Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was
John Profumo
John Dennis Profumo, CBE,( ; 30 January 1915 – 9 March 2006) was a British politician whose career ended in 1963 after a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler in 1961. The scandal, which became known as the Profumo ...
, a British government minister who became the subject of the
Profumo affair
The Profumo affair was a major scandal in twentieth-century Politics of the United Kingdom, British politics. John Profumo, the Secretary of State for War in Harold Macmillan's Conservative Party (UK), Conservative government, had an extramar ...
in 1963.
Early years
Hobson was born at Sandy Bay,
Larne
Larne (, , the name of a Gaelic Ireland, Gaelic territory) is a town on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland, with a population of 18,755 at the United Kingdom census, 2011, 2011 Census. It is a major passenger and freight Roll-on/ro ...
,
County Antrim
County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
, in
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
. Her father, Robert Gordon Hobson (1877-1940), was a Commander in the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, her mother was Violette (c. 1890-1955; née Hamilton-Willoughby).
[ ]
Before she was 11 years old, Hobson had begun to study acting and dancing at the
Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts
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 ...
.
Life and career
In 1935, aged 17, she appeared as Baroness Frankenstein in ''
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...
'' with
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
and
Colin Clive
Colin Clive (born Colin Glenn Clive-Greig; 20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was a British stage and screen actor. His most memorable role was Henry Frankenstein, the creator of the monster, in the 1931 film ''Frankenstein'' and its 1935 sequel ...
. She played opposite
Henry Hull
Henry Watterson Hull (October 3, 1890 – March 8, 1977) was an American character actor perhaps best known for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's ''Werewolf of London'' (1935). For most of his career, he was a lead actor on stage and a ch ...
that same year in ''
Werewolf of London
''Werewolf of London'' is a 1935 horror film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull as the titular werewolf. The supporting cast includes Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, and Spring Byington. Jack Pierce, who is b ...
'', the first Hollywood werewolf film. The latter half of the 1940s saw Hobson in perhaps her two most memorable roles: as the adult Estella in
David Lean
Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...
's adaptation of ''
Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...
'' (1946), and as the refined and virtuous Edith D'Ascoyne in the
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...
''
Kind Hearts and Coronets
''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' is a 1949 British crime black comedy film. It features Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson and Alec Guinness; Guinness plays nine characters. The plot is loosely based on the novel ''Israel Rank: The Auto ...
'' (1949).
In 1952, she divorced her first husband, film producer
Anthony Havelock-Allan (1904–2003). In 1954, she married
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
John Profumo
John Dennis Profumo, CBE,( ; 30 January 1915 – 9 March 2006) was a British politician whose career ended in 1963 after a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old model Christine Keeler in 1961. The scandal, which became known as the Profumo ...
(1915–2006), a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP), giving up acting shortly afterwards. Profumo was a prominent politician of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
descent.
Hobson's last starring role was in the original London production of
Rodgers and Hammerstein
Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popu ...
's musical play ''
The King and I
''The King and I'' is the fifth musical by the team of Rodgers and Hammerstein. It is based on Margaret Landon's novel '' Anna and the King of Siam'' (1944), which is in turn derived from the memoirs of Anna Leonowens, governess to the childre ...
'', which opened at the
Theatre Royal, Drury Lane
The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...
, on 8 October 1953. She played Mrs. Anna Leonowens opposite
Herbert Lom
Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru (11 September 1917 – 27 September 2012), known professionally as Herbert Lom (), was a Czech-British actor who moved to the United Kingdom in 1939. In a career lasting more than 60 ye ...
's King. The show ran for 926 performances.
After Profumo's ministerial career ended in
disgrace in 1963, following revelations he had lied to the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
about his affair with
Christine Keeler, Hobson stood by him, and they worked together for charity for the remainder of her life, though she did miss their more public personas.
Hobson's eldest son, Simon Anthony Clerveaux Havelock-Allan, was born in May 1944 with
Down's syndrome
Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disa ...
, and died in January 1991. Her middle child,
Mark Havelock-Allan, was born on 4 April 1951 and became a judge. Her youngest child is the author
David Profumo
David John Profumo, FRSL (born 20 October 1955), is an English novelist.
Profumo was born in London, the son of former British government minister John Profumo, and his wife, actress Valerie Hobson. The Profumo family is of Italian origin.
