Jean Anderson (12 December 1907 – 1 April 2001) was an English actress best remembered for her television roles as hard-faced matriarch Mary Hammond in the BBC drama '' The Brothers'' (1972–1976) and as rebellious aristocrat Lady Jocelyn "Joss" Holbrook in the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

series '' Tenko'' (1982–1985). She also had distinguished careers on stage and in 46 films.

Early Life and Stage

Mary Jean Heriot Anderson was born 12 December 1907 in

Eastbourne Eastbourne () is a town and seaside resort in East Sussex, on the south coast of England, east of Brighton and south of London. Eastbourne is immediately east of Beachy Head, the highest chalk sea cliff in Great Britain and part of the l ...

, Sussex to Scottish parents, and grew up in

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

, Surrey. She trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 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 ...

from 1926-1928. Her first professional engagement was in ''Many Waters'' at the Prince's Theatre, Bristol, in 1929 with her fellow RADA student

Robert Morley Robert Adolph Wilton Morley, CBE (26 May 1908 – 3 June 1992) was an English actor who enjoyed a lengthy career in both Britain and the United States. He was frequently cast as a pompous English gentleman representing the Establishment, of ...

. In 1934 she joined the Cambridge Festival Theatre, appearing in ''The Circle'' by Somerset Maugham and ''Yahoo'' by

Lord Longford Francis Aungier Pakenham, 7th Earl of Longford, 1st Baron Pakenham, Baron Pakenham of Cowley, (5 December 1905 – 3 August 2001), known to his family as Frank Longford and styled Lord Pakenham from 1945 to 1961, was a British politician and ...

. In 1935 she played Lady Macbeth with The Seagull Players in Leeds. In 1936

's company from the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...

, Dublin were appearing at the

Westminster Theatre The Westminster Theatre was a theatre in London, on Palace Street in Westminster. History The structure on the site was originally built as the Charlotte Chapel in 1766, by William Dodd with money from his wife Mary Perkins. Through Peter ...

in London. Anderson joined them to appear in ''Ah, Wilderness!'' and stayed on for the rest of their season, including ''Carmilla'', ''The Moon in the Yellow River'', ''Youth’s the Season . . . ?'' and ''Yahoo''. When the company returned to Dublin she went with them and appeared regularly at the Gate Theatre for three years. Among many notable productions were ''As You Like It'', ''The Duchess of Malfi'', ''The Cherry Orchard'' and ''Doctor Faustus''. John Cowell wrote:

Jean Anderson, with her fascinating voice and medieval good looks, became a tower of strength in Longford Productions... As Longford’s first leading lady, she brought a new and fresh charm to every role. Her Rosalind in ''As You Like It'' caught the scent of the musk-rose in the hidden places of the Forest of Arden.

When Anderson returned to London in 1940 she joined the staff of the Players’ Theatre Club, which was a popular refuge from the war. When the director

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated t ...

was called up for service, Anderson took over running the club and kept it going for the duration. Her acting career resumed after the war with ''1066 and All That'', ''Don Juan in Hell'', ''The Apple Cart'' and ''The Moon in the Yellow River'' with

Jack Hawkins John Edward Hawkins, CBE (14 September 1910 – 18 July 1973) was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of mil ...

. At this point the focus of her work swung to television and film. But she continued to appear on stage in notable productions, such as Pirandello’s ''Six Characters in Search of an Author'' directed by

Dame Ngaio Marsh Dame Edith Ngaio Marsh (; 23 April 1895 – 18 February 1982) was a New Zealand mystery writer and theatre director. She was appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1966. As a crime writer during the "Golden Age of Det ...

, ''Hedda Gabler'', an all-star ''Uncle Vanya'' at Hampstead Theatre, and '' Les Liaisons Dangereuses'' with

Alan Rickman Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (21 February 1946 – 14 January 2016) was an English actor and director. Known for his deep, languid voice, he trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and became a member of the Royal Shakesp ...

and the Royal Shakespeare Company in London and also on Broadway. Her last stage work was in

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

’s ''Harlequinade'' in 1988.

Television

Her first appearance on television was in ''Weep for the Cyclops'' on BBC in 1947. Other TV credits include: '' Police Surgeon'', '' Maigret'', ''

The Odd Man ''The Odd Man'' was a police series produced by Granada Television, running over four series between 1960 and 1963. The character of pompous police Chief Inspector Charles Rose (William Mervyn) at the start of series 3 cemented the show's pop ...

'', '' The Man in Room 17'', ''

The Borderers ''The Borderers'' is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1968 and 1970. Setting A historical drama series, ''The Borderers'' was set during the 16th century and chronicled the lives of the Ker family, who lived in the Scot ...

