Anita Sharp-Bolster (28 August 1895 – 1 June 1985) was an Irish-born American actress who appeared in 88 films and 12 TV series from 1928 to 1978. She was sometimes billed as Anita Bolster.

Early life

She was born 28 August 1895 in Glenlohane, Kanturk, County Cork, Ireland.

Career

Stage

Sharp-Bolster's Broadway credits include ''Kathleen'', ''

Pygmalion Pygmalion or Pigmalion may refer to: Mythology * Pygmalion (mythology), a sculptor who fell in love with his statue Stage * ''Pigmalion'' (opera), a 1745 opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau * ''Pygmalion'' (Rousseau), a 1762 melodrama by Jean-Jacques ...

'', and ''

Lady in Waiting A lady-in-waiting or court lady is a female personal assistant at a court, attending on a royal woman or a high-ranking noblewoman. Historically, in Europe, a lady-in-waiting was often a noblewoman but of lower rank than the woman to whom sh ...

''.

Film

Sharp-Bolster debuted in the British film ''

What Money Can Buy ''What Money Can Buy'' is a 1928 British silent drama film directed by Edwin Greenwood and starring Madeleine Carroll, Humberston Wright and John Longden. The screenplay concerns a man who makes a bet that he can seduce a woman. Plot A rake ...

'' (1928). Her American film debut came in 1942 in ''

Saboteur Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identiti ...

'', directed by

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

. In a 2013 book, one writer described her as "one of the most riveting human gargoyles in Hollywood films."

Radio

Sharp-Bolster worked with the BBC in the UK.

Television

Billed as Anita Bolster, she appeared in three episodes of ''

Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinsport ...

'' in March of 1968. Bolster portrayed a witch named Bathia Mapes who failed to remove a curse of vampirism from Barnabas Collins.

Personal life

Sharp-Bolster was married to Jacob Schwartz. She died in North Miami, Florida.

Selected filmography

*''

'' (1928) - Cleaner *'' S.O.S.'' (1928) - Mme. Karensky *''

Would You Believe It! ''Would You Believe It!'' is a 1929 British silent comedy film directed by Walter Forde and starring Forde, Pauline Johnson and Arthur Stratton. It was made at the Nettlefold Studios in Walton-on-Thames and released as a supporting feature.Chi ...

'' (1929) - Presbyterian *''

Number, Please Number, Please may refer to: *'' Number, Please (film)'', a 1931 British crime film *'' Number, Please? (film)'', a 1920 American short comedy film *''Number Please (game show) ''Number Please'' is a Goodson-Todman Productions game show hosted by ...

'' (1931) *'' The Bells'' (1931) *''

Mr. Bill the Conqueror ''Mr. Bill the Conqueror'' is a 1932 British comedy film directed by Norman Walker and starring Henry Kendall, Heather Angel and Nora Swinburne. It was made by British International Pictures at Elstree Studios.Wood p.72 Cast * Henry Kendall a ...

'' (1932) *'' Strip! Strip! Hooray!!!'' (1932) - Bit Part (uncredited) *'' The Temperance Fete'' (1932) - Teacher *''

Lassie from Lancashire ''Lassie from Lancashire'' is a 1938 British romantic musical comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Marjorie Browne, Hal Thompson and Marjorie Sandford. It was made by British National Films at Welwyn Studios. The film's a ...

'' (1938) - Woman in Audience (uncredited) *''

The Villiers Diamond ''The Villiers Diamond'' is a 1938 British crime film directed by Bernard Mainwaring and starring Edward Ashley, Evelyn Ankers and Frank Birch. The screenplay concerns a man who is threatened with scandal when he accidentally acquires a stolen ...

'' (1938) - Mlle. Dulac (uncredited) *''

'' (1942) - Lorelei - Circus Troupe *'' This Above All'' (1942) - Tea Shop Customer (uncredited) *''

I Married an Angel ''I Married An Angel'' is a 1938 musical comedy by Rodgers and Hart. It was adapted from a play by Hungarian playwright János Vaszary, entitled ''Angyalt Vettem Felesegul''. The book was by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, with music by Rodge ...

