacob was then working for the [[BBC]]. They had one son and daughter; with a child from Jacob's previous marriage.<ref>Brian Baxter [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/19/kathleen-byron-obituary Kathleen Byron obituary], ''The Guardian'',19 January 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2009</ref>
In 1953, Byron married her second husband, the British journalist and writer [[Alaric Jacob]] (who predeceased her); Jacob was then working for the [[BBC]]. They had one son and daughter; with a child from Jacob's previous marriage.<ref>Brian Baxter [https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/jan/19/kathleen-byron-obituary Kathleen Byron obituary], ''The Guardian'',19 January 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2009</ref>


She died on 18 January 2009 at [[Denville Hall]] in [[Northwood, London]], one week after her 88th birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kathleen-byron-actress-who-played-sister-ruth-in-black-narcissus-1451427.html|title=Kathleen Byron: Actress who played Sister Ruth in "Black Narcissus"|date=20 January 2009|work=[[The Independent]]|accessdate=27 January 2018}}</ref> She was reportedly suffering from [[Alzheimer's disease]] and breast cancer at the time of her death. Her son, daughter, and stepdaughter survived her, along with five grandchildren.
Byron died on 18 January 2009, aged 88, at [[Denville Hall]] in [[Northwood, London]].<ref name=Tele/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kathleen-byron-actress-who-played-sister-ruth-in-black-narcissus-1451427.html|title=Kathleen Byron: Actress who played Sister Ruth in "Black Narcissus"|date=20 January 2009|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=27 January 2018}}</ref> According to her stepdaughter, Byron had been suffering from cancer and Alzheimer's disease.<ref>[http://harrietmacaree.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-mother-kathleen-byron.html?m=1 Byron personal life and death details]. Accessed 22 May 2024.</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Line 54: Line 56:
| 1947 || ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' || Sister Ruth ||
| 1947 || ''[[Black Narcissus]]'' || Sister Ruth ||
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| 1949 || ''[[The Small Back Room]]'' || Susan ||
|rowspan=2| 1949 || ''[[The Small Back Room]]'' || Susan ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Madness of the Heart]]'' || Verite Faimont ||
| ''[[Madness of the Heart]]'' || Verite Faimont ||
Line 70: Line 72:
| ''[[I'll Never Forget You (film)|I'll Never Forget You]]'' ||[[Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire|Duchess of Devonshire]] ||
| ''[[I'll Never Forget You (film)|I'll Never Forget You]]'' ||[[Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire|Duchess of Devonshire]] ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Four Days (film)|Four Days]]'' || Lucienne Templar ||
| ''[[Four Days (1951 film)|Four Days]]'' || Lucienne Templar ||
|-
|-
| ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' || Mrs. Brown ||
| ''[[Tom Brown's Schooldays (1951 film)|Tom Brown's Schooldays]]'' || Mrs. Brown ||
Line 90: Line 92:
| ''Handcuffs, London'' || Janet Tedford ||
| ''Handcuffs, London'' || Janet Tedford ||
|-
|-
|rowspan=2| 1961 || ''[[Hand in Hand (film)|Hand in Hand]]'' || Mrs. O'Malley ||
|rowspan=2| 1961 || ''[[Hand in Hand (1961 film)|Hand in Hand]]'' || Mrs. O'Malley ||
|-
|-
| ''Design for Murder'' || Elizabeth Carr || TV movie
| ''Design for Murder'' || Elizabeth Carr || TV movie
Line 96: Line 98:
| 1962 || ''[[Night of the Eagle]]'' || Evelyn Sawtelle ||
| 1962 || ''[[Night of the Eagle]]'' || Evelyn Sawtelle ||
|-
|-
| 1967 || ''[[Who Is Sylvia? (TV series)|Who Is Sylvia?]]'' || Mrs. Proudpiece || TV series
| 1967 || ''[[Who Is Sylvia? (TV series)|Who Is Sylvia?]]'' || Mrs. Proudpiece || TV series
|-
|-
| rowspan=2 |1968 || ''[[Hammerhead (film)|Hammerhead]]'' ||Lady Calvet ||
| rowspan=2 |1968 || ''[[Hammerhead (film)|Hammerhead]]'' ||Lady Calvet ||
|-
|-
| ''[[The Portrait of a Lady (TV series)|The Portrait of a Lady]]'' || Countess Gemini || TV series
| ''[[The Portrait of a Lady (TV series)|The Portrait of a Lady]]'' || Countess Gemini || TV series
Line 112: Line 114:
| rowspan=2|1972 || ''[[The Golden Bowl (TV series)|The Golden Bowl]]'' || Fanny Assingham || TV series
| rowspan=2|1972 || ''[[The Golden Bowl (TV series)|The Golden Bowl]]'' || Fanny Assingham || TV series
|-
|-
| ''[[The Moonstone (1972 TV series)|The Moonstone]]'' || Lady Verinder || TV series
| ''[[The Moonstone (1972 TV series)|The Moonstone]]'' || Lady Verinder || TV series
|-
|-
| 1973 || ''[[Nothing But the Night]]'' || Dr. Rose ||
| 1973 || ''[[Nothing But the Night]]'' || Dr. Rose ||
Line 154: Line 156:
* [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kathleen-byron-actress-who-played-sister-ruth-in-black-narcissus-1451427.html Obituary] in ''[[The Independent]]''
* [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/kathleen-byron-actress-who-played-sister-ruth-in-black-narcissus-1451427.html Obituary] in ''[[The Independent]]''
* [http://www.cineartistes.com/fiche-Kathleen+Byron.html Kathleen Byron at the CinéArtistes] {{in lang|fr}}
* [http://www.cineartistes.com/fiche-Kathleen+Byron.html Kathleen Byron at the CinéArtistes] {{in lang|fr}}
* {{Find a Grave|33056735}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}
Line 164: Line 165:
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:People from East Ham]]
[[Category:Actors from the London Borough of Newham]]
[[Category:People from West Ham]]
[[Category:Actresses from Essex]]
⚫
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
⚫
[[Category:Disease-related deaths in England]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School]]
[[Category:Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School]]
⚫
[[Category:People from Manor Park, London]]
⚫
[[Category:Deaths from cancer in England]]
[[Category:Deaths from Alzheimer's disease]]

