Irene Handl

Irene Handl (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British author and character actress who appeared in more than 100 British films.

Life

Irene Handl was born in Maida Vale, London, the younger of two daughters of an Austria-born father -- who came to England via Switzerland and started as a bank clerk working his way up into the stock exchange as a stockbroker, then became a private banker -- Friedrich (later Frederick)
Handl (1874–1961), who became a naturalised British subject. Her German mother, Marie ( Schiepp or Schuepp; 1875–before 1924), was also a naturalised British subject. Theirs was a comfortable middle-class life, with a German cook and housekeeper living in the family home.

From 1907 to 1915, Irene attended the Paddington and Maida Vale High School. In the 1920s, Handl travelled several times to New York with her father, with the ship's log listing her on each occasion as having no occupation and residing in the family home.

Handl studied at an acting school run by a sister of Dame Sybil Thorndike, and then made her stage debut in London in February 1937, at the relatively advanced age of 36. Among her many later appearances on stage, she played Lady Bracknell in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in 1975, in a production directed by Jonathan Miller.

In 1939, and by now an actress, she was living with her widower father in London. She continued to live with her father until his death in 1961. It was common at this time for younger daughters not to marry in order to stay with and take care of their widower fathers. Her older sister Liane (1898 – 1977) had married Russian electrical engineer and photographer Victor Kraminsky (born Viktor Azar'evich Kraminskii; later known as Victor Kennett; 1894-1980) in 1920 in Marylebone, Middlesex (now London). They had at least one child, a son, Charles Kennett.

She appeared in supporting roles in more than 100 British films, mostly comedy character parts such as slightly eccentric mothers, grannies, landladies and servants. She was a passionate lover of rock and roll, especially the work of Elvis Presley, and was president of the Lewisham branch of the Elvis Presley fan club. She was also a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, and one of Britain's most avid champions of Chihuahuas, being inseparable from the pair that she owned.

Career

Films

Handl had minor roles in such landmark films as ''Night Train to Munich'' and ''Brief Encounter''. Her other notable roles included the wife of the union activist Fred Kite (played by Peter Sellers) in ''I'm All Right Jack'' (1959); Mrs Gammon, the formidable cook, opposite Gordon Harker in ''Small Hotel'' (1957); Tony Hancock's landlady in '' The Rebel'' (1961); Sherlock Holmes's housekeeper, Mrs Hudson, in ''The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes'' (1970); and Morgan's Communist mother, Mrs Delt, in ''Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment'' (1966). She also had small roles in two of the ''Carry On'' films, ''Carry On Nurse'' and ''Carry On Constable''), and played Miss Peach in the original version of ''The Italian Job''. She worked until 1987, the year of her death. Her last role was released posthumously the following year.

Theatre

*''Goodnight Mrs Puffin''
*''Move Over Mrs Markham''
* ''Cry Liberty''
*''The Importance of Being Earnest''

Television

On television, she appeared as a guest in a number of comedy series, notably as a regular in ''Educating Archie'' and as the Cockney widow Ada Cresswell in ''For the Love of Ada'', which was later adapted for the cinema. In 1969 she starred in the series ''World in Ferment'' as Madame Astoria. She also appeared in '' Maggie and Her'' (1978) opposite Julia McKenzie. In the early 1980s, she played Gran in the ITV children's comedy show ''Metal Mickey''. She appeared in a rare aristocratic role as the Duchess of Sheffield in ''Mapp and Lucia'' and as another aristocratic character in Eric Sykes's television film ''It's Your Move'' (1982), in which her chauffeur was played by Brian Murphy. She also appeared as Madame de Bonneuil in the BBC's TV film ''Hotel du Lac'' in 1986. She appeared in ''Super Gran'' as the magician The Great Ronaldo and as Tim Wylton's mother in ''Clinging Ivy'' (1985). Her last appearance was in the BBC
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