'', ''

Paul Temple Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge. Temple is a professional author of crime fiction and an amateur private detective. With his wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' in reference to her ...

'', ''

Codename A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...

'', ''

Oil Strike North ''Oil Strike North'' is a BBC television drama series produced in 1975. The series was created and produced by Gerard Glaister and dealt with life on Nelson One, a North Sea oil rig owned by the fictional company Triumph Oil. Eschewing the cor ...

'', ''

Miss Marple Miss Marple is a fictional character in Agatha Christie's crime novels and short stories. Jane Marple lives in the village of St. Mary Mead and acts as an amateur consulting detective. Often characterized as an elderly spinster, she is one of Ch ...

'', ''

Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...

'', '' Campion'', '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', ''

Keeping Up Appearances ''Keeping Up Appearances'' is a British sitcom created and written by Roy Clarke. It originally aired on BBC1 from 1990 to 1995 with two specials airing in 1997 and 2008 on PBS. The central character is an eccentric and snobbish middle class s ...

'' and ''

Hetty Wainthropp Investigates ''Hetty Wainthropp Investigates'' is a British crime drama television series, starring Patricia Routledge as the title character, Henrietta "Hetty" Wainthropp, that aired for four series between 3 January 1996 and 4 September 1998 on BBC One. ...

''. She also played the role of the Mother in '' The Railway Children'' in two separate BBC adaptations in 1951 and 1957. She reprised her role in the play ''The Moon in the Yellow River'' BBC 1953. Her last television work was in ''

Keeping Mum ''Keeping Mum'' is a 2005 British black comedy film co written and directed by Niall Johnson and starring Rowan Atkinson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Maggie Smith and Patrick Swayze. It was produced by Isle of Man Film, Azure Films and Tusk Produc ...

'' in 1998 on BBC.

Filmography

* '' The Mark of Cain'' (1947) - Extra (uncredited) * ''

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the ...

'' (1948) - Dress Shop Assistant (uncredited) * ''Elizabeth of Ladymead'' (1948) * '' The Romantic Age'' (1949) - Miss Sankey (uncredited) * '' Seven Days to Noon'' (1950) - Mother at Railway Station (uncredited) * '' Out of True'' (1951) - Dr. Bell * '' The Franchise Affair'' (1951) - Miss Tuff * ''

Life in Her Hands ''Life in Her Hands'' is a 1951 drama film sponsored by the British Ministry of Labour with the aim of recruiting women to the nursing profession. It was produced in response to addressing the short supply of qualified nurses in Britain after the ...

'' (1951) - Night Sister * '' White Corridors'' (1951) - Sister Gater * ''

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

'' (1951) - Woman in Street (uncredited) * ''

The Brave Don't Cry ''The Brave Don't Cry'' is a 1952 British drama film directed by Philip Leacock and starring John Gregson, Meg Buchanan and John Rae. The film depicts the events of September 1950 at the Knockshinnoch Castle colliery in Scotland, where 129 men ...

'' (1952) - Mrs. Sloan * '' Time Bomb'' (1953) - Matron (uncredited) * ''

Street Corner A streetcorner or street corner is the location which lies adjacent to an intersection (road), intersection of two roads. Such locations are important in terms of local planning and commerce, usually being the locations of street signs and lamp post ...

'' (1953) - Miss Haversham - Store Detective * '' Johnny on the Run'' (1953) - Mrs. MacIntyre * '' The Kidnappers'' (1953) - Grandma MacKenzie * '' The Pleasure Garden'' (1953) - Aunt Minerva * ''

The Weak and the Wicked ''The Weak and the Wicked'' (called ''Young and Willing'' in the United States) is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the autobiographical novel '' Who Lie in Gaol'' by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns an ...

'' (1954) - Policewoman in Court (uncredited) * ''

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) - Miss Calthorp * ''

Laughing in the Sunshine ''Laughing in the Sunshine'' (Swedish: ''Ett kungligt äventyr'') is a 1956 British-Swedish romance film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Jane Hylton, Bengt Logardt and Adolf Jahr. It was Birt's final film. It is sometimes alternatively desc ...

'' (1956) - Diana Masefield * ''

The Secret Tent ''The Secret Tent'' is a 1956 crime film directed by Don Chaffey. It stars Donald Gray and Andrée Melly and was made at Shepperton Studios. Plot Respectable wife Ruth attempts to conceal her secret past as a criminal from neighbours and from h ...

