Waveney Hare Bicker-Caarten and Audrey Carten

Audrey Hare Bicker-Caarten (1900–1977) was an actress and playwright who worked under the name of Audrey Carten.

Biography

Audrey Hare Bicker-Caarten was born in 1900 into a middle-class family in Blomfield Road,

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale is p ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the daughter of Catherine and Edwin Hare Bicker-Caarten."Carten, Audrey (b. 1900)." Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. . Encyclopedia.com. 19 Jan. 2018
/ref> Among her siblings:

Waveney Bicker Caarten Waveney Hare Bicker-Caarten (1902-1990) was an English playwright writing under the name of Waveney Carten in collaboration with her sister, Audrey Carten. Biography Waveney Hare Bicker-Caarten was born in 1902 into a middle-class family in Bl ...

(1902–1990) and Kenneth Bicker Caarten (1911–1980). She attended the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

Noel Streatfeild Mary Noel Streatfeild OBE (24 December 1895 –11 September 1986) was an English author, best known for children's books including the "Shoes" books, which were not a series (though some books made references to others). Random House, the ...

, attending the Academy in the same period, remember her as a brilliant and beautiful girl, the most gifted member of her class. They became friends, even if Streatfeild admitted she was second rate in comparison to her. At the Academy her "sensitive, neurasthenic acting had been seen and admired by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

". By 1920, Audrey Carten was trying to make a name as actress in Shakespearean's productions. In ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' directed by

J.B. Fagan James Bernard Fagan (18 May 1873 – 17 February 1933) was an Irish-born actor, theatre manager, producer and playwright active in England. After turning from the law to the stage, Fagan began his acting career, including four years from 1895 t ...

J.C. Trewin John Courtenay Trewin (4 December 1908 – 16 February 1990) was a British journalist, writer and drama critic. Trewin was born in Plymouth, Devon, although both his parents were Cornish. He was educated at Plymouth College and in 1926 joi ...

points out Carten in 1920 (and later

Edith Evans Dame Edith Mary Evans, (8 February 1888 – 14 October 1976) was an English actress. She was best known for her work on the stage, but also appeared in films at the beginning and towards the end of her career. Between 1964 and 1968, she was no ...

in 1924) was the first to play the role of Helena as a comic rather than purely romantic role. In 1922, she is the heroine in ''Bulldog Drummond'', produced, directed and performed by

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1903, he m ...

. Critics said that Cartern "puts life and vivacity into the part of the somewhat commonplace heroine". According to Du Maurier's daughter,

Daphne Du Maurier Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning, (; 13 May 1907 – 19 April 1989) was an English novelist, biographer and playwright. Her parents were actor-manager Sir Gerald du Maurier and his wife, actress Muriel Beaumont. Her grandfather was Geor ...

, in this period, her father had an affair with Carten. In 1923 she played Una Lowry in Du Maurier's ''The Dancers'', at the Wyndham Theatre, cowritten by Du Marier and

Viola Tree Viola Tree (17 July 1884 – 15 November 1938) was an English actress, singer, playwright and author. Daughter of the actor Herbert Beerbohm Tree, she made many of her early appearances with his company at His Majesty's Theatre. Later she appe ...

. Critics praised her "delicate, eerie, sensitive" portrayal; she "was hard and tender and desperate with a convincting mastery of moods".

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several prominent films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lif ...

was playing the role of Maxine, and the two women became close friends. For the next ten years, it was common to see them together at parties, restaurants and various events. After a party where they met

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

and

Natacha Rambova Natacha Rambova (born Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy; January 19, 1897 – June 5, 1966) was an American film costume designer, set designer, and occasional actress who was active in Hollywood in the 1920s. In her later life, she abandoned design ...

, apparently Bankhead said to Carten, "Imagine the poor darling alentino n.d.r. having to fuck that. Is there any wonder he'd rather lick the other side of the stamp?" Bankhead became a surrogate mother to Carten's brother, 11 years old Kenneth, who during the summer break from

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, went to live with them.

