Rona Anderson (3 August 1926 – 23 July 2013) was a Scottish stage, film, and television actress. She appeared in TV series and on the stage and films throughout the 1950s. She appeared in the films '' Scrooge'' and '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' and on TV in ''

Dr Finlay's Casebook ''Dr. Finlay's Casebook'' is a television drama series that was produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1962 until 1971. Based on A. J. Cronin's 1935 novella ''Country Doctor'', the storylines centred on a general medical practice in the fictiona ...

'' and ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

''.

Biography

Rona Anderson was born in Edinburgh to James and Evelyn (née Thomson) Anderson. She was educated in her home town and briefly in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

during the war. She trained for the stage at the Glover Turner-Robertson School in Edinburgh. In 1951, she married fellow actor Gordon Jackson, with whom she had appeared in ''

Floodtide ''Floodtide'' is a 1949 British romantic drama film directed by Frederick Wilson and starring Gordon Jackson, Rona Anderson, John Laurie and Jimmy Logan. The film was one of the four of David Rawnsley's films that used his "independent frame" ...

'' (1949) and remained with him until his death from bone cancer on 15 January 1990.

Stage work

Anderson had an English accent despite being brought up in Scotland. She made her first appearance on the stage at the

Garrison Theatre The Garrison Theatre is a 280-capacity venue in Lerwick, Shetland, Scotland, with a sprung proscenium stage with fixed raked seating. The auditorium has 19 rows, named A to S, with 8, 12, 13, 15, or 16 seats in each row. The venue hosts dance, dr ...

in April 1945 in a production of ''

Peg o' My Heart "Peg o' My Heart" is a popular song written by Alfred Bryan (words) and Fred Fisher (music). It was published on March 15, 1913 and it featured in the 1913 musical ''Ziegfeld Follies''. The song was first performed publicly by Irving Kaufman ...

''. From 1945 through 1949, she played various parts with the

Glasgow Citizens Theatre The Citizens Theatre, in what was the Royal Princess's Theatre, is the creation of James Bridie and is based in Glasgow, Scotland as a principal producing theatre. The theatre includes a 500-seat Main Auditorium, and has also included various ...

. At the 1950

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

, Anderson played the role of Venus in a production of ''The Queen's Comedy''. She made her London debut in October 1951 at the

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...

in '' The White Sheep of the Family''. Anderson went on two tours in 1955. In March of that year, she toured as Sabrina in ''

Sabrina Fair ''Sabrina Fair'' (subtitled "''A Woman of the World''") is a romantic comedy written by Samuel A. Taylor and produced by the Playwrights' Company. It ran on Broadway for a total of 318 performances, opening at the National Theatre on November 11 ...

''. In September 1955, she toured as Mary in '' All for Mary''. In October 1958, she played Mary Tufnell in '' Once a Rake'' at the

Theatre Royal, Windsor The Theatre Royal is an Edwardian era, Edwardian theatre on Thames Street in Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor in Berkshire. The present building is the second theatre to stand on this site and opened on 13 December 1910. Built for Sir Wiliam Shipley an ...

. Anderson appeared in the premier of '' Savages'' in 1973. She appeared at the

Mermaid Theatre The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre encompassing the site of Puddle Dock and Curriers' Alley at Blackfriars in the City of London, and the first built in the City since the time of Shakespeare. It was, importantly, also one of the first new thea ...

in their 1978 production of '' Whose Life Is It Anyway?'', which transferred to the

Savoy Theatre The Savoy Theatre is a West End theatre in the Strand in the City of Westminster, London, England. The theatre was designed by C. J. Phipps for Richard D'Oyly Carte and opened on 10 October 1881 on a site previously occupied by the Savoy Pala ...

. In 1981, she played

Frances Shand Kydd Frances Ruth Shand Kydd (previously Spencer, ''née'' Roche; 20 January 1936 – 3 June 2004) was the mother of Diana, Princess of Wales. She was the maternal grandmother of William, Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, respectivel ...

in the

Ray Cooney Raymond George Alfred Cooney, OBE (born 30 May 1932) is an English playwright, actor, and director. His biggest success, '' Run for Your Wife'' (1983), ran for nine years in London's West End and is its longest-running comedy. He has had 17 ...

comedy, '' Her Royal Highness'' at the

Palace Theatre, London The Palace Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster in London. Its red-brick facade dominates the west side of Cambridge Circus behind a small plaza near the intersection of Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road. The Palace ...

starring

Marc Sinden Marcus Andrew Sinden (born 9 May 1954) is an English actor and film & theatre director and producer. Sinden has worked in film and theatre (mainly in London's West End) as both actor and producer and directed the documentary series ''Great We ...

Film career

Rona Anderson posing with leading members of the New Zealand cricket team Rona Anderson's first major film was the drama ''

Sleeping Car to Trieste ''Sleeping Car to Trieste'' is a 1948 British comedy thriller film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Jean Kent, Albert Lieven, Derrick De Marney and Rona Anderson. It was shot at Denham Studios outside London. The film's sets were de ...

'' (1948) directed by

John Paddy Carstairs John Paddy Carstairs (born John Keys; 11 May 1910, in London – 12 December 1970, in London) was a British film director (1933–62) and television director (1962–64), usually of light-hearted subject matter. He was also a comic novelist and ...

. Anderson played the role of Alice (originally named "Belle" by Dickens) in '' Scrooge'' (1951), a film adaptation of Charles Dickens's ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. ''A Christmas C ...

