Betty Balfour (born Florence Lilian Woods; 27 March 1902 – 4 November 1977) was an English screen actress, popular during the

silent era A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, wh ...

, and known as the "British

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

" and "Britain's Queen of Happiness". She was best known to audiences for her '' Squibs'' series of films.

Life and career

Balfour was the most popular actress in Britain in the 1920s, and in 1927 she was named by the ''

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

'' as the country's favourite world star. Her talent was most evident in the ''Squibs'' comedy series produced by George Pearson, while in his '' Love, Life and Laughter'' (1923), rediscovered in 2014, and ''

Reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), th ...

'' (1924), she demonstrated a serious side to her character. Her role as a wealthy heiress in ''

Somebody's Darling ''Somebody's Darling'' is a 1925 British silent comedy film directed by George A. Cooper and starring Betty Balfour, Rex O'Malley and Fred Raynham. The screenplay concerns a young woman who believes herself to be an orphan and rediscovers her ...

'' (1925) was an attempt to break out of her previous role as Squibs, to avoid

typecasting In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...

. She made her stage debut in 1913, and was appearing in ''Medora'' at the

Alhambra Theatre The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two yea ...

in Leicester Square when T. A. Welsh and

Pearson Pearson may refer to: Organizations Education *Lester B. Pearson College, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada *Pearson College (UK), London, owned by Pearson PLC *Lester B. Pearson High School (disambiguation) Companies *Pearson PLC, a UK-based int ...

saw and signed her for ''

Nothing Else Matters "Nothing Else Matters" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released in 1992 as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, ''Metallica''. The song peaked at number 11 on the ''Billboard'' Mainstream Rock Tra ...

'' in 1920. After replacing

Gertrude Lawrence Gertrude Lawrence (4 July 1898 – 6 September 1952) was an English actress, singer, dancer and musical comedy performer known for her stage appearances in the West End of London and on Broadway in New York. Early life Lawrence was born Gertr ...

on stage in ''The Midnight Follies'', Balfour was back with Pearson with her first starring role in ''

Mary Find the Gold ''Mary-Find-the-Gold'' (or ''Mary Find the Gold'') is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Tom Coventry and Hugh E. Wright.Low p.409 Cast * Betty Balfour as Mary Smith * Tom Coventry as Tom ...

''. In 1916 she starred in Fred Karno's all female revue, 'All Women,' notable at the time for its all female cast, including stage manager, musical director and advanced agent. Balfour made no attempt to break into

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

but like

Ivor Novello Ivor Novello (born David Ivor Davies; 15 January 1893 – 6 March 1951) was a Welsh actor, dramatist, singer and composer who became one of the most popular British entertainers of the first half of the 20th century. He was born into a musical ...

she was able to export her talents to mainland Europe. She starred in the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

films, '' Die sieben Töchter der Frau Gyurkovics'' and '' Die Regimentstochter''; she also worked for

Marcel L'Herbier Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...

in '' Le Diable au cœur'', for

Louis Mercanton Louis Mercanton (4 May 1879 – 29 April 1932) was a Swiss film director, screenwriter and actor. Mercanton was born in Nyon, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Partial filmography Director * ''Les Amours de la rei ...

in ''

Croquette A croquette is a deep-fried roll consisting of a thick binder combined with a filling, which is breaded and deep-fried; it is served as a side dish, a snack, or fast food worldwide. The binder is typically a thick béchamel or brown sauce, m ...

'' and '' La Petite Bonne du palace'', and for

Géza von Bolváry Géza von Bolváry (born Géza Gyula Mária Bolváry Zahn, german: Géza Maria von Bolváry-Zahn; 26 December 1897 – 10 August 1961) was a Hungarians, Hungarian actor, screenwriter, and film director, who worked principally in Germany and Aust ...

in '' Bright Eyes''. Back in Britain, she also starred in

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 ...

's ''

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

'' (1928). Balfour's sound debut, ''

The Nipper ''The Nipper'' is a 1930 British musical film directed by Louis Mercanton and starring Betty Balfour, John Stuart, and Anne Grey. It is also known by the alternative title ''The Brat''. Cast * Betty Balfour - The Nipper * John Stuart - Max N ...

'' (1930), based on the ''Squibs'' character, was only moderately successful. Her popularity diminished in the 1930s, though she played a supporting role to

Jessie Matthews Jessie Margaret Matthews (11 March 1907 – 19 August 1981) was an English actress, dancer and singer of the 1920s and 1930s, whose career continued into the post-war period. After a string of hit stage musicals and films in the mid-1930s, Ma ...

in ''

Evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

'' (1934), appeared with

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

in ''

Forever England ''Brown on Resolution'' (US title: ''Born for Glory''; UK re-issue title: ''Forever England'') is a 1935 film adaptation of the 1929 C. S. Forester novel '' Brown on Resolution'', with John Mills in his first lead role playing the title role. ...

