Valerie French (born Valerie Harrison; 11 March 1928 r 1932– 3 November 1990) was an English film and stage actress whose career began in 1954, with much occurring in 1956.

Career

French was born in

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 ...

and spent her early childhood in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. She returned to

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

to become a student at Malvern Girls' College. After graduating, she joined the BBC drama department, working in television production before deciding to become an actress and joining the Theatre Royal Repertory Company. She considered her "real start in the theatre" to have been 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 ...

in Berkshire, England. She moved into film acting in her early twenties. Her first film appearance was in a minor role in the

1954 Events January * January 1 – The Soviet Union ceases to demand war reparations from West Germany. * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown-IBM experiment: The fir ...

Italian film '' Maddalena''. After a role in the British film ''

The Constant Husband ''The Constant Husband'' is a 1955 British comedy film, directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Rex Harrison, Margaret Leighton, Kay Kendall, Cecil Parker, George Cole and Raymond Huntley. The story was written by Gilliat together with Val ...

'' (1955), she moved to Hollywood. Her best-remembered roles during this period were in

western films Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

such as '' Jubal'' in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, Ed McCully, Jim ...

opposite

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as ...

and ''

Decision at Sundown ''Decision at Sundown'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Budd Boetticher and starring Randolph Scott. It is one of seven Boetticher/Scott western collaborations, including '' Seven Men from Now'', '' The Tall T'', '' Buchanan Rides Al ...

'' opposite

Randolph Scott George Randolph Scott (January 23, 1898 – March 2, 1987) was an American film actor whose career spanned the years from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of ...

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th y ...

. She also appeared in the science fiction film ''

The 27th Day ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1957). Her television roles included episode No. 61 of ''

Have Gun – Will Travel ''Have Gun – Will Travel'' is an American Western series that was produced and originally broadcast by CBS on both television and radio from 1957 through 1963. The television version of the series starring Richard Boone was rated number t ...

'', ''

The Prisoner ''The Prisoner'' is a 1967 British television series about an unnamed British intelligence agent who is abducted and imprisoned in a mysterious coastal village, where his captors designate him as Number Six and try to find out why he abruptl ...

'' episode " Living in Harmony", and episode No. 31, "Sweetwater, Texas", of '' Trackdown'' (1957). She later appeared in daytime television shows, including two roles on ''

The Edge of Night ''The Edge of Night'' is an American television mystery crime drama series and soap opera, created by Irving Vendig and produced by Procter & Gamble Productions. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that networ ...

'', '' The Nurses'', and (briefly) ''

All My Children ''All My Children'' (often shortened to ''AMC'') is an American television soap opera that aired on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from January 5, 1970, to September 23, 2011, and on The Online Network (TOLN) from April 29 to September 2, 20 ...

''.

Theatre

French returned to the theatre in the 1960s. She performed in a Broadway production of

John Osborne John James Osborne (12 December 1929 – 24 December 1994) was an English playwright, screenwriter and actor, known for his prose that criticized established social and political norms. The success of his 1956 play ''Look Back in Anger'' tra ...

's play ''

Inadmissible Evidence Admissible evidence, in a court of law, is any testimonial, documentary, or tangible evidence that may be introduced to a factfinder—usually a judge or jury—to establish or to bolster a point put forth by a party to the proceeding. Fo ...

'' in 1965 and was also in ''Help Stamp Out Marriage!'' in 1966. She caused a minor sensation by appearing on stage naked in ''The Mother Lover'' at the

Booth Theatre The Booth Theatre is a Broadway theater at 222 West 45th Street ( George Abbott Way) in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1913, the theater was designed by Henry Beaumont Herts in the Italian Renaissance ...

in 1969, though only her back was visible to the audience.

Personal life

French was married twice. In 1952, at the age of 24, she married the playwright

Michael Pertwee Michael Henry Pertwee (24 April 1916, Kensington, London – 17 April 1991, Camden, London) was an English playwright and screenwriter. Among his credits were episodes of '' The Saint'', ''Danger Man'', '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'', '' B-A ...

(b. 1916). They divorced seven years later. In 1970, at the age of 42, French married the actor

Thayer David Thayer David (born David Thayer Hersey; March 4, 1927 – July 17, 1978) was an American film, stage, and television actor. He was best known for his work on the ABC serial ''Dark Shadows'' (1966–1971), and as the fight promoter Miles ...

(b. 1927). They divorced five years later. They later got back together and were planning to remarry at the time of his death in 1978. French died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ' ...

in New York City in 1990, aged 62. Some sources say she was born in 1932NYPL archives
/ref> and was 59 when she died.Collins, Glenn (1990-11-06)

''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', November 6, 1990.

Filmography

* '' Maddalena'' (1954) * '' Happy Ever After'' (1954) * ''

'' (1955) * '' Jubal'' (1956) * ''

Secret of Treasure Mountain ''Secret of Treasure Mountain'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by Seymour Friedman and written by David Lang. The film stars Valerie French, Raymond Burr, William Prince, Lance Fuller, Susan Cummings and Pat Hogan. The film was rel ...

'' (1956) * ''

The Garment Jungle ''The Garment Jungle'' is a 1957 American film noir crime film directed by Vincent Sherman and starring Lee J. Cobb, Kerwin Mathews, Gia Scala, Richard Boone and Valerie French. Plot Alan Mitchell is a returning Korean War veteran who joins his ...

'' (1957) * ''

The Hard Man ''The Hard Man'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Guy Madison.Pitts p.144 Plot A Texas Ranger (Guy Madison) turns deputy sheriff; a woman (Valerie French) wants him to kill her cattle-baron husband (Lorne ...

'' (1957) * ''

The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake ''The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake'' is a 1959 American black-and-white horror film written by Orville H. Hampton and directed by Edward L. Cahn. It was one of a series of films they made in the late 1950s for producer Robert E. Kent on contract f ...

'' (1959) * ''

Shalako Shalako is a series of dances and ceremonies conducted by the Native American Zuni people for the Zuni people at the winter solstice, typically following the harvest. The Shalako ceremony and feast has been closed to non-native peoples since 1 ...

'' (1968) * '' The Prisoner(TV series episode 14)

References

External links

* * *
Valerie French papers
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division, New York Public Library for the Performing Arts {{DEFAULTSORT:French, Valerie 20th-century births 1990 deaths English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses Actresses from London Deaths from leukemia Deaths from cancer in New York (state) 20th-century English actresses Western (genre) television actors Western (genre) film actresses