Margherita Cecilia Brigida Lucia Maria Albanesi (8 October 1899—9 December 1923) was a British stage and film actress.

Life and career

She was born in London on 8 October 1899. Her father was Italian-born Carlo Albanesi (1856-1926), a pianist and teacher at Royal Academy of Music, while her mother was

Effie Adelaide Rowlands Effie Adelaide Maria Henderson (later Rowlands and Albanesi; c.1859 – 16 October 1936) was a British novelist, better known under the pen names Effie Adelaide Rowlands, E. Maria Albanesi and Madame Albanesi. She was the author of more than 2 ...

, a writer who published over 100 romance novels. She attended 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 ...

, and appeared on the stage in ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sn ...

'', '' Mr. Todd's Experiment'' and '' A Pair of Spectacles''. She appeared in small film roles in ''

The Romance of Old Bill ''The Romance of Old Bill'' is a 1918 British silent comedy war directed by George Pearson and starring Charles Rock, Arthur Cleave and Hugh E. Wright. It was made at Twickenham Studios. It is based on the play '' The Better 'Ole'', with the s ...

'', ''

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 ...

'' and '' Mr. Wu''. She enjoyed a successful theatre career, starring in plays such as

Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize ...

's '' The First and the Last'', opposite

Owen Nares Owen Ramsay Nares (11 August 1888 – 30 July 1943) was an English stage and film actor. Besides his acting career, he was the author of ''Myself, and Some Others'' (1925). Early life Educated at Reading School, Nares was encouraged by his mo ...

. She was soon being hailed by critics as one of the brightest prospects in British acting.

Death

After making just six films, Albanesi died at the age of 24 in Broadstairs,

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, on 9 December 1923, of intestinal obstruction and laparotomy, allegedly as a result of an illegal abortion. She was buried in

St Pancras Cemetery St Pancras and Islington Cemetery is a cemetery in East Finchley, North London. Although it is situated in the London Borough of Barnet, it is run as two cemeteries, owned by two other London Boroughs, Camden (formerly St Pancras) and Islin ...

in central London. Albanesi had a relationship with the theatre and film producer

Basil Dean Basil Herbert Dean CBE (27 September 1888 – 22 April 1978) was an English actor, writer, producer and director in the theatre and in cinema. He founded the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, after organising unof ...

who continued to be obsessed with her after her death. Dean was first attracted to his wife the actress

Victoria Hopper Victoria Hopper (24 May 1909 – 22 January 2007) was a Canadian-born British stage and film actress and singer. Biography Victoria Evelyn Hopper was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and brought up in North East England. She studie ...

because of her physical resemblance to Albanesi and cast her in a number of his productions. His final film as a director '' 21 Days'' was based on a play, ''The First and the Last'' on which he had worked with Albanesi. Dean commissioned

Eric Gill Arthur Eric Rowton Gill, (22 February 1882 – 17 November 1940) was an English sculptor, letter cutter, typeface designer, and printmaker. Although the ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' describes Gill as ″the greatest artist-cra ...

to create a memorial plaque to Albanesi, which can be seen in the foyer of the St Martin's Theatre, West Street, London.'Remember Meggie Albanesi', London Walking Tours
/ref> Her friend Noël Coward dedicated the first published text of his play ''

The Rat Trap ''The Rat Trap'' (1918) is a four-act drama by Noël Coward, written when he was 18, but not staged until he was 26, by which time he was well known as a rising playwright, after the success of ''The Vortex''. The play depicts the clash of egos ...

'' to the "dear memory of Meggie Albanesi" in 1924.

Selected filmography

* ''

'', dir. George Pearson (1918) * '' Mr. Wu'', dir.

Maurice Elvey Maurice Elvey (11 November 1887 – 28 August 1967) was one of the most prolific film directors in British history. He directed nearly 200 films between 1913 and 1957. During the silent film era he directed as many as twenty films per year. He a ...

(1919) * ''

'', dir.

Percy Nash The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into us ...

(1920) * ''

The Skin Game The Skin Game may refer to: * ''The Skin Game'' (play), a play by John Galsworthy * ''The Skin Game'' (1921 film), a 1921 Dutch film, based on the play * ''The Skin Game'' (1931 film), a 1931 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, also based on the ...

'', dir. B. E. Doxat-Pratt (1921) * '' The Great Day'', dir. Hugh Ford (1921) * ''Det omringade huset'' (''The House Surrounded''), dir.

Victor Sjöström Victor David Sjöström (; 20 September 1879 – 3 January 1960), also known in the United States as Victor Seastrom, was a pioneering Swedish film director, screenwriter, and actor. He began his career in Sweden, before moving to Hollywood in ...

(1922)

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Albanesi, Meggie 1899 births 1923 deaths Actresses from London English stage actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses English people of Italian descent Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 20th-century English actresses