Elsa Buchanan (22 December 1908 – 17 January 2004) was an English

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

with a brief career in theatre and film. Born Elsie Winifred Buchanan Tinker, Buchanan made her stage debut at age three at the

Palace Theatre Palace Theatre, or Palace Theater, is the name of many theatres in different countries, including: Australia *Palace Theatre, Melbourne, Victoria *Palace Theatre, Sydney, New South Wales Canada *Palace Theatre, housed in the Robillard Block, Mo ...

, London at a performance attended by Queen Mary. Buchanan was later the first Briton admitted to the training school of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

. She made seventeen films in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where she was noted for her blonde hair and called "the girl with the largest eyes and the smallest waist in Hollywood." She accepted the proposal of her husband, a merchant sailor named Noll Charlton, while attending a coronation ball for

King George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

and retired from film thereafter. Shortly before her death, she saw ''

Gosford Park ''Gosford Park'' is a 2001 satirical black comedy mystery film directed by Robert Altman and written by Julian Fellowes. It was influenced by Jean Renoir's French classic ''La Règle du jeu'' (''The Rules of the Game''). The film stars an ...

'', in which one of the characters, a Hollywood producer, discusses casting for ''Charlie Chan in London'', inviting a blonde maid to audition for the part that she actually played in that film.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Buchanan, Elsa English film actresses English people of Scottish descent Actresses from London British expatriates in the United States 1908 births 2004 deaths English child actresses English stage actresses