'' (1942) - Mrs. Kipper (uncredited) *''

The Pride of the Yankees ''The Pride of the Yankees'' is a 1942 American film produced by Samuel Goldwyn, directed by Sam Wood, and starring Gary Cooper, Teresa Wright, and Walter Brennan. It is a tribute to the legendary New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, who die ...

'' (1942) - Sasha's Mother (uncredited) *''

Nightmare A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...

'' (1942) - Mrs. McDonald - Housekeeper *''

Journey for Margaret ''Journey for Margaret'' is a 1942 American drama film set in London in World War II. It stars Robert Young and Laraine Day as a couple who have to deal with the loss of their unborn child due to a bombing raid. It is an adaptation of the book ...

'' (1942) - Woman with Cat (uncredited) *''

London Blackout Murders ''London Blackout Murders'' is a 1943 American crime film directed by George Sherman and written by Curt Siodmak. The film stars John Abbott, Mary McLeod, Lloyd Corrigan, Lester Matthews, Anita Sharp-Bolster and Louis Borel. The film was release ...

'' (1943) - Mrs. Pringle *'' Forever and a Day'' (1943) - Mrs. Garrow *''

Flesh and Fantasy ''Flesh and Fantasy'' is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier and starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer, Robert Cummings, and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previous ...

'' (1943) - Relative (uncredited) *'' Thumbs Up'' (1943) - Mrs. Smithers, the Landlady (uncredited) *'' Heaven Can Wait'' (1943) - Mrs. Cooper-Cooper (uncredited) *''

Henry Aldrich Haunts a House ''Henry Aldrich Haunts a House'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by Hugh Bennett and written by Muriel Roy Bolton and Val Burton. The film stars Jimmy Lydon, Charles Smith, John Litel, Olive Blakeney, Joan Mortimer and Vaughan Glaser. Th ...

'' (1943) - Mrs. Norris (uncredited) *'' The Lodger'' (1944) - Wiggy - Barfly (uncredited) *''

Passport to Destiny ''Passport to Destiny'' is a 1944 RKO Radio Pictures war film, starring Elsa Lanchester as an English charwoman who, believing herself invulnerable by being protected by a magic eye amulet, travels to Nazi Germany to personally assassinate Adol ...

'' (1944) - Agnes *''

Going My Way ''Going My Way'' is a 1944 American musical comedy drama film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Bing Crosby and Barry Fitzgerald. Written by Frank Butler and Frank Cavett based on a story by McCarey, the film is about a new young priest ta ...

'' (1944) - Mrs. Hattie Quimp (uncredited) *'' The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944) - Miller (uncredited) *''

The Doughgirls ''The Doughgirls'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by James V. Kern based on the 1942 hit Broadway play written by Joseph Fields. The film works around three newlywed couples, focusing on the Halstead couple, played by Jane Wyman and ...

'' (1944) - Maid (uncredited) *''

Our Hearts Were Young and Gay ''Our Hearts Were Young and Gay'' is a book by actress Cornelia Otis Skinner and journalist Emily Kimbrough, published in 1942. The book presents a description of their European tour in the 1920s, when they were fresh out of college from Bryn M ...

'' (1944) - Stewardess (uncredited) *''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

'' (1945) - Lady Harborough (uncredited) *'' Kitty'' (1945) - Mullens *''

My Name Is Julia Ross ''My Name Is Julia Ross'' is a 1945 American gothic film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis, and starring Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty, and George Macready. Its plot follows a young woman in England who is hired as a live-in secretary for an ailing ...

'' (1945) - Sparkes *'' The Lost Weekend'' (1945) - Mrs. Foley *''

Scarlet Street ''Scarlet Street'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Fritz Lang. The screenplay concerns two criminals who take advantage of a middle-aged painter in order to steal his artwork. The film is based on the French novel ''La Chienne'' (literal ...

