Mary Lilian Agnes Morris (13 December 1915 – 14 October 1988) was a Fijian born British actress.

Life and career

Morris was the daughter of Herbert Stanley Morris, a botanist, and his wife, Sylvia Ena de Creft-Harford. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Morris made her debut in '' Lysistrata'' at the Gate Theatre, London in 1935. She performed with Leslie Howard in ''

"Pimpernel" Smith ''"Pimpernel" Smith'' (released in the USA as ''Mister V'') is a 1941 British anti-Nazi thriller, produced and directed by its star Leslie Howard, which updates his role in ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1934) from Revolutionary France to pre-Seco ...

'' (1941) and Anna Petrovitch in the

Ealing Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was histor ...

war movie '' Undercover'' (1943) as the wife of a Serbian guerrilla leader. On television, she played Professor Madeleine Dawnay in the science-fiction television drama ''

A for Andromeda ''A for Andromeda'' is a British television science fiction drama serial first made and broadcast by the BBC in seven parts in 1961. Written by cosmologist Fred Hoyle, in conjunction with author and television producer John Elliot, it concern ...

'' (and its sequel, ''

The Andromeda Breakthrough ''The Andromeda Breakthrough'' was a 1962 sequel to the popular BBC TV science fiction serial '' A for Andromeda'', again written by Fred Hoyle and John Elliot. Plot summary Kidnapped by ''Intel'' representative Kaufman (John Hollis), John Flemin ...

''), Queen Margaret in the BBC's '' An Age of Kings'' (a version of Shakespeare's History Plays), Lady Macbeth in the 1960 radio production of Macbeth, and Cleopatra in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' (First Folio title: ''The Tragedie of Anthonie, and Cleopatra'') is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed, by the King's Men, at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre in around ...

'' (as part of the BBC's adaptation of Shakespeare's Roman plays, ''

The Spread of the Eagle ''The Spread of the Eagle'' is a nine-part serial adaptation of three sequential history plays of William Shakespeare, ''Coriolanus'', ''Julius Caesar'', and '' Antony and Cleopatra'', produced by the BBC in 1963. It was inspired by the succes ...

'') in 1963. She played Number Two in '' The Prisoner''s episode " Dance of the Dead". After an absence of many years, she reappeared in diverse film roles such as Madame Fidolia the Russian ballerina and theatre school director in the BBC television serial ''

Ballet Shoes A ballet shoe, or ballet slipper, is a lightweight shoe designed specifically for ballet dancing. It may be made from soft leather, canvas, or satin, and has flexible, thin full or split soles. Traditionally, women wear pink shoes and men wear wh ...

'' (1975), and the mother of the murdered boy in the 1977 horror film '' Full Circle''. She also appeared on television in ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' in the story ''

Kinda Kinda or Kindah may refer to: Politics and society *Kinda (tribe), an ancient and medieval Arab tribe *Kingdom of Kinda, a tribal kingdom in north and central Arabia in – Places * Kinda, Idlib, Syria * Kinda Hundred, a hundred in Sweden * Kinda ...

'' (1982), playing the pivotal role of the shaman Panna opposite

Peter Davison Peter Malcolm Gordon Moffett (born 13 April 1951), known professionally as Peter Davison, is an English actor with many credits in television dramas and sitcoms. He made his television acting debut in 1975 and became famous in 1978 as Tristan ...

. Her other television appearances included the Countess Vronsky in the BBC's '' Anna Karenina'' (1977); the macabre, ancient relative in the Walter de la Mare story ''Seaton's Aunt'' (1983) in

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire but only on weekdays as ABC Weekend Television was it ...

's ''Shades of Darkness'' series; a recently deceased woman attempting to cheat death in a 1988 episode of HBO's

Ray Bradbury Theater ''The Ray Bradbury Theater'' is an anthology series that ran for three seasons on First Choice Superchannel in Canada and HBO in the United States from 1985 to 1986, and then on USA Network, running for four additional seasons from 1988 to 19 ...

; Mrs Browning-Browning in Stephen Wyatt's Claws (BBC 1 1987); and the formidable matriarch in '' Police at the Funeral'', an adaptation of one of Margery Allingham's Albert Campion stories for the BBC's '' Campion'' (1989). In addition to her film role, she played Elizabeth the First on a 'Makers of History' LP record, using the queen's spoken and written words and contemporary music, issued by EMI in 1964.

Death

Morris died from heart failure, aged 72, on 14 October 1988 in Aigle, Switzerland.

Complete filmography

Feature Films

*'' Victoria the Great'' (1937) – Duchess of Kent *''

Prison Without Bars ''Prison Without Bars'' is a 1938 British black-and-white crime film directed by Brian Desmond Hurst and starring Corinne Luchaire, Edna Best and Barry K. Barnes. It is set in a girl's reform school, and was based on a play by Gina Kaus, previo ...

'' (1938) – Renee *''

The Spy in Black ''The Spy in Black'' (US: ''U-Boat 29'') is a 1939 British film, and the first collaboration between the British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. They were brought together by Alexander Korda to make the World War I spy thrill ...

'' (1939) – Chauffeuse *'' The Thief of Bagdad'' (1940) – Halima/the Silver Maiden *''Who Killed Jack Robins?'' (1940) *'' Major Barbara'' (1941) – A Girl *''

'' (1941) – Ludmilla Koslowski *'' Undercover'' (1943) – Anna Petrovitch *''

The Man from Morocco ''The Man from Morocco'' is a 1945 British action adventure film directed by Mutz Greenbaum as Max Greene and starring Anton Walbrook, Margaretta Scott andMary Morris. The film was shot at Welwyn Studios of Associated British. Plot A group o ...

'' (1945) – Sarah Duboste *'' The Agitator'' (1945) – Lettie Shackleton *''

Train of Events ''Train of Events'' is a 1949 British portmanteau film made by Ealing Studios and directed by Sidney Cole, Charles Crichton and Basil Dearden. It begins with a train that is heading for a crash into a stalled petrol tanker at a level crossing an ...

'' (1949) – Louise (segment "The Actor") *'' High Treason'' (1951) – Anna Braun *''The Pythoness'' (1951) – Narrator (voice) *'' Full Circle'' (1977) – Greta Braden

Television

References

External links

*
Profile
tv.com

filmreference.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Mary 1915 births 1988 deaths Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British film actresses British stage actresses British television actresses British expatriates in Switzerland People from Lautoka 20th-century British actresses Fijian people of British descent Fijian emigrants to the United Kingdom Fijian people of Australian descent British people of Australian descent