Bio ...
(born 16 October 1955), who wrote ''Bringing the House Down: A Family Memoir'' (2006) about the scandal. In it, he writes his parents told him nothing of the scandal and that he learned of it from another boy at school.
After her death, Hobson's body was cremated in accordance with her wishes. Half her ashes were interred in the family vault in
Hersham
Hersham is a village in Surrey, within the M25. Its housing is relatively low-rise and diverse and it has four technology/trading estates. The only contiguous settlement is Walton-on-Thames, its post town.
Hersham is served by Hersham and Wa ...
. The rest were scattered on 1 January 1999 by her sons David Profumo and Mark Havelock-Allan, near the family's farm in Scotland.
Hobson was portrayed by
Deborah Grant
Deborah Grant (born Deborah Jane Snelling; 22 February 1947) is an English actress. Between 1981 and 1991, she played Deborah Bergerac in the BBC television detective series '' Bergerac''. Since 2007, she has appeared in the sitcom ''Not Going ...
in the film ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
'' (1989), by
Joanna Riding
Joanna Riding (born Joanne Riding; 9 November 1967) is an English actress. For her work in West End musicals, she has won two Laurence Olivier Awards, and has been nominated for three others.
Early life
Riding was born in Preston, Lancashire, ...
in
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musicals, ...
's stage musical ''
Stephen Ward the Musical'', which opened at the
Aldwych Theatre
The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels.
History
Origins
The theatre was constructed in th ...
on 19 December 2013, and by
Emilia Fox
Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox (born 31 July 1974) is an English actress and presenter whose film debut was in Roman Polanski's film '' The Pianist''. Her other films include the Italian–French–British romance-drama film '' The Soul Keeper'' (2 ...
in the BBC mini-series ''
The Trial of Christine Keeler
''The Trial of Christine Keeler'' is a British television series based on the chain of events surrounding the Profumo affair in the 1960s. The six-part series premiered on BBC One in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2019. The series was adapte ...
'' in 2019.
Filmography
* ''
His Lordship'' (1932) – Last Face in Montage (uncredited)
* ''
For Love of You
''For Love of You'' is a 1933 British musical comedy film directed by Carmine Gallone and starring Arthur Riscoe, Naunton Wayne and Franco Foresta. It was made at British and Dominions Elstree Studios.Wood p.77 It is the sequel to '' Going Gay ...
'' (1933) – Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''
Eyes of Fate
''Eyes of Fate'' is a 1933 British sports fantasy film directed by Ivar Campbell and starring Allan Jeayes, Valerie Hobson and Terence De Marney. It is a quota quickie, made at Shepperton Studios.Wood p.77 It is also known by the alternative t ...
'' (1933) – Rene
* ''
The Path of Glory
''The Path of Glory'' is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Dallas Bower and starring Maurice Evans, Valerie Hobson, Felix Aylmer, Henry Daniell and Athole Stewart. Two European countries plan a war, both hoping to lose it.
A "quota quic ...
'' (1934) – Maria
* ''
Two Hearts in Waltz Time
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
'' (1934) – Susie
* ''
Badger's Green'' (1934) – Molly Butler
* ''
Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...
'' (1934) – Biddy (scenes deleted)
* ''
Strange Wives
''Strange Wives'' is a 1934 American comedy film directed by Richard Thorpe, written by James Mulhauser, Barry Trivers, and Gladys Buchanan Unger, and starring Roger Pryor, June Clayworth, Esther Ralston, Hugh O'Connell, Ralph Forbes, and Cesa ...
'' (1934) – Mauna
* ''
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head
''The Man Who Reclaimed His Head'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Edward Ludwig and written by Jean Bart and Samuel Ornitz. The film stars Claude Rains, Joan Bennett, Lionel Atwill, Juanita Quigley, Henry O'Neill and Henry Armetta. T ...
'' (1934) – Mimi – Carnival Girl (uncredited)
* ''
Life Returns
''Life Returns'' is an American film directed by Eugene Frenke. The film stars Onslow Stevens, George P. Breakston and Lois Wilson with a plot that involves a doctor who is convinced that the dead can be brought back to life gets the chance to p ...
'' (1935) – Mrs. Kendrick
* ''
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' is the final novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in 1870.
Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, it focuses more on Drood's uncle, John Jasper, a precentor, choirmaster and opium ...
