Vida Hope (16 December 1910 – 23 December 1963) was a British stage and

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...

, who also directed stage productions.

Life and career

Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, to theatrical parents, she travelled widely as a child.Some of the Company – Vida Hope (autobiographical note). In : ''Late Joys at The Players' Theatre''. T V Boardman & Co Ltd, London, New York, 1943., p83 She was "forbidden to go on the stage", so at age 16, became a typist in an advertising office, going on to write copy. At this time, however, she took every chance she got to take part in amateur dramatics, managing to get the lead roles in plays by

Shaw Shaw may refer to: Places Australia *Shaw, Queensland Canada *Shaw Street, a street in Toronto England *Shaw, Berkshire, a village *Shaw, Greater Manchester, a location in the parish of Shaw and Crompton *Shaw, Swindon, a List of United Kingdom ...

Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

, and

Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...

. Following the role of the Fairy Wish-Fulfilment in the pantomime ''The Babes in the Wood'' at the Unity Theatre,

London London is the capital and 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 down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, she was, in 1939, offered a role by

Herbert Farjeon Herbert (Bertie) Farjeon (5 March 1887 – 3 May 1945) was a major figure in the British theatre from 1910 until his death. He was a presenter of revues in London's West End, a theatre critic, lyricist, librettist, playwright, theatre manager and ...

in ''The Little Revue'' and worked in his revues for over three years. In 1940, she gave much support to and formed a strong friendship with

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Organ ...

, in his first West End play, ''Diversions''. During the Second World War, she became a regular singer at the

Players' Theatre The Players' Theatre was a London theatre which opened at 43 King Street, Covent Garden, on 18 October 1936. The club originally mounted period-style musical comedies, introducing Victorian-style music hall in December 1937. The threat of World ...

, where her repertoire included "Casey Jones", " Daddy Wouldn’t Buy Me a Bow-wow", "

Dashing Away with the Smoothing Iron "Dashing Away with the Smoothing Iron" is an English folk song about a man admiring the girl he loves as she goes through daily stages of washing and ironing clothes. It is classified as Round number 869. The earliest date in the Vaughan Williams c ...

", "The Lady Wasn't Going that Way" and "You May Pet Me as Much as You Please". She played a leading role alongside

Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...

in the Academy Award-nominated film ''

The Man in the White Suit ''The Man in the White Suit'' is a 1951 British satirical science fiction comedy film made by Ealing Studios. It stars Alec Guinness, Joan Greenwood and Cecil Parker and was directed by Alexander Mackendrick. The film was nominated for an Ac ...

'' as Bertha, in 1951. Hope appeared in a range of roles in a production of ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...

'' at the New Theatre in London (1944–45), directed the 1953 London production of '' The Boy Friend'' (and is also credited as director on the 'original cast' recording of 1954 starring Julie Andrews) and later directed '' Valmouth'' at the

Lyric, Hammersmith The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on Lyric Square, off King Street, Hammersmith, London.

(1958) and a revival of ''The Boy Friend'' at the

Bristol Hippodrome The Bristol Hippodrome () is a theatre located in The Centre, Bristol, England, United Kingdom with seating on three levels giving a capacity of 1,951. It frequently features shows from London's West End when they tour the UK, as well as re ...

(1958–59).List of appearances for Vida Hope at the Theatricalia site
accessed 10 April 2015. She was married to the film editor and director

Derek Twist Derek Norman Twist (26 May 190515 August 1979) was a British screenwriter, film editor and director. He was sometimes credited as Derek N. Twist. During the 1930s he worked at British Gaumont. Early life Twist was born in Paddington area of Lon ...

, and appeared in several of his films. She died in a road accident, on 23 December 1963, in

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of London a ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, aged 53.

Partial filmography

* '' The 39 Steps'' (1935) - UsheretteBFI page of films with Vida Hope
accessed 10 April 2015. * '' Champagne Charlie'' (1944) – Rosie * ''

English Without Tears ''English Without Tears'' is a 1944 British romantic comedy film directed by Harold French and starring Michael Wilding, Penelope Dudley-Ward and Lilli Palmer. It was released in the U.S. under the title ''Her Man Gilbey'', as a reference to th ...

'' (1944) * ''

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' (1946) – Fanny Squeers * ''

Hue and Cry In common law, a hue and cry is a process by which bystanders are summoned to assist in the apprehension of a criminal who has been witnessed in the act of committing a crime. History By the Statute of Winchester of 1285, 13 Edw. I statute 2. c ...

'' (1947) – Mrs. Kirby * ''

The Mark of Cain The curse of Cain and the mark of Cain are phrases that originated in the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis. In the stories, if someone harmed Cain, the damage would come back sevenfold. Some interpretations view this as a physica ...

