Penelope Ann Rachel, Lady Reed (born Penelope Anne Rachel Dudley Ward; 4 August 1914 – 21 January 1982), known as Penelope Dudley-Ward, was an English actress.
Born in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, she was the elder daughter of
William Dudley Ward
William Dudley Ward PC (14 October 1877 – 11 November 1946) was an English sportsman and Liberal politician.
Early life
Dudley Ward was born in London, the son of William Humble Dudley Ward and the great-grandson of William Humble Wa ...
and the leading
socialite
A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having tradit ...
Freda Dudley Ward, her mother being best remembered for being the long-time mistress of the Prince of Wales, the future
King Edward VIII
Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...
. She was a leading lady in several British films during the 1930s and 1940s. She retired from the screen following her second marriage.
Her first marriage, to
Anthony Pelissier
Harry Anthony Compton Pelissier (27 July 1912 – 2 April 1988) was an English actor, screenwriter, producer and director.
Biography
Pelissier was born in Barnet and came from a theatrical family. His parents were the theatre producer H. G. ...
, lasted from 29 December 1939, until their divorce in 1944;
the couple had one daughter, the actress
Tracy Reed. Dudley-Ward married film director
Carol Reed
Sir Carol Reed (30 December 1906 – 25 April 1976) was an English film director and producer, best known for '' Odd Man Out'' (1947), '' The Fallen Idol'' (1948), ''The Third Man'' (1949), and ''Oliver!'' (1968), for which he was awarded the ...
on 24 January 1948.
They had one son, Max Reed, born 14 September 1948. Dudley-Ward and Reed remained married until he died in 1976.
Death
Lady Reed died from a
brain tumour on 21 January 1982 at the age of 67,
[Wapshott, p. 334.] fourteen months before her mother.
Filmography
See also
*
List of notable brain tumor patients
A brain tumor is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain or inside the skull, and can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign). Just over half of all primary brain tumors are malignant; the rest are benign, though they may still be ...
References
External links
*
*
1914 births
1982 deaths
Actresses from London
Deaths from brain cancer in England
English film actresses
Penelope
Penelope ( ; Ancient Greek: Πηνελόπεια, ''Pēnelópeia'', or el, Πηνελόπη, ''Pēnelópē'') is a character in Homer's ''Odyssey.'' She was the queen of Ithaca and was the daughter of Spartan king Icarius and naiad Periboea. Pe ...
20th-century English actresses
Birkin family
Wives of knights
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