''. She appeared alongside

Lee Patterson Lee Patterson (March 31, 1929 – February 14, 2007) was a Canadian film and television actor. Life and career Patterson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia, as Beverley Frank Atherly Patterson. He attended the Ontario College of Art and D ...

in '' Man with a Gun'' (1958), directed by

Montgomery Tully Montgomery Tully (6 May 190410 October 1988) was an Irish film director and writer. Film career Born in Dublin, Tully studied at the University of London, and originally entered the film industry as a director of documentaries. Later, Tully wo ...

, while her last major film appearance was in '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1969). Following this film she continued her work on the stage and in television series. From 1953 until 1983, Anderson appeared in several British television programmes. She appeared in three episodes of '' The Human Jungle'' (1964–1965) during its second season. Anderson played the role of Mary on the British sitcom '' Bachelor Father'' (1970–1971). Anderson later appeared in an episode of the long-running crime series '' The Professionals'' entitled ''Cry Wolf'', in which her husband, Gordon Jackson, played George Cowley.

Critical assessment

Of her numerous roles in British B films in the 1950s, the film historians Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane say: "She was essentially crisp and wholesome, in her open Scots prettiness and brought a proper spirited resourcefulness to these assorted plucky heroines, making them a good deal more endearing and credible than the screenplays deserved."

Death

Anderson died on 23 July 2013, two weeks before her 87th birthday.Death of Rona Anderson
''Daily Telegraph'', 26 July 2013

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1948) - Joan Maxted * ''

'' (1949) - Mary Anstruther * ''

Poet's Pub ''Poet's Pub'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Frederick Wilson and starring Derek Bond, Rona Anderson and James Robertson Justice. It is based on the 1929 novel of the same title by Eric Linklater. The film was one of four of Dav ...

'' (1949) - Joanna Benbow * ''

The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery ''The Twenty Questions Murder Mystery'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Robert Beatty, Rona Anderson, and Clifford Evans. The film is a strange hybrid: with the Twenty Questions sections being a true studi ...

'' (1950) - Mary Game * ''

Torment Torment may refer to: * The feeling of pain or suffering * Causing to suffer, torture Films * ''Torment'' (1924 film), a silent crime-drama * ''Torment'' (1944 film) (''Hets''), a Swedish film * ''Torment'' (1950 British film), a British thr ...

'' (1950) - Joan * ''

Her Favourite Husband ''Her Favourite Husband'' (also known by the alternative titles ''The Taming of Dorothy'' and ''Quel bandito sono io'') is a 1950 British-Italian comedy film directed by Mario Soldati and starring Jean Kent, Robert Beatty and Margaret Rutherford ...

'' (1950) - Stellina * ''

Home to Danger ''Home to Danger'' is a 1951 British film noir crime film directed by Terence Fisher starring Guy Rolfe, Rona Anderson and Stanley Baker. It was made at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith as a supporting feature. The film's sets were design ...

'' (1951) - Barbara Cummings * '' Scrooge'' (1951) - Alice * ''

Whispering Smith Hits London ''Whispering Smith Hits London'' is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Francis Searle and starring Richard Carlson, Greta Gynt and Herbert Lom. It was made at Bray Studios with some location shooting in London. It was released in the Un ...

'' (1952) - Anne * ''

Circumstantial Evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact—such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly—i.e., without need ...

'' (1952) - Linda Harrison * ''

Noose for a Lady ''Noose for a Lady'' is a 1953 British crime film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Dennis Price, Rona Anderson and Ronald Howard. It is based on the novel ''Whispering Woman'' by Gerald Verner. Plot The plot concerns an amateur detective ...

'' (1953) - Jill Hallam * '' Black 13'' (1953) - Claire * ''

Double Exposure In photography and cinematography, a multiple exposure is the superimposition of two or more exposures to create a single image, and double exposure has a corresponding meaning in respect of two images. The exposure values may or may not be ide ...

'' (1954) * ''

The Black Rider ''The Black Rider: The Casting of the Magic Bullets'' is a self-billed "musical fable" in the avant-garde tradition created through the collaboration of theatre director Robert Wilson, musician Tom Waits, and writer William S. Burroughs. Wil ...

'' (1954) - Mary Plack * ''

Stock Car Stock car racing is a form of automobile racing run on oval tracks and road courses measuring approximately . It originally used production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifically built for racing. It ori ...

'' (1955) - Katie Glebe * ''

Little Red Monkey ''Little Red Monkey'', released in the United States as ''Case of the Red Monkey'', is a 1955 British crime film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Richard Conte, Rona Anderson and Russell Napier. Detectives from Scotland Yard investigate a seri ...

'' (1955) - Julia Jackson * '' The Flaw'' (1955) - Monica Oliveri * '' A Time to Kill'' (1955) - Sallie Harbord * ''

Shadow of a Man ''Shadow of a Man'' is a 1955 British crime film directed by Michael McCarthy and starring Paul Carpenter, Rona Anderson and Jane Griffiths.

'' (1956) - Linda Bryant * ''

Soho Incident ''Soho Incident'', released in the United States as ''Spin a Dark Web'', is a 1956 British film noir directed by Vernon Sewell and starring Faith Domergue and Lee Patterson.

'' (aka ''Spin a Dark Web'') (1956) - Betty Walker * '' The Hideout '' (1956) - Helen Grant * '' Man with a Gun'' (1958) - Stella * ''

Devils of Darkness ''Devils of Darkness'' is a 1965 British horror film directed by Lance Comfort and starring William Sylvester, Hubert Noël and Carole Gray.

'' (1965) - Anne * '' The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie'' (1969) - Miss Lockhart

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Rona 1926 births 2013 deaths 20th-century Scottish actresses Actresses from Edinburgh Scottish film actresses Scottish stage actresses Scottish television actresses