'' (1945) - Mrs. Michaels *''

The Thin Man Goes Home ''The Thin Man Goes Home'' is a 1945 comedy- mystery film directed by Richard Thorpe. It is the fifth of the six '' Thin Man'' films starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Dashiell Hammett's dapper ex-private detective Nick Charles and his ...

'' (1945) - Hilda *'' Dressed to Kill'' (1946) - Teacher on Museum Tour (uncredited) *'' The Two Mrs. Carrolls'' (1947) - Christine *''

Dark Passage ''Dark Passage'' (1946) is a crime novel by David Goodis. It was the basis for the 1947 film noir of the same name. The film implements extensive use of the first-person camera technique. Plot Vincent Parry, wrongly convicted of murdering hi ...

'' (1947) - Woman (uncredited) *'' Love From a Stranger'' (1947) - Ethel *'' The Judge Steps Out'' (1947) - Martha, the Maid *'' The Woman in White'' (1948) - Mrs. Todd *'' The Perfect Woman'' (1949) - Lady Diana *'' Saints and Sinners'' (1949) - (uncredited) *'' Waterfront'' (1950) - Mrs. Simon (uncredited) *''

Talk of a Million ''Talk of a Million'' (also known as ''You Can't Beat the Irish'') is a 1951 British comedy film directed by John Paddy Carstairs, starring Jack Warner, with an early appearance from Sid James. Premise Shakespeare-loving Bartley Murnahan, (Jack ...

'' (1951) - Miss Rafferty *'' Madame Louise'' (1951) - Cafe Proprietress *''

Botany Bay Botany Bay (Dharawal: ''Kamay''), an open oceanic embayment, is located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, south of the Sydney central business district. Its source is the confluence of the Georges River at Taren Point and the Cook ...

'' (1952) - Moll Cudlip *''

The Final Test ''The Final Test'' is a 1953 British sports film written by Terence Rattigan, directed by Anthony Asquith, and starring Jack Warner, Robert Morley, George Relph and Ray Jackson. A number of leading cricketers also appear including Denis Compt ...

'' (1953) - Daisy (uncredited) *''

Raising a Riot ''Raising a Riot'' is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Wendy Toye and starring Kenneth More, Shelagh Fraser and Mandy Miller about a naval officer who attempts to look after his three children in his wife's absence. It was shot at Shepperto ...

'' (1955) - Mrs. Buttons *''

The Hornet's Nest ''The Hornet's Nest'' is a 2014 American documentary film about the Afghanistan war, directed by David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud. The film follows two journalists, Mike Boettcher and Carlos Boettcher (a father and son), embedded with a gro ...

'' (1955) - Miss Anderson *''

Reluctant Bride ''Reluctant Bride'' (released in the U.S. as ''Two Grooms for a Bride'') is a 1955 British comedy film. Plot summary Jeff Longstreet and Laura Weeks are paired together to take care of a group of wild children whose parents are lost on an Afric ...

'' (1955) - Mrs. Fogarty *'' Tears for Simon'' (1956) - Miss Gill *'' The Rising of the Moon'' (1957) - Colonel Frobisher's Wife (2nd Episode) *'' Stormy Crossing'' (1958) - First Nurse *''

The Man Who Liked Funerals ''The Man Who Liked Funerals'' is a 1958 British comedy film directed by David Eady (film director), David Eady and starring Leslie Phillips, Susan Beaumont and Bill Fraser. It was written by Margot Bennett (writer), Margot Bennett, Cecily Fin ...

'' (1959) - Lady Hunter *'' Alive and Kicking'' (1959) - Postmistress *''

School for Scoundrels School for Scoundrels may refer to: * ''School for Scoundrels'' (1960 film), a British comedy film starring Ian Carmichael, Terry-Thomas and Alistair Sim * ''School for Scoundrels'' (2006 film), an American film based on the above, featuring Bil ...

