Elspeth March (5 March 1911 – 29 April 1999) was an English actress.

Early years

March was born as Jean Elspeth Mackenzie in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, the daughter of Harry Malcolm and Elfreda Mackenzie. She studied speech and drama under Elsie Fogerty at the

Central School of Speech and Drama The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, commonly shortened to Central, is a drama school founded by Elsie Fogerty in 1906, as the Central School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art, to offer a new form of training in speech and drama for ...

, then based at the

Royal Albert Hall The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall on the northern edge of South Kensington, London, England. It has a seating capacity of 5,272. Since the hall's opening by Queen Victoria in 1871, the world's leading artists from many performance genres ...

, London.

Career and marriage

She led a long stage, film and television career as a character actress, making her professional debut in ''Jonah and the Whale'' at London's Westminster Theatre in 1932. She met and married actor Stewart Granger in 1938. As his film career blossomed, the marriage faltered, and the couple divorced in 1948. They had a son, Jamie, and a daughter, the theatrical agent Lindsey Granger, who died in 2011. She resumed her career in 1944, continuing to play supporting roles in plays, films and television into her eighties. She appeared with the National Theatre in 1977, playing roles in ''The Madras House'' and '' Don Juan Comes Back from the War'', and in 1983 was in the thriller '' Underground'' in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

and at the

Prince of Wales Theatre The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre in Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in London. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner. The theatre ...

Death

March died at Denville Hall in

Hillingdon Hillingdon is an area of Uxbridge within the London Borough of Hillingdon, centred 14.2 miles (22.8 km) west of Charing Cross. It was an ancient parish in Middlesex that included the market town of Uxbridge. During the 1920s the civil pari ...

, on 29 April 1999, aged 88.

Filmography

* '' Mr. Emmanuel'' (1944) as Rose Cooper * '' Boys in Brown'' (1949) as Mrs. Smith * '' The Astonished Heart'' (1950) as Vicar's Wife in Play (voice, uncredited) * '' Quo Vadis'' (1951) as Miriam * ''

His Excellency Excellency is an honorific style (manner of address), style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder ...

'' (1952) as Fernando's Wife * '' The Miracle'' (1959) as Sister Dominica * ''

Midnight Lace ''Midnight Lace'' is a 1960 American psychological thriller film directed by David Miller (director), David Miller and starring Doris Day, Rex Harrison, John Gavin, Myrna Loy, and Roddy McDowall. The plot centers on a woman threatened by an anon ...

'' (1960) as Woman * '' The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone'' (1961) as Mrs. Barrow * '' Follow That Man'' (1961) as Astrid Larsen * '' The Playboy of the Western World'' (1962) as Widow Quin * '' Dr. Crippen'' (1962) as Mrs. Jackson * '' The Three Lives of Thomasina'' (1963) as Thomasina (voice) * '' Psyche 59'' (1964) as Mme. Valadier * '' Don't Lose Your Head'' (1966) as Lady Binder (uncredited) * '' Woman Times Seven'' (1967) as Annette (in episode "Funeral Procession") * ''

A Dandy in Aspic ''A Dandy in Aspic'' is a 1968 British spy film directed by Anthony Mann and starring Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay and Mia Farrow, with costumes by Pierre Cardin. It was written by Derek Marlowe based on his 1966 novel of the same title. It w ...

'' (1968) as Lady Hetherington * '' Two Gentlemen Sharing'' (1969) as Mrs. Burrows, Ethne's Mother * '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'' (1969) as Mrs. Summersthwaite * '' Carry On Again Doctor'' (1969) as Hospital Board Member * '' Twinky'' (1970) as Secretary (uncredited) * '' The Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer'' (1970) as Mrs. Ferret * ''

Promise at Dawn A promise is a commitment by someone to do or not do something. As a noun ''promise'' means a declaration assuring that one will or will not do something. As a verb it means to commit oneself by a promise to do or give. It can also mean a capacity ...

'' (1970) as Fat Woman * '' The Magician of Lublin'' (1979) as Yadwiga * '' Charlie Muffin'' (1979) as Mrs. Heiderman

Television credits

* ''Caesar's Friend'' (1939) - Mary a woman of Magdala * ''

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...

Presents'' (1956) (two episodes) - Lucy / Mrs. Marks * '' The Court of Last Resort'' (1958) - Minnie Bowers * ''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City, Missouri, Kansas Citybased greeting card company. It is the longest-ru ...

'' (1957–58) (two episodes) * ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...

'' (1960) (Season 5 Episode 35: "The Schartz-Metterklume Method") - Mrs. Wellington * '' Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond'' (1961) (three episodes) - Mrs. Murphy * '' The Saint'' (1962–64) (two episodes) - Tante Ada / Lucy Wexall * '' Softly, Softly'' (1966) (one episode) - Dora * '' Two in Clover'' (1969) (one episode) - Miss Plummer * ''

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

's'' ''The Three Fat Women of Antibes'' (1969) (one episode) - Beatrice Richman * ''

Rebecca Rebecca () appears in the Hebrew Bible as the wife of Isaac and the mother of Jacob and Esau. According to biblical tradition, Rebecca's father was Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram, also called Aram-Naharaim. Rebecca's brother was Laban (Bi ...

'' (1979) (TV miniseries,1 episode) - Mrs. van Hopper * '' Let There Be Love'' (1982-1983) (TV Series) - Mother * '' Tales of the Unexpected'' (1983) (one episode) - Mrs. Carson * '' Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime'' (1984) (one episode) - Lady Susan Clonray * '' Executive Stress'' (1987) - Patricia Fairchild (Donald’s mother) * '' The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes'' (1993) (one episode: ''The Eligible Bachelor'') - Lady Blanche (final appearance)

References

External links

Collectors Post profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:March, Elspeth 1911 births 1999 deaths English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English voice actresses English people of Scottish descent Actresses from London People from Hillingdon People from Kensington 20th-century English actresses Actors from the London Borough of Hillingdon Actors from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea