Hilda Plowright (29 November 1890 – 9 October 1973) was a British actress.

Biography

Plowright was born in

Swaffham Swaffham () is a market town and civil parish in the Breckland District and English county of Norfolk. It is situated east of King's Lynn and west of Norwich. The civil parish has an area of and in the 2001 census had a population of 6,9 ...

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, England. Following a career on the stage in Britain she came to the United States and obtained work and a

Social Security number In the United States, a Social Security number (SSN) is a nine-digit number issued to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and temporary (working) residents under section 205(c)(2) of the Social Security Act, codified as . The number is issued to ...

in New York. She died in San Diego, California following a career in film, theatre and television, primarily playing older women in assorted small roles. She had over 50 film and television appearances between 1938 and 1965. She also appeared in at least 13 theatre productions on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

between 1925 and 1940.

Theatrical work in Britain

Plowright had an extensive theatrical career in Britain from 1908 to 1921. The 17 August 1916 review from ''

The Cornishman ''The Cornishman'' is a weekly newspaper based in Penzance, Cornwall, England, United Kingdom which was first published on 18 July 1878. Circulation for the first two editions was 4,000. An edition is currently printed every Thursday. In early Fe ...

'' of her in the title role, Ann Annington, of Lechmere Worrall's play "Ann" (later made into the film ''

Her Winning Way ''Her Winning Way'' is a silent comedy film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Mary Miles Minter. The screenplay was written by Douglas Z. Doty, based upon the novel ''Ann Annington'' by Edgar Jepson and the play ''Ann'' by Lechmere Worr ...

'') was favourable:

Films

Plowright had a starring role in her first film, the 1938

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He was ...

B-movie '' Partners of the Plains'' where

Gwen Gaze Alta Gwendolyn Gaze (6 September 1915 – 29 August 2010) was an American-based film actress (1937–1943), born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Gaze was a graduate of Pasadena Junior College in California and the Royal Academy of Drama ...

was the leading lady. Plowright's role as a

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...

librarian in '' The Philadelphia Story'' has been noted as one of the first examples on film of a librarian saying "shush" to patrons, giving rise to and popularising a "new dimension to the stereotype" of stern, straightlaced librarians in film. She also was cast in '' Wilson'' as

Jeannette Rankin Jeannette Pickering Rankin (June 11, 1880 – May 18, 1973) was an American politician and women's rights advocate who became the first woman to hold federal office in the United States in 1917. She was elected to the U.S. House of Representat ...

. She auditioned for, but was not given, the role of Frau Schmidt in ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. Se ...

''. Her last film was ''

My Fair Lady ''My Fair Lady'' is a musical based on George Bernard Shaw's 1913 play ''Pygmalion'', with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons f ...

'' in 1964 in which she had a minor role.

Filmography

Plowright appeared in mostly small character roles often uncredited, in dozens of films throughout her career, including the following:

Television

Plowright's television credits included two appearances in ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' in 1957 and 1959. Other television credits included ''

NBC Matinee Theater ''Matinee Theater'' is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from October 31, 1955, to June 27, 1958. Its name is often seen as ''Matinee Theatre''. The series, which ran daily from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. E ...

'' (1956) and roles on ''

The Gale Storm Show ''The Gale Storm Show'' is an American sitcom starring Gale Storm. The series premiered on September 29, 1956, and ran until 1960 for 125 half-hour black-and-white episodes, initially on CBS and in its last year on ABC. Its title is also seen ...

'' (1956), '' The Joseph Cotten Show'' (1956), and ''

Schlitz Playhouse ''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both Television comedy, comedies and Dramatic programming, drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The ti ...

'' (1951).

Broadway Theatre credits

Broadway productions where Plowright appeared were: *''A Tale of the Wolf'' (1925) *''Saturday Night'' (1926) *''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' (1926) *''When Crummles Played'' (1928) *'' Michael and Mary'' (1929) *''Heat Wave'' (1931) *''

The Lady with a Lamp ''The Lady with a Lamp'' is a 1951 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding and Felix Aylmer. The film depicts the life of Florence Nightingale and her work with wounded British soldiers durin ...

'' (1931) *'' The Good Fairy'' (1932) *''The Party's Over'' (1933) *'' The Distaff Side'' (1934) *''For Valor'' (1935) *''And Now Good-bye'' (1937) *''

Leave Her to Heaven ''Leave Her to Heaven'' is a 1945 American psychological thriller film noir melodrama directed by John M. Stahl and starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, and Vincent Price. It follows a socialite who marries a prominent novelist, ...

'' (1940)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Plowright, Hilda 1890 births 1973 deaths English film actresses People from Swaffham 20th-century English actresses English emigrants to the United States