'' (1956) - Mrs. Martyn * ''

A Town Like Alice ''A Town Like Alice'' (United States title: ''The Legacy'') is a romance novel by Nevil Shute, published in 1950 when Shute had newly settled in Australia. Jean Paget, a young Englishwoman, becomes romantically interested in a fellow prisoner ...

'' (1956) - Miss Horsefall * '' The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1957) - Wilson * ''

Lucky Jim ''Lucky Jim'' is a novel by Kingsley Amis, first published in 1954 by Victor Gollancz. It was Amis's first novel and won the 1955 Somerset Maugham Award for fiction. The novel follows the exploits of the eponymous James (Jim) Dixon, a reluctan ...

'' (1957) - Mrs. Welch * ''

Robbery Under Arms ''Robbery Under Arms'' is a bushranger novel by Thomas Alexander Browne, published under his pen name Rolf Boldrewood. It was first published in serialised form by ''The Sydney Mail'' between July 1882 and August 1883, then in three volumes i ...

'' (1957) - Ma Marston * '' Heart of a Child'' (1958) - Maria * '' A Night to Remember'' (1958) - Stuffy Lady in Lifeboat (uncredited) * ''

SOS Pacific ''SOS Pacific'' is a 1959 British adventure drama film directed by Guy Green and starring Richard Attenborough, Pier Angeli, John Gregson, Eva Bartok and Eddie Constantine. The film was shot in black and white, but later underwent colourisati ...

'' (1959) - Miss Shaw * '' Solomon and Sheba'' (1959) - Takyan * '' Spare the Rod'' (1961) - Mrs. Pond * ''Little Girls Never Cry'' (1962) - Aunt Kate * '' Waltz of the Toreadors'' (1962) - Agnes * ''

The Inspector ''The Inspector'' is a series of 34 theatrical cartoon shorts produced between 1965 and 1969 by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises and released through United Artists. The cartoons are dedicated to an animated version of Inspector Clouseau comical ...

'' (1962) - Mrs. Jongman * '' The Three Lives of Thomasina'' (1963) - Mrs. MacKenzie * '' The Silent Playground'' (1963) - Mrs. Lacey * '' Half a Sixpence'' (1967) - Lady Botting * ''

Country Dance A country dance is any of a very large number of social dances of a type that originated in the British Isles; it is the repeated execution of a predefined sequence of figures, carefully designed to fit a fixed length of music, performed by a ...

'' (1970) - Matron * ''

The Night Digger ''The Night Digger'' is a 1971 British thriller film based on the novel ''Nest in a Fallen Tree'' by Joy Cowley about two women who are visited by a suspicious handy man. It was adapted by Roald Dahl and starred his then wife Patricia Neal. ''Th ...

'' (1971) - Mrs. Millicent McMurtrey * '' Dear Parents'' (1973) * '' The Lady Vanishes'' (1979) - Baroness * ''Screamtime'' (1983) - Mildred * ''

Madame Sousatzka ''Madame Sousatzka'' is a 1988 drama film directed by John Schlesinger, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the 1962 novel of the same name by Bernice Rubens. __TOC__ Plot Bengali immigrant Sushila Sen (Shabana Azmi) l ...

'' (1988) - Lady with Removal Men * '' Leon the Pig Farmer'' (1992) - Mrs. Samuels * ''

Simon Magus Simon Magus (Greek Σίμων ὁ μάγος, Latin: Simon Magus), also known as Simon the Sorcerer or Simon the Magician, was a religious figure whose confrontation with Peter is recorded in Acts . The act of simony, or paying for position, is ...

'' (1999) - Roise * ''

The Harpist ''The Harpist'' is a 1997 British-German drama film directed by Hansjörg Thurn and starring Geraldine O'Rawe, Christien Anholt and Stephen McGann. Its plot concerns a young German who travels to Hamburg to see an Irish harpist whom he has be ...

'' (1999) - Mrs. Merz * '' Endgame'' (2000) - Nell Her last role was in

Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born 6 August 1971) is an Irish playwright, screenwriter and director of stage and film. In recognition of his contribution to world theatre, McPherson was awarded a doctorate of Literature, Honoris Causa, in June 2013 by the Un ...

’s film of Samuel Beckett’s '' Endgame'', shot in Dublin just a few months before her death.

Personal life

In 1934 she married Peter Powell, who directed her in many plays over the years. They divorced in 1949. They had a daughter, Aude, who became an agent. She had a London home in Barnes, and in her later years moved to Eden Valley in the north-west of England near her daughter. Her interests were collecting porcelain figurines and horse racing. She was the subject of ''

This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...

'' in 1985 when she was surprised by

Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...

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References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Jean People from Eastbourne 1907 births 2001 deaths English film actresses English television actresses Actresses from Sussex 20th-century English actresses