'' (1947) – Jennie * ''

They Made Me a Fugitive ''They Made Me a Fugitive'' (released in the United States as ''I Became a Criminal'') is a 1947 British film noir set in postwar England.''Variety'' film review; 2 July 1947, page 13.''Harrison's Reports'' film review (14 February 1948), page 26 ...

'' (1947) – Mrs Fenshaw * ''

It Always Rains on Sunday ''It Always Rains on Sunday'' is a 1947 British film adaptation of Arthur La Bern's novel by the same name, directed by Robert Hamer. The film has been compared with the poetic realism movement in the French cinema of a few years earlier by the ...

'' (1947) – Mrs Wallis * '' Woman Hater'' (1948) * ''

For Them That Trespass ''For Them That Trespass'' is a 1949 British crime film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and starring Richard Todd, Patricia Plunkett and Stephen Murray (actor), Stephen Murray. It is an adaptation of the 1944 For Them That Trespass (novel), novel ...

'' (1949) – Olive Mockson * ''

Paper Orchid ''Paper Orchid'' is a 1949 British crime film directed by Roy Ward Baker, with a script written by Val Guest. It featured Hugh Williams, Hy Hazell and Garry Marsh, and was based on the 1948 novel of the same title by Arthur La Bern. It featur ...

'' (1949) – Jonquil Jones * ''

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) – Miss Marchmont * ''

Double Confession ''Double Confession'' is a 1950 British crime film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Derek Farr, Joan Hopkins, William Hartnell and Peter Lorre. The screenplay, written by William Templeton, is based on the novel, ''All On A Summer's Day'' ...

'' (1950) – Madam Zilia * ''

The Woman in Question ''The Woman in Question'' (released in the United States as ''Five Angles on Murder'') is a 1950 British Murder-mystery film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Jean Kent, Dirk Bogarde and John McCallum. After a woman is murdered, the comp ...

'' (1950) – Shirley Jones * ''

'' (1951) – Bertha * ''

Cheer the Brave ''Cheer the Brave'' is a 1951 British comedy film directed by Kenneth Hume and starring Elsie Randolph, Jack McNaughton and Geoffrey Keen. It was made at Southall Studios as a second feature.Chibnall & MacFarlane p.127 A mild-mannered man gets ...

'' (1951) * '' Green Grow the Rushes'' (1951) – Polly Bainbridge * ''

Angels One Five ''Angels One Five'' is a 1952 British war film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Jack Hawkins, Michael Denison, Dulcie Gray, John Gregson, Cyril Raymond and Veronica Hurst. Based on the book ''What Are Your Angels Now?'' by Pelham G ...

'' (1952) – W.A.A.F. * ''

Emergency Call Most public switched telephone networks have a single emergency telephone number (sometimes known as the universal emergency telephone number or the emergency services number) that allows a caller to contact local emergency services for assista ...

'' (1952) – Brenda * ''

The Long Memory ''The Long Memory'' is a black-and-white 1953 British crime film directed by Robert Hamer and based on the 1951 novel of the same title by Howard Clewes. Filmed at locations such as London Waterloo railway station, the North Kent Marshes on t ...

'' (1952) – Alice Gedge * ''

Women of Twilight ''Women of Twilight'' is a 1951 play by Sylvia Rayman that became a 1952 film directed by Gordon Parry. The latter stars Freda Jackson, Rene Ray and Lois Maxwell, with a screenplay by Anatole de Grunwald. It was the first British film to receiv ...

'' (1952) – Jess Smithson * '' The Broken Horseshoe'' (1953) – Jackie Leroy * '' Marilyn'' (1953) - Rosie * '' Fast and Loose'' (1954) – Gladys * ''

Lease of Life ''Lease of Life'' is a 1954 British drama film made by Ealing Studios and directed by Charles Frend. The film was designed as a star-vehicle for Robert Donat, representing his return to the screen after an absence of over three years during whi ...

'' (1954) - Mrs. Sproatley * ''

Charley Moon ''Charley Moon'' is a 1956 British musical film directed by Guy Hamilton. It stars Max Bygraves, Dennis Price and Shirley Eaton. The screenplay and lyrics are by Leslie Bricusse. The story is based on Reginald Arkell's backstage novel of the sam ...

'' (1955) – staging of the musical numbers * ''

Rx Murder ''Rx Murder'' is a 1958 American crime film directed by Derek Twist and written by John W. Gossage and Derek Twist. It is based on the 1955 novel ''The Deeds of Dr. Deadcert'' by Joan Fleming. The film stars Rick Jason, Lisa Gastoni, Marius Gori ...

'' (1958) - Louise * '' In the Doghouse'' (1961) – Mrs Crabtree

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hope, Vida 1910 births 1963 deaths Actresses from Liverpool British stage actresses British film actresses British television actresses 20th-century English actresses Road incident deaths in England English theatre directors