Betty Bolton (7 January 1906 – 2 April 2005) was a British actress, beginning as a child star during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and continuing her career in the 1920s and 1930s. She was one of the first performers to appear on early British television.

Early life and career

Bolton made her debut in 1916, at the age of 10, in a revue called ''Some'', at the

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

in London. Gertrude Lawrence was the principal dancer. Bolton's mother Maud was a West End stage manager. 'Betty', as she was originally billed (no surname), played in several revues by

Harry Grattan Harry Grattan (c. 1867 – 25 September 1951) was a British stage actor, singer, dancer and writer best known for his performances in musical comedies in the decades around 1900. Life and career Gratton started early as a child actor (along wi ...

, such as ''Odds and Ends'' and ''Mind Your Backs'' during

, some of them produced by Andr Charlot, playing precocious children. Photographs from two of these revues, including ''Cheep'' (1917) and ''Back Again'' (1919), show her remarkable powers of facial expression. The last show in which she performed as a child was the musical fantasy ''Fifinella'', in late 1919.

Adult career

Bolton was a versatile performer, appearing in almost every branch of entertainment available in the 1920s and early 1930s: revues, straight plays, films, and recordings.

Television

Bolton was one of the first performers to appear on early British television, featuring thirty times on 30-line television between 1930 and 1935, 18 of which were on Baird Television from Long Acre in London.McLean, Donald F. (2000) ''Restoring Baird's image''. London:

Institution of Electrical Engineers The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Te ...

. pp. 214-221. ( IEE History of Technology)

Marriage

Bolton married in 1936 and her career stopped afterwards. She had at least one daughter, Judyth Knight.

References

External links

Information from obituary

National Portrait Gallery
* 1906 births 2005 deaths British child actresses British television actresses 20th-century British businesspeople {{UK-stage-actor-stub