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Coral Edith Browne (23 July 1913 – 29 May 1991) was an Australian-American stage and screen actress. Her extensive theatre credits included

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

productions of '' Macbeth'' (1956), '' The Rehearsal'' (1963) and '' The Right Honourable Gentleman'' (1965). She won the 1984 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

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TV film ''

An Englishman Abroad ''An Englishman Abroad'' is a 1983 BBC television drama film based on the true story of a chance meeting of actress Coral Browne with Guy Burgess, a member of the Cambridge spy ring who spied for the Soviet Union while an officer at MI6. The pr ...

'' (1983). Her film appearances included '' Auntie Mame'' (1958), ''

The Killing of Sister George ''The Killing of Sister George'' is a 1964 play by Frank Marcus that was later adapted into a 1968 film directed by Robert Aldrich. Stage version Sister George is a beloved character in the popular radio series ''Applehurst'', a district nurse ...

'' (1968), '' The Ruling Class'' (1972) and ''

Dreamchild ''Dreamchild'' is a 1985 British drama film written by Dennis Potter, directed by Gavin Millar, and produced by Rick McCallum and Kenith Trodd. The film, starring Coral Browne, Ian Holm, Peter Gallagher, Nicola Cowper and Amelia Shankley, is ...

'' (1985). She was also actor

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

's third wife.

Family

Coral Edith Browne was the only daughter of railway clerk Leslie Clarence Brown (1890–1957), and Victoria Elizabeth Brown (1890–?), née Bennett, both of Victorian birth. She and her two brothers were raised in Footscray, a suburb of

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Career

She studied at the National Gallery Art School. Her amateur debut was as Gloria in Shaw's ''You Never Can Tell'', directed by Frank Clewlow. Gregan McMahon snapped her up for her professional debut as "Margaret Orme" in ''Loyalties'' at Melbourne's

Comedy Theatre The Harold Pinter Theatre, known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011,

on 2 May 1931, aged 17. She was still billed as "Brown", the "e" being added in 1936. At the age of 21, with just £50 on her and a letter of introduction to famed actress

Marie Tempest Dame Mary Susan Etherington, (15 July 1864 – 15 October 1942), known professionally as Marie Tempest, was an English singer and actress. Tempest became a famous soprano in late Victorian light opera and Edwardian musical comedies. Later, s ...

from Gregan McMahon, she emigrated to England where she became established as a stage actress, notably as leading lady to

Jack Buchanan Walter John Buchanan (2 April 1891 – 20 October 1957) was a Scottish theatre and film actor, singer, dancer, producer and director. He was known for three decades as the embodiment of the debonair man-about-town in the tradition of George G ...

in Frederick Lonsdale's '' The Last of Mrs Cheyney'', W. Somerset Maugham's ''

Lady Frederick ''Lady Frederick'' is a comedy by the British writer W. Somerset Maugham, written early in his career. The play was first seen in London in 1907, and was very successful, running for 422 performances. The title role was played by Ethel Irving. I ...

'' and Alan Melville's ''Castle in the Air''. She was a regular performer in productions at 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 P ...

in London and was resident in the hotel for many years, including throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. When the original British touring production of ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...

'' ran into financial difficulty and could not be produced in London, Browne borrowed money from her dentist and bought the rights to the play, successfully staging it at the Savoy. She received royalties from the play from all future productions. She began film acting in 1936, with her more famous roles being Vera Charles in '' Auntie Mame'' (1958), Mercy Croft in ''

'' (1968), and Lady Claire Gurney in '' The Ruling Class'' (1972). Her television debut came in January 1938, when she appeared in a

...
Television production of ''The Billiard Room Mystery''. Throughout her career, she was a regular performer on BBC Radio and appeared in numerous radio dramas, including ''Dinner at Eight'', ''The Second Mrs. Tanqueray'', ''The Caspary Affair'', ''The Tragedy of Othello'', ''Oedipus The King'', ''Hamlet'', ''The Infernal Machine'', ''Two Mothers'', ''Captain Brassbound's Conversion'' and ''The Eyes of Youth'' amongst many others. In 1961, Browne was the featured castaway on ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a "castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight recordings (usua ...

'', hosted by

Roy Plomley Francis Roy Plomley, ( ; 20 January 1914 – 28 May 1985) was an English radio broadcaster, producer, playwright and novelist. He is best remembered for devising the BBC Radio series ''Desert Island Discs'', which he hosted from its inception i ...

