Viola Keats (1911–1998) was a British

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

and

television 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 ...

. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' called her "an actress of vigour and conviction." After training at

RADA 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 ...

, her first appearance on the London Stage was at the

Apollo Theatre The Apollo Theatre is a Grade II listed West End theatre, on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, in central London.

in 1933, in ''The Distaff Side'', and the following year she made her Broadway debut in the same play. Her first screen appearance was in 1933 in ''

Too Many Wives ''Too Many Wives'' is a 1937 comedy film directed by Ben Holmes and starring Anne Shirley. It lost $35,000. Plot To gain a job as a newspaper reporter, desperate dog walker Barry Trent lies that he is married with children and needs the employme ...

'', and she went on to have starring roles in films such as '' A Woman Alone''. From the 1950s, her screen work was largely in television, but she continued to work throughout in the theatre, including an Australian tour of ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pers ...

'' as Blanche, and in the 1958

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

play ''

Verdict In law, a verdict is the formal trier of fact, finding of fact made by a jury on matters or questions submitted to the jury by a judge. In a bench trial, the judge's decision near the end of the trial is simply referred to as a finding. In Engl ...

'' at the Strand Theatre. She spent her retirement living in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

Filmography

* ''

Double Wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

'' (1933) * ''

'' (1933) * '' Matinee Idol'' (1933) * ''

Enemy of the Police ''Enemy of the Police'' is a 1933 British comedy film directed by George King and starring John Stuart, Viola Keats and A. Bromley Davenport. It was made at Teddington Studios as a quota quickie by Warner Brothers.Chibnall p.271 Cast * John St ...

'' (1933) * '' His Grace Gives Notice'' (1933) * '' The Pointing Finger'' (1933) * ''

Too Many Millions ''Too Many Millions'' (1934) is a British comedy drama film directed by Harold Young and starring Betty Compton, John Garrick and Viola Keats. Premise In an attempt to attract the attention of the artist she loves a wealthy woman assumes the ...

'' (1934) * '' Her Last Affaire'' (1935) * ''

The Night of the Party ''The Night of the Party'' is a 1934 British mystery thriller film directed by Michael Powell and starring Leslie Banks, Ian Hunter, Jane Baxter, Ernest Thesiger and Malcolm Keen. In the United States it was released as ''The Murder Party''. ...

'' (1935) * '' The Guv'nor'' (1935) * '' A Woman Alone'' (1936) * '' No Time for Tears'' (1957) * ''

She Didn't Say No! ''She Didn't Say No!'' is a 1958 British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Eileen Herlie, Perlita Neilson and Niall MacGinnis. Based on the 1955 novel ''We Are Seven'' by Una Troy, an attractive young Irishwoman has six children ...

'' (1958) * ''

Escort for Hire ''Escort for Hire'' is a low budget 1960 British thriller film. It starred June Thorburn, Pete Murray, Noel Trevarthen, Jan Holden and Peter Butterworth. Plot Unemployed actor Steve gets a job with Miss Kennedy's agency as an escort-bodyguard, b ...

'' (1960) * ''

Two Wives at One Wedding ''Two Wives One Wedding'' is a low budget 1961 British crime film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Gordon Jackson (actor), Gordon Jackson, Christina Gregg, and Lisa Daniely. Plot Tom Murray's wedding day becomes a nightmare when a myster ...

'' (1961) * '' The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone'' (1961) * ''

On the Fiddle ''On the Fiddle'' (released as ''Operation Snafu'' and ''Operation War Head'' in the United States) is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Sean Connery, Alfred Lynch, Cecil Parker, Stanley Holloway, Eric Barker, Mi ...

'' (1961) * ''

Tamahine ''Tamahine'' is a 1963 British comedy film directed by Philip Leacock and starring Nancy Kwan, Dennis Price and John Fraser. It is a film about a Polynesian woman who believes she can change the culture of Hallow School, a British boys' boardin ...

'' (1963) * ''

Witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have us ...

'' (1964) * '' The Witches'' (1966)

References

External links

* *
Viola Keats Obituary in ''The Independent''
1911 births 1998 deaths British stage actresses British film actresses British television actresses People from Stirling (council area) 20th-century British actresses {{UK-screen-actor-stub