'' (1935) – Helena Landless
* ''
Rendezvous at Midnight
''Rendezvous at Midnight'' is a 1935 American mystery film directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Ralph Bellamy, Valerie Hobson, Catherine Doucet and Irene Ware. The film was produced and distributed by Hollywood studio Universal Pictures. T ...
'' (1935) – Sandra Rogers
* ''
Oh, What a Night'' (1935) – Susan
* ''
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...
'' (1935) – Elizabeth
* ''
Werewolf of London
''Werewolf of London'' is a 1935 horror film directed by Stuart Walker and starring Henry Hull as the titular werewolf. The supporting cast includes Warner Oland, Valerie Hobson, Lester Matthews, and Spring Byington. Jack Pierce, who is b ...
'' (1935) – Lisa Glendon
* ''
Chinatown Squad
''Chinatown Squad'' is a 1935 American mystery film directed by Murray Roth, written by Dore Schary and Ben Ryan starring Lyle Talbot, Valerie Hobson, Hugh O'Connell, and Andy Devine, and featuring Leslie Fenton and Bradley Page. The film was re ...
'' (1935) – Janet Baker
* ''
The Great Impersonation'' (1935) – Eleanor Dominey
* ''
August Weekend'' (1936) – Claire Barry
* ''
The Secret of Stamboul
''The Secret of Stamboul'', also known as ''The Spy in White'', is a 1936 British thriller film, taken from the 1935 novel ''The Eunuch of Stamboul'' by Dennis Wheatley, directed by Andrew Marton and starring Valerie Hobson, James Mason and Fr ...
'' (1936) – Tania
* ''
Tugboat Princess'' (1936) – Sally
* ''
No Escape'' (1936) – Laura Anstey
* ''
Jump for Glory
''Jump for Glory'' is a 1937 British romantic drama film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Valerie Hobson and Alan Hale. It was based on a novel by Gordon McDonnell. The film was shot at Isleworth Studios by the inde ...
'' (1937) – Glory Howard aka Glory Fane
* ''
The Drum'' (1938) – Mrs. Carruthers
* ''
This Man Is News
''This Man is News'' is a 1938 British comedy mystery film directed by David MacDonald and starring Barry K. Barnes, Valerie Hobson, Alastair Sim and Edward Lexy. The screenplay concerns a journalist who solves a crime of which he himself is s ...
'' (1938) – Pat Drake
* ''
Q Planes
''Q Planes'' (known as ''Clouds Over Europe'' in the United States) is a 1939 British comedy spy film starring Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and Valerie Hobson. Olivier and Richardson were a decade into their fifty-year friendship and were ...
'' (1939) – Kay Hammond
* ''
The Silent Battle
''The Silent Battle'' is a 1939 British thriller film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Rex Harrison, Valerie Hobson and John Loder. It is also known by the alternative titles ''Continental Express'' and ''Peace in our Time''. It was insp ...
'' (1939) – Draguisha
* ''
This Man in Paris
''This Man in Paris'' is a 1939 British comedy mystery film directed by David MacDonald and starring Barry K. Barnes, Valerie Hobson and Alastair Sim.
It was a sequel to the 1938 film ''This Man Is News''. It was made at Denham Studios.
Prem ...
'' (1939) – Pat Drake
* ''
The Spy in Black
''The Spy in Black'' (US: ''U-Boat 29'') is a 1939 British film, and the first collaboration between the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. They were brought together by Alexander Korda to make the World War I spy thrill ...
'' (1939) – The School Mistress
* ''
Contraband
Contraband (from Medieval French ''contrebande'' "smuggling") refers to any item that, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold. It is used for goods that by their nature are considered too dangerous or offensive in the eyes o ...
'' (1940) – Mrs. Sorensen
* ''
Atlantic Ferry
''Atlantic Ferry'' (alternate U.S. title: ''Sons of the Sea'') is a 1941 British film directed by Walter Forde and starring Michael Redgrave and Valerie Hobson. It was made at Teddington Studios.
Plot
In 1837 Liverpool, brothers Charles and ...
'' (1941) – Mary Ann Morison
* ''
Unpublished Story
''Unpublished Story'' is a 1942 British black-and-white war film directed by Harold French and starring Richard Greene and Valerie Hobson. It was produced and co-written by Anthony Havelock-Allan.