Lady Caroline Paget Lady Alexandra Mary Cecilia Caroline Paget (15 June 1913 – 22 May 1973) was an English socialite and actress. Early life and family Lady Caroline was born Lady Alexandra Mary Cecilia Caroline Paget on 15 June 1913. She was the eldest child of C ...

remembered to have been introduced to Bankhead and her "friend and travelling companion" Carten in the 1930s. Another friend of the time was

Gwen Farrar Gwendoline "Gwen" Farrar (14 July 1897 – 25 December 1944) was an English duettist, cellist, singer, actress and comedian. Early life Gwendoline Farrar was born on 14 July 1897, at 108 Park Street, London. She was the third daughter of Sir Geor ...

: in 1925 Carten and Farrar were arrested for assaulting a police officer who was giving them a parking ticket. At Farrar's death in 1945, Carten was among the main beneficiaries, all women, of Farrar's estate, £361,000: Elizabeth Pollock received £72,000, Carten £52,000 (£ in sterling),

Joan Griffiths Joan may refer to: People and fictional characters *Joan (given name), including a list of women, men and fictional characters *:Joan of Arc, a French military heroine *Joan (surname) Weather events *Tropical Storm Joan (disambiguation), multiple ...

£12,000, and

Norah Blaney Norah Blaney (16 July 18937 December 1983), born Norah Mignon Cordwell was a pianist, composer, comedienne and music hall performer. She recorded hundreds of songs between 1921 and 1935, many with her performing partner Gwen Farrar. Biography Bla ...

£8,000. At the end of the 1920s, Carten moved to playwriting and together with her sister, Waveney, they wrote a number of successful plays such as ''Happy Families'' (1929) (cowritten also with Jane Ross, produced by Gerald du Maurier, Carteen played the main role, Daphne Beresford), ''Change of Heart'' (1929) (produced by Du Maurier), ''Fame'' (1929), ''Lady Kathleen'' (1931), ''The Day After'' (1932) (produced by Harry C. Bannister), ''Always Apologise'' (1932) (with

Margaret Bannerman Margaret Bannerman (born Marguerite Grand; December 15, 1896 – June 14, 1976) was a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in the English films '' The Gay Lord Quex'', ''Lady Audley's Secret'' and '' Hindle Wakes''. She had a successful ca ...

as lead actress), ''Table Talk'' (1932) (produced by Harry C. Bannister), ''The Day After'' (1932) (produced by Harry C. Bannister), ''Late One Night'', and ''Gay Love'', this last adapted for the screen in 1934. The plays were produced on Broadway too, and Audrey and her siblings moved ofter between England and the United States. In 1936

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

produced their adaptation of

Jacques Deval Jacques Deval (1895–1972) was a French playwright, screenwriter and film director. Novels *''Marie Galante'' (1931) Plays *''Une faible femme''; a comedy in three acts (1920) *''Dans sa candeur naïve''; a comedy in three acts (1926); translate ...

's ''Madamoiselle'', with

Greer Garson Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was an English-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the hom ...

at her first appearance. The production ran for 147 performances. In 1930, Aubrey Carten appeared in ''Birds of Prey'', a crime movie directed by

Basil Dean Basil Herbert Dean CBE (27 September 1888 – 22 April 1978) was an English actor, writer, producer and director in the theatre and in cinema. He founded the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, after organising unoff ...

. In the late 1930s, with her brother, Kenneth, she frequented the same circle of Elvira Mullens Barney. Audrey Carten died in Hastings in 1977.

Legacy

The 1962 portrait of Audrey Carteen by Peter Shiel is at the

Victoria & Albert Museum The Victoria and Albert Museum (often abbreviated as the V&A) in London is the world's largest museum of applied arts, decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 2.27 million objects. It was founded in 1852 and nam ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carten, Audrey 1900 births 1977 deaths 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English LGBT people 20th-century English women writers 20th-century English writers Actresses from London Alumni of RADA LGBT people from London Actors from the City of Westminster People from Maida Vale