Patricia Dainton (born 12 April 1930) is a Scottish actress who appeared in a number of film and television roles between 1947 and 1961.

Early years

Dainton was born Margaret Bryden Pate, in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, Scotland, the daughter of film and stage agent Vivienne Black. She left Scotland at age ten, moving to London. She attended the

Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts The Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts is a performing arts conservatoire based in Woking, England. It was founded in 1911 by Italia Conti, an actress. The first production at Italia Conti Academy was the play ''Where the Rainbow Ends''. For ...

in London and the Cone school of dance.

Stage

After her stage debut at

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

, Dainton acted in the suburbs of London, with roles in ''Babette'', ''

Watch on the Rhine A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

'', ''

Quiet Wedding ''Quiet Wedding'' is a 1941 British romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Margaret Lockwood, Derek Farr and Marjorie Fielding. The screenplay was written by Terence Rattigan and Anatole de Grunwald based on the play ''Qui ...

'', and ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

''.

Film

Dainton's "dancing and acting debut in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

" came in ''

The Dancing Years ''The Dancing Years'' is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. The story takes place in Vienna, from 1911 until 1938. It follows the life of a penniless Jewish composer and his love for two women of di ...

'', with her screen debut in the 1947 film ''

Dancing with Crime ''Dancing with Crime'' is a 1947 British film noir film directed by John Paddy Carstairs, starring Richard Attenborough, Barry K. Barnes and Sheila Sim. It was shot at Southall Studios with sets designed by the art director Andrew Mazzei. P ...

''. She trained at the

Rank Organisation The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment conglomerate founded by industrialist J. Arthur Rank in April 1937. It quickly became the largest and most vertically integrated film company in the United Kingdom, owning production, distribu ...

's "charm school". (Another source says that Dainton "made her first film debut in 1942 in ''

The Bells Go Down ''The Bells Go Down'' is a 1943 black-and-white wartime film made by Ealing Studios. The reference in the title is to the alarm bells in the fire station that "go down" when a call to respond is made. The film is an ensemble piece that covers ...

''.") Her twin brother, George Bryden also made a couple of film and stage appearances around this time. As well as appearing in over a dozen film roles, Dainton starred in

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

's Sixpenny Corner, the UK's first daily

soap Soap is a salt of a fatty acid used in a variety of cleansing and lubricating products. In a domestic setting, soaps are surfactants usually used for washing, bathing, and other types of housekeeping. In industrial settings, soaps are use ...

. She appeared in 179 episodes between 1955 and 1956. Dainton was married to the actor turned producer

Norman Williams Norman Williams may refer to: * Norman Williams (Australian cricketer) (1899-1947), Australian cricketer * Norman Williams (New Zealand cricketer) (1864-1928), New Zealand cricketer * Norman Williams (RAAF officer), Royal Australian Air Force of ...

and they had four children. In the autobiography of writer Robert Corfe, 'This Was My England', especially in Chapter 14 'My Love for an Actress', Corfe describes his teenage obsession with Dainton which led to gestures of suicide and murder. 55 years after her last film role, she appeared in the public eye again, both attending the Renown Film Festival and providing introductions to her films in "An Afternoon with Patricia Dainton" on her 86th Birthday for TalkingPictures TV.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1947) * ''

Love in Waiting ''Love in Waiting'' is a 1948 in film, 1948 British comedy film directed by Douglas Peirce, and starring David Tomlinson. It was made at Highbury Studios as a second feature for release by the Rank Organisation. Plot In a busy restaurant during ...

'' (1948) * '' Castle in the Air'' (1952) * ''

Hammer the Toff ''Hammer the Toff'' is a 1952 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley and Patricia Dainton. The film was based on the 1947 novel of the same name by John Creasey, the 17th in the series featuring upper-class sle ...

'' (1952) * ''

Paul Temple Returns ''Paul Temple Returns'' is a 1952 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Bentley, Patricia Dainton and Peter Gawthorne. Known in the U.S. as ''Bombay Waterfront'', it was the fourth and last in the series of Paul Templ ...

'' (1952) * '' Tread Softly'' (1952) * ''

Operation Diplomat During World War II, Operation Diplomat was an Allied naval training operation. It was executed in March 1944 by the British Eastern Fleet to practice operational procedures that would be used by ships allocated to the British Pacific Fleet. Pa ...

'' (1953) * ''

No Road Back ''No Road Back'' is a 1957 British crime film directed by Montgomery Tully.''No Road Back''
at the

'' (1957) * ''

The Passionate Stranger ''The Passionate Stranger'' (U.S. ''A Novel Affair'') is a 1957 British drama film, directed by Muriel Box and starring Margaret Leighton and Ralph Richardson. It uses the Film in a film, film within a film device, with the "real" part of the ...

'' (1957) * ''

At the Stroke of Nine ''At the Stroke of Nine'' is a 1957 British crime film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Patricia Dainton, Stephen Murray, Patrick Barr and Dermot Walsh. The plot follows a high-flying female journalist who is kidnapped by a madman. He fo ...

'' (1957) * ''

Witness in the Dark ''Witness in the Dark'' is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Patricia Dainton, Conrad Phillips, Madge Ryan, and Nigel Green. It was produced by Patricia Dainton's husband, Norman Williams (producer). Premise Blind ...

'' (1959) * ''

The House in Marsh Road ''The House in Marsh Road'', known on American television as ''Invisible Creature'', is a 1960 British horror suspense film produced by Maurice J. Wilson, directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Tony Wright, Patricia Dainton and Sandra Dorne. ...

'' (1960) (Renamed 'Invisible Creature' on US tv) * ''

The Third Alibi ''The Third Alibi'' is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Laurence Payne, Patricia Dainton, Jane Griffiths and Edward Underdown. Plot Musicals composer Norman Martell (Laurence Payne) is having an affair wit ...

'' (1961) * '' Ticket to Paradise'' (1961)

References

External links

* 1930 births Living people Scottish film actresses Scottish television actresses People from Hamilton, South Lanarkshire Alumni of the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts Anglo-Scots {{UK-screen-actor-stub