The film served as a propaganda film during Wo ...
'' (1942) – Carol Bennett
* ''
The Adventures of Tartu
''The Adventures of Tartu'' (alternate British title and American release title: ''Sabotage Agent'', also known as ''Tartu'') is a 1943 British Second World War spy film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and starring Robert Donat. It was a morale bo ...
'' (1943, aka ''Sabotage Agent'') – Maruschuka Lanova
* ''
The Years Between'' (1946) – Diana Wentworth
* ''
Great Expectations
''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...
'' (1946, Hobson had also acted in the 1934 version, in the role of Biddy, but her scenes were cut.) – Estella
* ''
Blanche Fury
''Blanche Fury'' is a 1948 British Technicolor drama film directed by Marc Allégret and starring Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger and Michael Gough. It was adapted from a 1939 novel of the same title by Joseph Shearing. In Victorian era Engla ...
'' (1948) – Blanche Fury
* ''
The Small Voice
''The Small Voice'' (released in the United States as ''The Hideout'') is a 1948 British thriller film directed by Fergus McDonell and starring Valerie Hobson, James Donald and Howard Keel (who was credited as Harold Keel). The film is part of a ...
'' (1948) – Eleanor Byrne
* ''
Kind Hearts and Coronets
''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' is a 1949 British crime black comedy film. It features Dennis Price, Joan Greenwood, Valerie Hobson and Alec Guinness; Guinness plays nine characters. The plot is loosely based on the novel ''Israel Rank: The Auto ...
'' (1949) – Edith
* ''
Train of Events
''Train of Events'' is a 1949 British portmanteau film made by Ealing Studios and directed by Sidney Cole, Charles Crichton and Basil Dearden. It begins with a train that is heading for a crash into a stalled petrol tanker at a level crossing a ...
'' (1949) – Stella (segment "The Composer")
* ''
The Interrupted Journey
''The Interrupted Journey'' is a 1949 British thriller film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Valerie Hobson, Richard Todd, Christine Norden and Tom Walls. The railways scenes were shot at Longmoor in Hampshire. The film includes a train c ...
'' (1949) – Carol North
* ''
The Rocking Horse Winner
"The Rocking-Horse Winner" is a short story by D. H. Lawrence. It was first published in July 1926, in ''Harper's Bazaar'' and subsequently appeared in the first volume of Lawrence's collected short stories. It was made into a full-length film di ...
'' (1950) – Hester Grahame
* ''
The Card
''The Card'' is a comic novel written by Arnold Bennett in 1911 (entitled ''Denry the Audacious'' in the American edition). It was later made into a 1952 movie, starring Alec Guinness and Petula Clark.
Like much of Bennett's best work, it is ...
'' (1952) – Countess of Chell
* ''
Who Goes There!
''Who Goes There!'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring Nigel Patrick, Valerie Hobson and George Cole. The film depicts the farcical activities of the various inhabitants of a grace and favour house near S ...
'' (1952) – Alex Cornwall
* ''
Meet Me Tonight
''Meet Me Tonight'' is a 1952 in film, 1952 omnibus British comedy film adapted from three one act plays by Noël Coward: ''Red Peppers'', ''Fumed Oak'' and ''Ways and Means (play), Ways and Means''; which are part of his ''Tonight at 8.30'' pla ...
'' (1952) – Stella Cartwright (segment "Ways and Means")
* ''
The Voice of Merrill
''The Voice of Merrill'' is a 1952 British mystery film directed by John Gilling and starring Valerie Hobson, James Robertson Justice and Edward Underdown. ''The Voice of Merrill'' was made by Tempean Films, the company owned by the film's prod ...
'' (1952) – Alycia
* ''
Background
Background may refer to:
Performing arts and stagecraft
* Background actor
* Background artist
* Background light
* Background music
* Background story
* Background vocals
* ''Background'' (play), a 1950 play by Warren Chetham-Strode
Reco ...
'' (1953) – Barbie Lomax
* ''
Knave of Hearts'' (1954) – Catherine Ripois (final film role)
References
External links
*
*
*
Photographs of Valerie Hobson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobson, Valerie
1917 births
1998 deaths
British film actresses
People from Larne
20th-century British actresses
British comedy actresses
British expatriates in the United States