Everley Gregg (26 October 1903, in
Bishopstoke, Hampshire – 9 June 1959, in
Beaconsfield,
Buckinghamshire) was an English actress. Early in her career, she became associated especially with plays of
Noël Coward. She began making films in the 1930s and added television roles in her last decade; she acted until her last year.
Life and career
Gregg was the daughter of Richard Russell Gregg and his wife Gertrude Everley, ''née'' Pope. She was educated at Badminton School, Bristol, and the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...
.
[Parker, pp. 710–711] She made her professional stage debut as the maid in
Noël Coward's ''
Easy Virtue'' at the
Duke of York's Theatre
The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...
, London.
Engagements in minor parts followed in ''The Constant Nymph,'' tours in ''Easy Virtue'' and ''Hit the Deck,'' and a repertory season at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. In the
West End in 1929, she succeeded Phyllis Konstam as Val Power in ''The Matriarch''. Her association with the plays of Coward was renewed at the
Phoenix Theatre in September 1930 when she played Louise in ''
Private Lives
''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetu ...
''.
[
Her West End roles in the early 1930s were Mrs. Agnew in ''Five Farthings'' (1931), the telephone girl in '']Grand Hotel A grand hotel is a large and luxurious hotel, especially one housed in a building with traditional architectural style. It began to flourish in the 1800s in Europe and North America.
Grand Hotel may refer to:
Hotels Africa
* Grande Hotel Beir ...
'' (1931), Georgina in ''Stepdaughters of War,'' Ruth in ''Dance With No Music'' (1932), Mrs. Gilbard in '' Behold, We Live '' (1933), Susanne in ''Love For Sale'', and Miss Goslett in Coward's ''Conversation Piece
A conversation piece refers to a group portrait in a domestic or landscape setting depicting persons chatting or otherwise socializing with each other.[Point Valaine
''Point Valaine'' is a play by Noël Coward. It was written as a vehicle for Alfred Lunt and his wife Lynn Fontanne, who starred together in the original Broadway production in 1934. The play was not seen in Britain until 1944 and was not staged ...]
''. After returning to London, she played seven parts in Coward's '' Tonight at 8.30'' cycle of short plays. Later roles included Miss Prism in ''The Importance of Being Earnest
''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...
,'' Freda Caplan in ''Dangerous Corner
''Dangerous Corner'' was the first play by the English writer J. B. Priestley. It was premiered in May 1932 by Tyrone Guthrie at the Lyric Theatre, London, and filmed in 1934 by Phil Rosen.
Priestley had recently collaborated with Edward Kno ...
'', and Grace Torrence in Coward's ''Design for Living
''Design for Living'' is a comedy play written by Noël Coward in 1932. It concerns a trio of artistic characters, Gilda, Otto and Leo, and their complicated three-way relationship. Originally written to star Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt and Cowa ...
''.[
Gregg made her film debut in the 1933 film '']The Private Life of Henry VIII
''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London F ...
'' as Catherine Parr, Henry's last wife. A small part as a nurse in David Lean's 1942 film '' In Which We Serve'' was followed by a more substantial role in Lean's ''Brief Encounter
''Brief Encounter'' is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play ''Still Life''.
Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey, ...
'' (1945) as "Dolly Messiter", the "gossiping acquaintance" of Laura Jesson, played by Celia Johnson, in which Gregg had appeared in the earlier stage version of the piece '' Still Life'' in ''Tonight at 8.30''.[
In the 1950s Gregg appeared on ]BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
'' in 1952 (as Mrs Durbeyfield) to mysteries such as ''My Guess Would be Murder'' (1957), comedies including ''Haul for the Shore'' (1956), historical drama such as ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1955), and contemporary drama including ''Let us be True'' (1953).