Margie Morris (24 July 1892 – 14 January 1983) was an English stage and

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 ...

actress, revue artist, musician, dancer and singer who worked in the Netherlands during the 1910s and 1920s.

Early life

She was born in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

in London in 1892 as Margaret Sarah Whitefoot, the daughter of jeweller and pawnbroker Alfred Victor Whitefoot (1867-1894) and Margaret Christina ''née'' Williamson (1869-1958). In 1901 she was a boarder at the girls' school attached to the Convent of Our Lady of Sion in

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

in London. She was then educated at a conservatory and aspired to become a musician. In 1905 her widowed mother married Henry Walter Morris (1867–1934), a travelling salesman for a drapery company and in 1911 she was living with her mother and stepfather at Minard Road in

Catford Catford is a district in south east London, England, and the administrative centre of the London Borough of Lewisham. It is southwest of Lewisham itself, mostly in the Rushey Green (ward), Rushey Green and Catford South Ward (electoral subdiv ...

in London. At about this time Morris met the Dutch revue artist

Louis Davids Louis Davids (born Simon David; 19 December 1883 – 1 July 1939) was a Dutch actor, singer, comedian and revue artist. He is widely considered one of the biggest names in Dutch performing arts. Biography Early years Davids was born in the ...

at an intimate party for artistes and although her stepfather was against their relationship she moved to the Netherlands with him in 1913 with various sources claiming that she was fleeing from her stepfather's strict upbringing.

Success in the Netherlands

Adopting her stepfather's surname, she joined the company of Leon Boedels, director of the Flora Theatre in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

as a dancer. Meanwhile Morris wrote songs with Davids which they performed on stage under the name 'He, She and the Piano' ( 'Hij, zij en de piano'). Their act was created by chance when one evening the film director Willy Mullens misplaced a movie he had planned to screen to his guests and he invited Davids and Morris to perform and they were given the nickname by the audience. Morris's popularity increased significantly and the duo's comedic repertoire soon became well-known across the Netherlands in what is now known as

Levenslied Levenslied (Dutch, literally "life song" or "song about life") is a sentimental Dutch-language subgenre of popular music. ''Levenslied'' lyrics can be sweet or bitter, light and sentimental, but also reflective and dark, about subjects such as love, ...

, the Dutch genre of nostalgic sentimental popular music. One of the duo's more famous songs from this period is ''De Jantjes'', which was the basis for a silent film in 1922, and a full motion picture in 1934. When

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out, Davids founded the First Dutch Mobilization Cabaret. Together with Morris they performed for soldiers in Gorinchem. After the mobilization, Morris and Davids continued the performances of 'He, She and the Piano'. Meanwhile, she played in several revues. In 1915 she gave birth to a son, Louis Davids Jr. (Louis Harry Whitefoot). From then on she focused on writing the music for

Herman Bouber Herman Bouber, born ''Hermanus Blom'' (24 September 1885, Amsterdam – 2 February 1963, Amsterdam) was a Dutch actor, screenwriter and playwright. He was married to the actress Aaf Bouber. Filmography Actor * '' Bleeke Bet'' (1923) - Sally Mattem ...

's plays such as ''De Jantjes'', '' Bleeke Bet'' and ''Oranje Hein'' and in 1920 she played the leading role in one of these musicals. Her film career was launched in 1918 with her playing the female lead in two Dutch

s: Margie in '' American Girls'' (1918) and Thérèse in ''

The Devil in Amsterdam ''The Devil in Amsterdam'' ( nl, De duivel in Amsterdam) is a 1919 Dutch silent film directed by Theo Frenkel. Cast * Eduard Verkade - De Duivel * Louis Bouwmeester - Van Rijn * Margie Morris - Thérèse * Annie Wesling - Huisvriendin van Va ...

'' (1919). At the premiere of ''American Girls'' Morris entertained the audience with songs.

Later years

In 1919 after her brief film career ended Morris went on tour with

to the Dutch East Indies. Although the tour was a success their relationship broke up with Davids leaving her in 1922 for actress Tilly van der Does. However, they never lost contact and remained friends until his death in 1939. Morris continued with her songwriting in the late 1920s, composing the music among others for the songs 'You wanted someone to play with, I wanted someone to love' recorded by

Johnny Marvin John Senator Marvin (July 11, 1897 – December 10, 1944) was an early American recording artist and musician, starting in 1924 and covering a twenty-year period for many record labels. Early years Born in Butler, Oklahoma Territory in 18 ...

in 1928, and 'I won't believe it's raining (Until I see the rain)' recorded by Tom Frawley and The Georgians in 1929. After this, little is known of Morris's life except that she returned to England, where she lived in

Hindhead Hindhead is a village in Surrey, England. It is the highest village in Surrey, with buildings at between 185 and 253 metres above sea level. It is best known as the location of the Devil's Punch Bowl, a beauty spot and site of special scientific ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

. Margie Morris died at the Grayshott Nursing Home at

Grayshott Grayshott is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is on the Hampshire / Surrey border northwest of Haslemere by road, and southwest of central London. The nearest rail link is Haslemere railway sta ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

in 1983 at the age of 90.England & Wales, National Probate Calendar (Index of Wills and Administrations), 1858-1995 for Margaret Sarah Whitefoot: 1983, Watson-Wilby - Ancestry.com
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References

External links

Margie Morris
on

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Margie 1892 births 1983 deaths People from Westminster Dutch women comedians Dutch film actresses Dutch cabaret performers Dutch folk singers Dutch-language singers Dutch levenslied singers English stage actresses English silent film actresses 20th-century English women singers 20th-century English singers 20th-century comedians 20th-century Dutch women singers Dutch silent film actresses People from Hindhead People from Grayshott