. Television plays for the BBC included ''Charley's Aunt'' in 1969, ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' in 1972, ''Mrs. Warren's Profession'' also in 1972 and ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in 1974. In 1969, Browne appeared in the poorly received original production of Joe Orton's controversial farce '' What the Butler Saw'' in the West End at the Queen's Theatre with Sir Ralph Richardson, Stanley Baxter, and Hayward Morse. While touring the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

in a Shakespeare Memorial Theatre (later the Royal Shakespeare Company) production of ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'' in 1958, she met the spy

Guy Burgess Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess (16 April 1911 – 30 August 1963) was a British diplomat and Soviet agent, and a member of the Cambridge Five spy ring that operated from the mid-1930s to the early years of the Cold War era. His defection in 1951 ...

. This meeting became the basis of

Alan Bennett Alan Bennett (born 9 May 1934) is an English actor, author, playwright and screenwriter. Over his distinguished entertainment career he has received numerous awards and honours including two BAFTA Awards, four Laurence Olivier Awards, and two ...

's script for the television movie ''

'' (1983) in which Browne played herself, apparently including some of her conversations with Burgess. Burgess, who had found solace in his exile by continually playing the music of

, asked Browne if she had known Buchanan. "I suppose so", the actress replied, "we nearly got married". On the

BFI TV 100 The BFI TV 100 is a list of 100 television programmes or series that was compiled in 2000 by the British Film Institute (BFI), as chosen by a poll of industry professionals, with the aim to determine the best British television programmes of any ...

, a list compiled in 2000 by the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

(BFI), chosen by a poll of industry professionals, to determine what were the greatest

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

television programmes of any genre ever to have been screened, ''An Englishman Abroad'' was listed at No. 30. Her other notable film of this period, ''

'' (1986) concerned the author

Lewis Carroll Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (; 27 January 1832 – 14 January 1898), better known by his pen name Lewis Carroll, was an English author, poet and mathematician. His most notable works are '' Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (1865) and its sequ ...

. In the film, Browne gave an affecting account of the later life of

Alice Liddell Alice Pleasance Hargreaves (''née'' Liddell, ; 4 May 1852 – 16 November 1934), was an English woman who, in her childhood, was an acquaintance and photography subject of Lewis Carroll. One of the stories he told her during a boating trip beca ...

who had inspired the tale ''

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...

''. Browne was portrayed by

Prunella Scales Prunella Margaret Rumney West Scales (''née'' Illingworth; born 22 June 1932) is an English former actress, best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), in the BBC comedy '' Fawlty Towers'', her nomination for a ...

on stage in Alan Bennett's adaptation of his play ''An Englishman Abroad'' entitled ''

Single Spies ''Single Spies'' is a 1988 double bill written by the English playwright Alan Bennett. It consists of ''An Englishman Abroad'' and '' A Question of Attribution'', the former an adaptation of a television play the author had written for the BBC i ...

''.

Penelope Wilton Dame Penelope Alice Wilton (born 3 June 1946), styled Penelope, Lady Holm between 1998 and 2001, is an English actress. She is known for starring opposite Richard Briers in the BBC sitcom ''Ever Decreasing Circles'' (1984–1989); playing H ...

took the role of Browne in the BBC radio adaptation of the original film. In a televised documentary ''Caviar to the General'' broadcast on UK

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

in 1990, shortly before her death, Coral Browne humorously described her reaction to seeing the stage version of ''An Englishman Abroad'', particularly expressing her irritation at the costumes. She recalled that when she made the film version, the costume designer went to great lengths to find out what she wore at the time the story is set, but when she saw the stage costumes she exclaimed: "I nearly died. Fake fur and hats that wouldn't have come out of a grab bag at the Sally Army on Boxing Day. I was mortified. If the play ever comes to Broadway, I shall go armed with three lawyers and sue. I consider it a defamation". In 2018, an Australian stage play ''Coral Browne - This F***ing Lady'' was staged by Maureen Sherlock starring Genevieve Mooy as Browne. Subsequently, Amanda Muggleton took on the part of Browne in later productions of the play.

Personal life

Browne married actor Philip Pearman in 1950, and remained married until his death in 1964. While making the film ''

Theatre of Blood ''Theatre of Blood'' (known in the U.S. as ''Theater of Blood'') is a 1973 British horror comedy film directed by Douglas Hickox, and starring Vincent Price as vengeful actor Edward Lionheart and Diana Rigg as his daughter Edwina. The cast als ...

'' (1973), she met actor

; they married on 24 October 1974. The two appeared together in the international stage adaptation of '' Ardèle'', which played in the US as well as in London at the Queen's Theatre. During this run, Browne & Price starred together in the BBC Radio play ''Night of the Wolf'' first airing in 1975. The two subsequently appeared in the 1979

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

TV miniseries ''

Time Express ''Time Express'' was an American fantasy drama series that was broadcast on CBS from April 26 to May 17, 1979, and later syndicated. The series was created by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts who had both previously been involved in the creation of '' ...