'' (1935) and played the matriarch in ''

29 Acacia Avenue ''29 Acacia Avenue'' is a play by Denis and Mabel Constanduros. Its 1945 British comedy-drama film adaptation, directed by Henry Cass, was released in the U.S. as ''The Facts of Love''. Premise Peter Robinson falls in love with the naïve count ...

'' (1945). Balfour had less fortune in her private life. Her marriage to composer Jimmy Campbell went on the rocks in 1941 after ten years and an attempt of a comeback on the stage failed in 1952. She died at age 74 in

Weybridge Weybridge () is a town in the Borough of Elmbridge in Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. The settlement is recorded as ''Waigebrugge'' and ''Weibrugge'' in the 7th century and the name derives from a crossing point of the ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

Filmography

* ''

'' (1920) – Sally * ''

Mary-Find-the-Gold ''Mary-Find-the-Gold'' (or ''Mary Find the Gold'') is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Tom Coventry and Hugh E. Wright.Low p.409 Cast * Betty Balfour as Mary Smith * Tom Coventry as Tom ...

'' (1921) – Mary Smith * '' Squibs'' (1921) – Squibs Hopkins * ''

Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep ''Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep'' is a 1922 British silent comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Fred Groves and Hugh E. Wright. It was the sequel to the 1921 film '' Squibs''. Premise Squibs wins a large sum of ...

'' (1922) – Squibs Hopkins * ''

Wee MacGregor's Sweetheart ''Wee MacGregor's Sweetheart'' is a 1922 British silent romance film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Donald Macardle and Nora Swinburne. The plot is based on two of the " Wee Macgreegor" books by John Joy Bell; ''Oh Ch ...

'' (1922) – Christine * ''

Mord Em'ly ''Mord Em'ly'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Rex Davis and Elsie Craven.Low p.122 It was based on the 1898 novel of the same title by William Pett Ridge. Cast * Betty Balfour as Ma ...

'' (1922) – Maud Emily * '' Love, Life and Laughter'' (1923) – Tip-Toes * ''

Squibs' Honeymoon ''Squibs' Honeymoon'' is a 1923 British silent comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Hugh E. Wright and Fred Groves. It was the last of the silent film series featuring the character, although Balfour returned to ...

'' (1923) – Squibs Hopkins * '' Squibs M.P.'' (1923) – Squibs Hopkins * ''

'' (1924) – Mick * ''

Satan's Sister ''Satan's Sister'' is a 1925 British silent adventure film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Guy Phillips and Philip Stevens.Low p.443 It is an adaptation of the 1921 novel '' Satan: A Romance of the Bahamas'' by Henry De ...

'' (1925) – Jude Tyler * ''

'' (1925) – Joan Meredith * ''

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

'' (1925) – Betty Oliver * ''

Blinkeyes ''Blinkeyes'' is a 1926 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Tom Douglas, and Frank Stanmore. It was shot at Cricklewood Studios in London. It was the final collaboration between Pearson and Balfo ...

'' (1926) – Blinkeyes * '' Cinders'' (''La petite bonne du palace'') (1926) * ''

Pearl of Love ''Pearl of Love'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Leon Danmun and starring Betty Balfour, Gladys Leslie, and Burr McIntosh. It is based upon a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Plot As described in a film magazine review, littl ...

'' (1925) * '' La Petite Bonne du palace'' (''The Maid at the Palace'') (1926) – Betty Cinders * '' The Sea Urchin'' (1926) – Fay Wynchbeck * '' Topical Budget''

newsreel A newsreel is a form of short documentary film, containing news stories and items of topical interest, that was prevalent between the 1910s and the mid 1970s. Typically presented in a cinema, newsreels were a source of current affairs, informa ...

: "Cinema Stars' Rally" (1926) – self * ''

'' (''Monkey Nuts'') (1928) – Croquette * '' Le Diable au cœur'' (''Little Devil May Care'') (1928) – Ludivine Ducaille – une fille étrange * '' Die sieben Töchter der Frau Gyurkovics'' (''A Sister of Six'') (1926) – Mizzi * ''

'' (1928) – The Girl * '' A Little Bit of Fluff'' (1928) – Mamie Scott * '' Die Regimentstochter'' (''Daughter of the Regiment'') (1929) – Marie – Regiments Daughter * ''

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

'' (1928) – Kitty Cranston * '' Bright Eyes'' (''Champagner'') (1929) – Jenny * '' The Vagabond Queen'' (1929) – Sally / Princess Zonia * '' Raise the Roof'' (1930) – Maisie Grey * ''

'' (also known as ''The Brat'') (1930) – The Nipper * '' My Old Dutch'' (1934) – Lil * ''

'' (1934) – Maudie * '' Brown on Resolution'' – Elizabeth Brown * '' Squibs'' (1935) – Amelia "Squibs" Hopkins * '' Eliza Comes to Stay'' (1936) – Eliza Vandan * ''

'' (1945) – Mrs. Robinson

References

External links

* *
Photographs and literature
at Virtual History * {{DEFAULTSORT:Balfour, Betty 1902 births 1977 deaths English film actresses English silent film actresses English stage actresses People from Chester-le-Street 20th-century English actresses