Dorothy Black (18 September 1899 – 19 February 1985) was a South African-British actress.

Biography

Black was born and raised in

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

and attended St. Andrew's School for Girls. She went on to train at the

Royal Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama was founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as The Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for young actors and other students. It became a ...

in London. She started her career appearing in ''Outward Bound'', ''

The Farmer's Wife ''The Farmer's Wife'' is a 1928 British silent romantic comedy film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Jameson Thomas, Lillian Hall-Davis and Gordon Harker. It is adapted from a 1916 play of the same name by British novelist, poet an ...

'', ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC during ...

'' and '' The Constant Nymph''. Her first performance in London was in the play ''

Blue Comet The ''Blue Comet'' was a named passenger train operated by Central Railroad of New Jersey from 1929 to 1941 between the New York metropolitan area and Atlantic City. Designed by Central Railroad of New Jersey (CNJ) president R.B. White in 19 ...

'' at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, Englan ...

. Other West End plays included ''

Dear Brutus ''Dear Brutus'' is a 1917 fantasy play by J. M. Barrie, depicting alternative realities for its characters and their eventual return to real life. The title is a reference to a line from Shakespeare's ''Julius Caesar'': "The fault, dear Brutus, is ...

'', ''

Poison Pen A poison pen letter is a letter or note containing unpleasant, abusive, or malicious statements or accusations about the recipient or a third party. It is usually sent anonymously. In the term "poison pen" (or poisoned pen), the word poison is u ...

'', ''

Six Characters in Search of an Author ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' ( it, Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore, link=no ) is an Italian play by Luigi Pirandello, written and first performed in 1921. An absurdist fiction, absurdist metatheatrical, metatheatric play about th ...

'' and ''

The Brontes ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

''. Black appeared in many TV appearances since the early BBC broadcasts at

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is a Grade II listed entertainment and sports venue in London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. It is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and the later Tottenham Wood Farm. Origi ...

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1928) * '' Young Woodley'' (1928) * '' Her Reputation'' (1931) * ''

Captivation ''Captivation'' is a 1931 British romantic comedy film directed by John Harvel and starring Conway Tearle, Betty Stockfeld and Violet Vanbrugh.It was shot at the Beaconsfield Studios near London. A second feature, it has been classified as a quot ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Admiral's Secret ''The Admiral's Secret'' is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Guy Newall and starring Edmund Gwenn, James Raglan and Dorothy Black. It was based on a play by Cyril Campion and filmed at Twickenham Studios. The film's sets were designed by ...

'' (1933) * ''

Imitation of Life (1934 film) ''Imitation of Life'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay by William Hurlbut, based on Fannie Hurst's 1933 novel of the same name, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including Preston Stu ...

'' (1934, uncredited) * ''

The Night Has Eyes ''The Night Has Eyes'', released in the United States as ''Terror House'' by Producers Releasing Corporation and re-released in the US by Cosmopolitan Pictures in 1949 as ''Moonlight Madness'', is a 1942 British thriller film directed by Leslie ...

'' (1942) * ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' (1956) * ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'' (1956)

References

External links

*
Profile of Dorothy Black
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Barbara 1899 births 1985 deaths 20th-century British actresses 20th-century South African actresses Actresses from Johannesburg Alumni of the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama South African emigrants to the United Kingdom South African people of British descent White South African people