''. According to her step-daughter Victoria Price, Browne was bisexual. She became a naturalized United States citizen in 1987 as a gift to Price who later converted to

Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

for her (she had converted many years previously). Browne died on 29 May 1991 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, from breast cancer; she was 77. After her death, she was cremated and her ashes were scattered in the Rose Garden at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. She had no children from her marriages; Price died two years later.

Awards

Browne was awarded the BAFTA Television Award for Best Actress 1984 for her role in ''An Englishman Abroad''. She later received the London

Evening Standard British Film Awards The Evening Standard British Film Awards were established in 1973 by London's ''Evening Standard'' newspaper. The Standard Awards is the only ceremony "dedicated to British and Irish talent," judged by a panel of "top UK critics." Each ceremony ...

for Best Actress in 1986 for ''Dreamchild''. In 1976, the Los Angeles Theatre Critics named her Best Actress for her role in ''Travesties'' at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles.

Personality

When told by the Royal Shakespeare Company that there was no suitable role in their upcoming production of ''King Lear'' for her husband, Philip Pearman, she demanded a script and running through it she found the page she was looking for. "There you are", she said, "the perfect part. A small camp near Dover." Browne's language was colourful, and an

unauthorized biography An unauthorized biography is a biography written without the subject's permission or input. The term is usually restricted to biographies written within the subject's lifetime or shortly after their death; as such, it is not applied to biographi ...

of her, ''This Effing Lady'', was published. She was a devout Catholic (by conversion). The two aspects came together in a story of her standing outside

Brompton Oratory Brompton Oratory is a large neo-classical Roman Catholic church in the Knightsbridge area of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. Its full name is the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, or as named in its Grade II* archite ...

after Sunday mass when an actor came up to her with gossip about who was sleeping with someone else's wife. She stopped him in his tracks with: "I don't want to hear this filth. Not with me standing here in a state of fucking grace." Alan Bennett: "When I said to Coral that I’d thought ecilBeaton was gay she remarked, 'Not when he was with me, darling. Like a rat up a drainpipe.'" The younger Australian performer

Barry Humphries John Barry Humphries (born 17 February 1934) is an Australian comedian, actor, author and satirist. He is best known for writing and playing his on-stage and television alter egos Dame Edna Everage and Sir Les Patterson. He is also a film pr ...

paid tribute to Browne at her memorial service with an appropriate poem: "She left behind an emptiness/A gap, a void, a trough/The world is quite a good deal less/Since Coral Browne fucked off."

Biographies

* Browne was the subject of a biography, ''The Coral Browne Story: Theatrical Life and Times of a Lustrous Australian'', by

Barbara Angell Barbara Angell (6 March 1935) also known as Barb Angell and Angela Barrsometimes wrongly credited as Barbara Angel – was Australia's first female television comedy writer-entertainer. She was born in Melbourne and educated at Presbyterian Ladi ...

. This was published May 2007 and launched at the Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, on 14 June of that year. * ''Coral Browne: 'This Effing Lady, by Rose Collis, published by Oberon Books, was launched at the Royal National Theatre, 4 October 2007. In 2018, an Australian stage play ''Coral Browne – This F***ing Lady'' was staged by Maureen Sherlock starring Genevieve Mooy as Browne.

Filmography

Film

Television

Notable stage

* A Warm Corner Comedy Theatre, Melbourne c. 1930 * The Roof Comedy Theatre, Melbourne 1931 * Loyalties Comedy Theatre, Melbourne May 1931 * Hay Fever * The Quaker Girl * The Apple Cart * Dear Brutus * Hedda Gabler * Children in Uniform Melbourne * Command to Love Melbourne * Mated 1934 or 1935 * Lover's Leap, Vaudeville Theatre London 1935 * Basalik, London Arts Theatre Club 1935 * Desirable Residence, Embassy Theatre London 1935 * Heroes Don't Care, St. Martin's Theatre, London 10 June 1936 * The Taming of the Shrew, New London Theatre 1936–1937 * The Great Romancer, New London Theatre 1937 * ''

The Gusher ''The Gusher'' is a 1937 mystery adventure play by the British writer Ian Hay. It is set during a gold rush. It ran for a 137 performances at the Prince's Theatre in London's West End. The large cast included Alastair Sim, Coral Browne, Edward ...