Latest revision as of 23:50, 29 June 2024

Kathleen Byron
Byron in Black Narcissus
Born
Kathleen Elizabeth Fell[1]

(1921-01-11)11 January 1921
Manor Park, Essex, England
Died18 January 2009(2009-01-18) (aged 88)
Northwood, London, England
Other namesKathleen Jacob
OccupationActress
Years active1938–2001
Spouses
Daniel Bowen
​
​
(m. 1943; div. 1950)​
​
​
(m. 1953; died 1995)​
Children2 (+ 1 stepdaughter)

Kathleen Elizabeth Fell (11 January 1921 – 18 January 2009), known professionally as Kathleen Byron, was an English actress.

Early life

[edit]

Byron was born Kathleen Elizabeth Fell in Manor Park (then part of Essex)[1][2] to what she described as "staunch working-class socialists", who later became Labour mayors of the County Borough of East Ham. She attended the local grammar school and trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. She had her first speaking film role in Carol Reed's The Young Mr. Pitt (1942), in which she had two lines as a maid opposite Robert Donat.[3]

Career

[edit]
Kathleen Byron as Ann Peters in Life in Her Hands[4]

In 1943, Byron married a USAAF pilot, Lt. John Daniel Bowen, and moved to the United States. The director Michael Powell persuaded her to return to Britain where she made her best remembered films.[3] She was cast in several films of the Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger partnership: as an angel in A Matter of Life and Death (1946), the disturbed Sister Ruth in Black Narcissus (1947, for which she was nominated for Best Actress by the New York Film Critics' Circle) and in The Small Back Room (1949). Byron was romantically linked with Michael Powell for a time; he was named as a co-respondent when her first marriage was dissolved in 1950.[3] Her success in Black Narcissus eventually led her to Hollywood, which resulted in a supporting role in Young Bess (1953). She found the experience an unrewarding one and soon returned to Britain. Her subsequent roles of the time were mostly in B films. She had an occasional role in the 1957–67 soap Emergency Ward 10, playing the alcoholic wife of the consultant gynaecologist Harold de la Roux (John Barron).

