Binkie Stuart (March 11, 1932 – August 4, 2001) was a Scottish

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

. During the 1930s she enjoyed brief fame as a

child actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associated t ...

and was considered Britain's answer to

Shirley Temple Shirley Temple Black (born Shirley Jane Temple;While Temple occasionally used "Jane" as a middle name, her birth certificate reads "Shirley Temple". Her birth certificate was altered to prolong her babyhood shortly after she signed with Fox in ...

Early life

She was born as Elizabeth Alison Fraser in

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...

. Her father was a musician and her mother was an actress. In 1933, Stuart's parents entered her in a "Most Beautiful Baby" contest and won. She then enrolled in dancing classes and began her film career in 1936 when director

Monty Banks Montague (Monty) Banks (18 July 1897 – 7 January 1950), born Mario Bianchi, was a 20th century Italian-born American comedian, film actor, director and producer who achieved success in the UK and the United States. Career Banks was born Mario ...

was looking for a child actress to appear alongside

George Formby George Formby, (born George Hoy Booth; 26 May 1904 – 6 March 1961) was an English actor, singer-songwriter and comedian who became known to a worldwide audience through his films of the 1930s and 1940s. On stage, screen and record he s ...

in '' Keep Your Seats Please'' (1936).Vallance, Tom, "Binkie Stuart", ''The Independent'', 17 August 2001, p.6. Despite Stuart's very young age, her dancing abilities landed her the part. "Binkie", the name of the character she played, became her stage name.

Film career

For the next four years, she became a celebrity in the UK and large amounts of merchandise bearing her likeness were sold. She appeared in ''

Our Fighting Navy ''Our Fighting Navy'' (also known as ''Torpedoed'') is a 1937 British action film directed by Norman Walker and starring Robert Douglas, Richard Cromwell and Hazel Terry. The screenplay concerns a British warship that intervenes to protect Brit ...

'' (1937), ''

Splinters in the Air ''Splinters in the Air'' (aka, ''Splinters In The Air Force'') is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Alfred J. Goulding and starring Sydney Howard and Richard Hearne. It is a loose sequel to the films ''Splinters (1929 film), Splinters'' (19 ...

'' (1937) and, with

Ignacy Jan Paderewski Ignacy Jan Paderewski (; – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer who became a spokesman for Polish independence. In 1919, he was the new nation's Prime Minister and foreign minister during which he signed the Treaty of Versaill ...

, ''

Moonlight Sonata The Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, marked ''Quasi una fantasia'', Op. 27, No. 2, is a piano sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was completed in 1801 and dedicated in 1802 to his pupil Countess Giulietta Guicciardi. The popular name ''Mo ...

'' (1937). She had more substantial roles in popular low-budget releases that imitated Shirley Temple's films. These included ''

Little Miss Somebody Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

'' (1937), in which she plays an orphan deprived of her inheritance by a villain, ''

Rose of Tralee (The) Rose of Tralee may refer to: * Rose of Tralee (festival) The Rose of Tralee International Festival is an international event which is celebrated among Irish diaspora, Irish communities all over the world. The festival, held annually in ...

'' (1937), as an Irish singer, and '' Little Dolly Daydream'' (1938), in which she is a runaway child. Her biggest success was '' My Irish Molly'' (1938), in which she co-starred with

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural ...

. At only 7, her career came to an end. Plans to have Stuart visit the United States and seek acting roles in Hollywood were effectively ended by World War II. Stuart was one of two British child stars who were billed as the "British Shirley Temple". The other was

Hazel Ascot Hazel Ascot (born 10 May 1928) was a tap-dancing British child-star in the 1930s who was billed as the "British Shirley Temple". She starred in two films before abandoning her theatrical career. Career Ascot was born in Manchester, the daughter ...

, whose career was also ended by the outbreak of war.

Later life

After her film career, she appeared in seaside shows accompanied by her parents, but at 15 refused to embark on a tour of continental Europe. At her father's insistence, she took a job as a receptionist in a dentist's office and by 21 her parents had divorced. Stuart then continued to work as a dental receptionist for years, marrying a television engineer (who died in 1980). Eventually she became a nurse until retiring in the 1990s. Stuart died on 15 August 2001, aged 69.

Filmography

* ''

Keep Your Seats, Please ''Keep Your Seats, Please'' is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring George Formby, Florence Desmond and Alastair Sim. It marked the film debut of the child star Binkie Stuart. The film was made by Associated Talking ...

'' (1936) * ''

'' (1937) * ''

'' (1937) * ''Little Miss Somebody'' (1937) * '' My Irish Molly'' (1938) * ''Little Dolly Daydream'' (1938)

References

External links

* 1932 births 2001 deaths Scottish film actresses People from Kilmarnock Scottish child actresses {{British-actor-stub