Dorothy Dickson (July 25, 1893 – September 25, 1995) was an American-born, London-based theater actress and singer, and a

centenarian A centenarian is a person who has reached the age of 100 years. Because life expectancies worldwide are below 100 years, the term is invariably associated with longevity. In 2012, the United Nations estimated that there were 316,600 living cente ...

Biography and Career

Dickson is known mostly for her rendition of the

Jerome Kern Jerome David Kern (January 27, 1885 – November 11, 1945) was an American composer of musical theatre and popular music. One of the most important American theatre composers of the early 20th century, he wrote more than 700 songs, used in over ...

song "

Look for the Silver Lining "Look for the Silver Lining" is a 1919 popular song with music by Jerome Kern and lyrics by B.G. DeSylva. Background The song was written in 1919 for the unsuccessful musical ''Zip, Goes a Million''. In 1920, it was publishedSuskin, Steven ...

". She was also a member of the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as ''The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air ...

and made many appearances in New York and abroad. In 1922, she starred in ''

The Cabaret Girl ''The Cabaret Girl'' is a musical comedy in three acts with music by Jerome Kern and book and lyrics by George Grossmith, Jr. and P. G. Wodehouse. It was produced by Grossmith and J. A. E. Malone at the Winter Garden Theatre in London's West ...

''. In 1936, she co-starred with

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 ...

in his ''

Careless Rapture ''Careless Rapture'' is a 'musical play' by the Welsh composer Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. It premiered on 11 September 1936 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. It ran for 295 performances, a relatively modest success given Nove ...

'' and, in 1937, in his '' Crest of the Wave''. Dickson starred in a few

silent film 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, when ...

s, including ''Eastward Ho!'' (1919) and ''Paying the Piper'' (1921). During her early days on the London stage, Dickson was introduced to another future celebrity (as well as

Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of Ki ...

, later the Queen Mother. The two became close friends and their friendship lasted until Dickson's death at age 102. Her daughter was the actress

Dorothy Hyson Dorothy Hyson, Lady Quayle (born Dorothy Wardell Heisen; December 24, 1914May 23, 1996) was an American-born film and stage actress who worked largely in England. During World War II, she worked as a cryptographer at Bletchley Park. Early lif ...

, who was married to Sir

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film ''Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969). ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she was involved in organising the London version of

Stage Door Canteen The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers we ...

. In 2006,

Angus McBean Angus Rowland McBean (8 June 1904 – 9 June 1990) was a Welsh photographer, set designer and cult figure associated with surrealism. Early life Angus Rowland McBean was born in Newbridge, Monmouthshire, Wales on 8 June 1904, elder child and o ...

's photograph of Dorothy Dickson was used on the poster for an exhibition of his photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, London, as well as on the cover of the accompanying book.National Portrait Gallery
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Stage

* ''The Private Road'' by John Carlton (1934), Comedy Theatre * ''Stop Press'' (1935), Adelphi Theatre * ''

'' by Ivor Novello (1938),Theatre Royal Dury Lane * '' Crest of the Wave'' by Ivor Novello (1937), Theatre Royal Dury Lane * '' Fine and Dandy'' (1942),Saville Theatre * ''

Our Betters ''Our Betters'' is a 1933 American pre-Code satirical comedy film directed by George Cukor and starring Constance Bennett, Anita Louise and Gilbert Roland. The screenplay by Jane Murfin and Harry Wagstaff Gribble is based on the 1917 play of th ...

'' by William Somereset Maugham, (1946) * ''As Long As They’re Happy'' with

Jack Buchanan Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George G ...

(1953), Garrick Theatre

Filmography

* ''Eastward Ho!'' (1919) * '' The Silver Lining'' (1921) * ''

Paying the Piper ''Paying the Piper'' is a 1949 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Robert McKimson. The short was released on March 12, 1949, and stars Porky Pig. It is a parody of the fairy tale The Pied Piper and it involves Porky trying to stop a ...

'' (1921) * '' Headin' North'' (1921) * ''

The Road Is Fine ''The Road Is Fine'' (French: ''La route est belle'') is a 1930 French musical film directed by Robert Florey and starring Laurette Fleury, André Baugé and Léon Bary.Marshall p.451 As no French studios had been converted for sound film, it was ...

'' (1930) * ''

Channel Crossing ''Channel Crossing'' is a 1933 British crime film directed by Milton Rosmer and starring Matheson Lang, Constance Cummings, Anthony Bushell and Nigel Bruce. It was shot partly on location and at the Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush.Wood p ...

'' (1933) * ''

Danny Boy "Danny Boy" is a ballad, written by English songwriter Frederic Weatherly in 1913, and set to the traditional Irish melody of "Londonderry Air". History In 1910, in Bath, Somerset, the English lawyer and lyricist Frederic Weatherly initial ...

'' (1934) * ''

Sword of Honour The ''Sword of Honour'' is a trilogy of novels by Evelyn Waugh which loosely parallel Waugh's experiences during the Second World War. Published by Chapman & Hall from 1952 to 1961, the novels are: ''Men at Arms'' (1952); ''Officers and Gentl ...

'' (1939)

References

External links

* *
Dorothy Dickson performances in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickson, Dorothy 1893 births 1995 deaths American centenarians American stage actresses American expatriate actresses in the United Kingdom 20th-century American actresses Women centenarians