In the 1960s and 1970s, Byron did extensive television work, including a 1961 appearance in a Danger Man episode entitled "Name, Date and Place" as Deidre; Crown Court (episode: "A Case of Murder"); a small role as Queen Louise of Denmark in Edward the Seventh (1975), Madame Celeste Lekeu in two episodes of the BBC drama Secret Army (1977), entitled "Bait" and "Good Friday", a brief stint on the soap opera Emmerdale Farm in 1979, and one of the leads in the daytime soap Together (1980–81, its second series broadcast live). Byron continued to act into the new millennium, her film, theatre and television work including Agatha Christie's The Mousetrap (1990), an adaptation of Jane Austen's Emma (1996), Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998), Midsomer Murders (1999) (as Dorothea Pike in S2:E2 “Strangler’s Wood”) and Stephen Poliakoff's series, Perfect Strangers (2001).

Personal life and death

[edit]

In 1953, Byron married her second husband, the British journalist and writer Alaric Jacob (who predeceased her); Jacob was then working for the BBC. They had one son and daughter; with a child from Jacob's previous marriage.[5]

Byron died on 18 January 2009, aged 88, at Denville Hall in Northwood, London.[3][6] According to her stepdaughter, Byron had been suffering from cancer and Alzheimer's disease.[7]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Note
1938 Climbing High Model on Sofa Uncredited
1942 The Young Mr. Pitt Millicent Grey Uncredited
1943 The Silver Fleet Schoolmistress
1946 A Matter of Life and Death An Angel
1947 Black Narcissus Sister Ruth
1949 The Small Back Room Susan
Madness of the Heart Verite Faimont
1950 The Reluctant Widow Mme. Annette de Chevreaux
Prelude to Fame Signora Anne Bondini
1951 Scarlet Thread Josephine
Life in Her Hands Ann Peters
Hell Is Sold Out Arlette de Balzamann
I'll Never Forget You Duchess of Devonshire
Four Days Lucienne Templar
Tom Brown's Schooldays Mrs. Brown
1952 My Death Is a Mockery Helen Bradley
The Gambler and the Lady Pat
1953 Young Bess Ann Seymour
1954 Star of My Night Eve Malone
Profile Margot
Night of the Silvery Moon Jane
1955 Secret Venture Renne L'Epine
Handcuffs, London Janet Tedford
1961 Hand in Hand Mrs. O'Malley
Design for Murder Elizabeth Carr TV movie
1962 Night of the Eagle Evelyn Sawtelle
1967 Who Is Sylvia? Mrs. Proudpiece TV series
1968 Hammerhead Lady Calvet
The Portrait of a Lady Countess Gemini TV series
1969 The Confessions of Marian Evans TV movie
Wolfshead: The Legend of Robin Hood Katherine of Locksley
1971 Private Road Mrs. Halpern
Twins of Evil Katy Weil
1972 The Golden Bowl Fanny Assingham TV series
The Moonstone Lady Verinder TV series
1973 Nothing But the Night Dr. Rose
1974 Craze Muriel Sharp
The Abdication Queen Mother
The Little Mermaid Queen TV movie
1975 One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing Colonel's Wife
1980 The Elephant Man Lady Waddington
1981 Hedda Gabler Juliana Tesman TV movie
From a Far Country Tadek's Mother
1996 Emma Mrs. Goddard
1998 Les Misérables Mother Superior
Saving Private Ryan Old Mrs. Ryan
Diary Short
2010 Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff Herself Documentary

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Byron, Kathleen (1921–2009)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/100787. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. ^ 1921 Birth records index
  3. ^ a b c d Kathleen Byron obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 21 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Watch Life in Her Hands". BFI Player. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  5. ^ Brian Baxter Kathleen Byron obituary, The Guardian,19 January 2009. Retrieved 21 January 2009
  6. ^ "Kathleen Byron: Actress who played Sister Ruth in "Black Narcissus"". The Independent. 20 January 2009. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
  7. ^ Byron personal life and death details. Accessed 22 May 2024.

Sources

[edit]
  • McFarlane, Brian. An Autobiography of British Cinema. London: Methuen. 1997; ISBN 0-413-70520-X
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kathleen Byron.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Kathleen_Byron&oldid=1231734857"