Ivy Lilian Close (15 June 1890 – 4 December 1968) was a British actress. She acted in 44 films between 1912 and 1929."Ivy Close"
. bfi.org.uk

Life

Ivy Lilian Close was born 15 June 1890 in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees, often simply referred to as Stockton, is a market town in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees in County Durham, England. It is on the northern banks of the River Tees, part of the Teesside built-up area. The town had an estimated ...

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

, the daughter of Emma ( Blackburn) and John Robert Close. She had a younger brother, Raymond, and a sister, Dorothy. Her first husband was photographer and filmmaker Elwin Neame (1885–1923), who she married in 1910. Together they established Ivy Close Films in 1914, one of the first movie production companies founded by a film star. This marriage produced two sons: the director, cinematographer, producer and screenwriter

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film ''One of Our Aircraft Is Missing ...

, and author and screenwriter Derek Neame (1915–1979). Her grandson, by Ronald, was producer and screenwriter

Christopher Neame Christopher Neame (born 12 September 1947, London) is an English actor now living in the United States. UK career Neame's UK film credits include appearances in two Hammer Horror films: ''Lust for a Vampire'' (1971) and ''Dracula AD 1972'' ( ...

and her great grandson, by Christopher, is producer

Gareth Neame Gareth Elwin Neame (born 8 March 1967) is a British television producer and executive. As an executive at the BBC, Neame presided over the development of the dramas '' Spooks'', '' State of Play'', '' Bodies'', '' Hustle'', ''New Tricks'' and '' ...

. In 1938 she married Australian stuntman and make-up artist Curly Batson; this marriage lasted until his death in 1957. In 1908, Ivy Close was named the World's Most Beautiful Woman by the British tabloid

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...

, beating over 1,500 contestants, so becoming generally recognized as Britain's first beauty queen. Her victory won her not only a new Rover motorcar but also the exhibition of a portrait, by Sir Arthur Hacker, at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...

in London; the portrait was subsequently used on 4 May 1908 to fill the front page of the newspaper which had organised the contest. The painting was subsequently discovered to be in the collection of the

Ferens Art Gallery The Ferens Art Gallery is an art gallery in the English city of Kingston upon Hull. The site and money for the gallery were donated to the city by Thomas Ferens, after whom it is named. The architects were S. N. Cooke and E. C. Davie ...

Hull Hull may refer to: Structures * Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship * Submarine hull Mathematics * Affine hull, in affi ...

but not on display because it required restoration; the necessary work was paid for by her great-grandson Gareth Neame. Neame has argued, "And there was then a competition between the winner in Britain and the winner in the US, and she ended up winning that one. So I often say she was effectively the first ever

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Miss Int ...

." Besides acting, her other pursuits were motorcycling and golf. She also worked as a model in advertising campaigns and sang in English music halls. Close's film career ended with the advent of talkies, as her English accent was deemed unsuitable for American audiences.Ivy Close
. stockton.gov.uk Her great-grandson incorporated a passing reference to her career in an episode of ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. The series first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United States on P ...

''. Ivy Close died 4 December 1968 in Goring,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, aged 78.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Lure of London ''The Lure of London'' is a 1914 British silent drama film directed by Bert Haldane and starring Ivy Close, Edward Viner and M. Gray Murray. It is based on a play of the same title by Arthur Applin.Goble p.848 Cast * Ivy Close as Daisy Westb ...

'' (1914) * '' The Ware Case'' (1917) * ''

The House Opposite The House Opposite may refer to: * ''The House Opposite'' (play), a play by Perceval Landon ** ''The House Opposite'' (1917 film), a silent film adaptation directed by Walter West * ''The House Opposite'' (novel), by Joseph Jefferson Farjeon * ...

'' (1917) * ''

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

'' (1918) * ''

Missing the Tide ''Missing the Tide'' is a 1918 British silent drama film directed by Walter West and starring Violet Hopson, Basil Gill and Ivy Close. The film is based on a novel by Alfred Turner.Goble p.468 The screenplay concerns a woman who leaves her cr ...

'' (1918) * '' A Peep Behind the Scenes'' (1918) * ''

Adam Bede ''Adam Bede'' was the first novel by Mary Ann Evans (George Eliot), and was published in 1859. It was published pseudonymously, even though Evans was a well-published and highly respected scholar of her time. The novel has remained in print ev ...

'' (1918) *''

The Irresistible Flapper ''The Irresistible Flapper'' is a 1919 British silent comedy film directed by Frank Wilson and starring Violet Hopson, Ivy Close and Gerald Ames. Plot A flapper rescues her less worldly-wise sister from social disgrace. Cast * Violet Hopson ...

'' (1919) * '' The Flag Lieutenant'' (1919) * ''

Darby and Joan Darby and Joan is a proverbial phrase for a married couple content to share a quiet life of mutual devotion. Usage ''The Nuttall Encyclopædia'' defined the phrase as "a married couple celebrated for their mutual attachment", the ''Random House ...

'' (1920) * ''The Worldlings'' (1920) * ''

Was She Justified? ''Was She Justified?'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by Walter West and starring Florence Turner, Ivy Close and Lewis Gilbert.Low p.474 Cast * Florence Turner as Joan Crossby * Ivy Close * Lewis Gilbert as John Crossby * ...

'' (1922) * ''

Expiation Propitiation is the act of appeasing or making well-disposed a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding divine retribution. While some use the term interchangeably with expiation, others draw a sharp distinction between the two. The discuss ...

'' (1922) * ''

La Roue ''La Roue'' (, 'The Wheel') is a French silent film, directed by Abel Gance, who also directed ''Napoléon'' and ''J'accuse''. It was released in 1923. The film used then-revolutionary lighting techniques, and rapid scene changes and cuts. Plo ...

'' (1923) * '' The Merry Farmer'' (1927)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Close, Ivy 1890 births 1968 deaths British film actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses Actors from Stockton-on-Tees 20th-century English actresses Neame family Actors from County Durham