'' (1960) - Maid *''

The Day They Robbed the Bank of England ''The Day They Robbed the Bank of England'' is a 1960 British crime film directed by John Guillermin. It was written by Howard Clewes and Richard Maibaum and based upon the 1959 novel of the same title by John Brophy. Peter O'Toole's role ...

'' (1960) - Maid (uncredited) *''

The House in Marsh Road ''The House in Marsh Road'', known on American television as ''Invisible Creature'', is a 1960 British horror suspense film produced by Maurice J. Wilson, directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Tony Wright, Patricia Dainton and Sandra Dorne. ...

'' (1960) - Mrs. O'Brien *''

The Hands of Orlac ''The Hands of Orlac'' may refer to: * ''Les Mains d'Orlac'', a novel by Maurice Renard and several adaptations of that novel: * The Hands of Orlac (1924 film), ''The Hands of Orlac'' (1924 film), an Austrian film * The Hands of Orlac (1935 film) ...

'' (1960) - Volchett's Assistant (uncredited) *''

Payroll A payroll is the list of employees of some company that is entitled to receive payments as well as other work benefits and the amounts that each should receive. Along with the amounts that each employee should receive for time worked or tasks pe ...

'' (1961) - Landlady (uncredited) *'' On the Beat'' (1962) - Hair-Salon Customer (uncredited) *''

The List of Adrian Messenger ''The List of Adrian Messenger'' is a 1963 American mystery film directed by John Huston starring Kirk Douglas, George C. Scott, Dana Wynter, Clive Brook, Gladys Cooper and Herbert Marshall. It is based on a 1959 novel of the same name written by ...

'' (1963) - Mrs. Slattery (uncredited) *'' Father Came Too!'' (1964) - Mrs. Trumper *''

Promise Her Anything ''Promise Her Anything'' is a 1965 British-American romantic comedy film directed by Arthur Hiller and starring Warren Beatty and Leslie Caron. The screenplay by William Peter Blatty is based on a story by Arne Sultan and Marvin Worth. The sup ...

'' (1966) - Mrs. Egan - Baby Sitter (uncredited) *''

The Boy Cried Murder ''The Boy Cried Murder'' is a 1966 British thriller film directed by George P. Breakston and starring Fraser MacIntosh, Veronica Hurst, and Phil Brown. The film is based on the novelette of the same name by Cornell Woolrich. The movie is a remak ...

'' (1966) - Mrs. Wetherall *'' Craze'' (1974) - Woman at will reading. (uncredited) *''

The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother ''The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother'' is a 1975 American musical comedy film with Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn, Dom DeLuise, Roy Kinnear, and Leo McKern.''Variety'' film review; December 3, 1975, page 22. The film was ...

'' (1975) - Old lady (uncredited) *''

Jabberwocky "Jabberwocky" is a nonsense poem written by Lewis Carroll about the killing of a creature named "the Jabberwock". It was included in his 1871 novel ''Through the Looking-Glass'', the sequel to ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865). The bo ...

'' (1977) - Old Crone / Woman with Stone (uncredited)

Television

* '' Educated Evans'' (1957, 1 episode) * '' The Saint'' (TV show, Season 1, Episode 2, 1962) as Ada Harmer * ''

'' (1968, 3 episodes) as Bathia Mapes * ''

Jude the Obscure ''Jude the Obscure'' is a novel by Thomas Hardy, which began as a magazine serial in December 1894 and was first published in book form in 1895 (though the title page says 1896). It is Hardy's last completed novel. The protagonist, Jude Fawley ...

'' (1971) as Mrs Trott * ''

Skiboy Skiboy is a British Action film, action TV-Series produced and created by Derrick Sherwin and Charles de Jaeger. The series ran for 13 episodes from 13 May 1974 to 5 August 1974 on ITV (TV channel), ITV before being cancelled. The entire series wa ...

'' (1973) as Mountain Witch * '' Thriller'' (1976, 1 episode).

References

External links

* * * * * 1895 births 1985 deaths Irish film actresses Irish radio actresses Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses Irish expatriates in the United States People from Kanturk 20th-century American actresses {{Ireland-bio-stub