'', Prince's Theatre, London 1937 * Believe It Or Not, New Theatre, London March 1940 * The Man Who Came to Dinner, Theatre Royal, Birmingham, England, 17 November 1941 * The Man Who Came to Dinner, Savoy Theatre, London, 4 December 1941–42 * My Sister Eileen, Savoy Theatre, London, 1943 * The Last of Mrs. Cheyney, Savoy Theatre, London 1943–44 * Lady Frederick, Savoy Theatre, London, November 1946 * Lady Frederick, Grand Theatre, Blackpool, 21 April 1947 * Lady Frederick, Theatre Royal, Brighton, 16 June 1947 * Canaries Sometimes Sing, Grand Theatre, Blackpool, 3 November 1947 * '' Castle in the Air'', Adelphi Theatre, London, 1949–50 * Othello, Old Vic Theatre, London, 31 October 1951 * King Lear, Old Vic, London, 3 March 1952 * Affairs of State, Theatre Royal, Brighton, 28 July 1952 * Affairs of State, Cambridge Theatre, Cambridge Circus, 21 August 1952 * Affairs of State, Hippodrome, Bristol, 1953–54 * Simon And Laura, Strand Theatre, London, 1954 * Nina Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, 27 July 1955 * Macbeth Old Vic, London, 1955–56 * Macbeth Hippodrome, Bristol, 1955–56 * Tamburlaine the Greatm Playbill Winter Garden Theatre, New York, 19 January – 4 February 1956 * Tamburlaine the Great, Stratford, Ontario, Canada * Macbeth, Winter Garden Theatre, New York, 29 October 1956 – 12 January 1957 * Troilus and Cressida, Winter Garden Theatre, New York, 26 December 1956 – 12 January 1957 * Hamlet, Old Vic, London, 1957–58 * A Midsummer Night's Dream, Old Vic, London, 1957–58 * The Pleasure of His Company, Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, 1957–58 * Toys in the Attic, Piccadilly Theatre, London, 10 November 1960 * Bonne Soupe, The Comedy Theatre London, 1960 * Bonne Soupe, New Theatre, Oxford, 26 September 1961 * Bonne Soupe,

Wyndham's Theatre Wyndham's Theatre is a West End theatre, one of two opened by actor/manager Charles Wyndham (the other is the Criterion Theatre). Located on Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, it was designed c.1898 by W. G. R. Sprague, the archit ...

London, 13 February 1962 * The Rehearsal, Royale Theatre, New York, 23 September – 28 December 1963 * The Right Honourable Gentleman, Billy Rose Theatre, New York, 19 October 1965 – 22 January 1966 * Lady Windermere's Fan, Phoenix Theatre, London, 1966 * Lady Windermere's Fan, Theatre Royal, Brighton, 23 August 1966 * What the Butler Saw, Queen's Theatre, London, 1969 * My Darling Daisy, Lyric Theatre, London, 1970 * Mrs. Warren's Profession, Old Vic, London, 1970–71 * The Sea, Royal Court, London, 1973–74 * The Waltz of the Toreadors Theatre Royal Haymarket, London, 1974 * Ardèle, Queen's Theatre, London, 1975 * Charley's Aunt, Cirque Dinner Theatre, Seattle, 12 August 1975 * Charley's Aunt Granny's Dinner Theatre, Dallas, 16 March – 10 April 1976 * Charley's Aunt, National U.S. tour, 10 May – 26 June 1976 * The Importance of Being Earnest, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1976 * Travesties, Mark Taper Forum, Los Angeles, 1976

References

Works cited

* ''Coral Browne: 'This Effing Lady (2007) by Rose Collis, Oberon Books, * ''The Coral Browne Story'' (2007) by Barbara Angell,

* ''Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography'' (1999) by Victoria Price, * '' Who's Who'' (1991 edition) St. Martin's Press, 1991, p. 241 * ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', 3 June 1991, p. 69 * ''The Daily Telegraph'' obituary (31 May 1991)

External links

Coral Browne Collection
at the

Performing Arts Collection The Australian Performing Arts Collection at Arts Centre Melbourne, formerly known as Performing Arts Museum (PAM), is the largest specialist performing arts collection in Australia, with over 780,000 items relating to the history of circus, danc ...

Arts Centre Melbourne Arts Centre Melbourne, originally known as the Victorian Arts Centre and briefly called the Arts Centre, is a performing arts centre consisting of a complex of theatres and concert halls in the Melbourne Arts Precinct, located in the central ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Browne, Coral 1913 births 1991 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Australian emigrants to the United States Australian stage actresses Australian film actresses Australian television actresses Australian voice actresses Actresses from Melbourne Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners Deaths from cancer in California Converts to Roman Catholicism Deaths from breast cancer 20th-century American actresses Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery American Roman Catholics Australian Roman Catholics 20th-century Australian women People from Footscray, Victoria