Elspeth March
Encyclopedia
Early years
She was born as Jean Elspeth Mackenzie in KensingtonKensington
Kensington is a district of west and central London, England within the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. An affluent and densely-populated area, its commercial heart is Kensington High Street, and it contains the well-known museum district of South Kensington.To the north, Kensington is...
, London, England, the daughter of Harry Malcolm and Elfreda Mackenzie.
Career & marriage
She led a long stage, film and television career as a respected character actress, making her professional debut in Jonah and the Whale at London's Westminster Theatre in 1932. She met and married actor Stewart GrangerStewart Granger
Stewart Granger was an English-American film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s rising to fame through his appearances in the Gainsborough melodramas.-Early life:He was born James Lablache Stewart in Old...
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 and she continued to play strong supporting roles in plays, films and television into her eighties. She appeared with the National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
in 1977, playing roles in The Madras House and Don Juan Comes Back from the War and in 1983 in the thriller Underground
Underground (play)
Underground, a thriller written by Michael Sloane and produced at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Toronto and following a UK tour, at the Prince of Wales Theatre, London, opening on 4 July 1983....
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and at the Prince of Wales Theatre
Prince of Wales Theatre
The Prince of Wales Theatre is a West End theatre on Coventry Street, near Leicester Square in the City of Westminster. It was established in 1884 and rebuilt in 1937, and extensively refurbished in 2004 by Sir Cameron Mackintosh, its current owner...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Filmography
- Mr Emmanuel (1944)
- Boys in BrownBoys in BrownBoys in Brown is a 1949 British drama film directed by Montgomery Tully. Depicting life in a borstal for young offenders, it starred Jack Warner, Richard Attenborough, Dirk Bogarde and Jimmy Hanley.-Cast:* Jack Warner as Governor...
(1949) - Quo VadisQuo Vadis (1951 film)Quo Vadis is a 1951 epic film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist, from a screenplay by John Lee Mahin, S. N. Behrman and Sonya Levien, adapted from Henryk Sienkiewicz's classic 1896 novel Quo Vadis. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and the cinematography...
- His ExcellencyHis Excellency (film)His Excellency is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Robert Hamer and starring Eric Portman, Cecil Parker, Helen Cherry. A blunt Yorkshireman is sent to take over as Governor of a British-ruled island in the Meditarranean.-Cast:...
(1952) - Midnight LaceMidnight LaceMidnight Lace is a 1960 American mystery-thriller film starring Doris Day and Rex Harrison, directed by David Miller. The screenplay by Ivan Goff and Ben Roberts is based on the play Matilda Shouted Fire by Janet Green....
(1960) - Follow That Man (1961)
- The Roman Spring of Mrs Stone (1961)
- Dr Crippen (1962)
- Playboy of the Western World (1962)
- The Three Lives of ThomasinaThe Three Lives of ThomasinaThe Three Lives of Thomasina is a 1964 British-American Disney fantasy feature film starring Patrick McGoohan, Susan Hampshire, and child actress Karen Dotrice in a story about a cat and her influence on a family. The screenplay was written by Robert Westerby and Paul Gallico and was based upon...
(1963) - Psyche 59 (1964)
- Don't Lose Your HeadDon't Lose Your HeadDon't Lose Your Head is the thirteenth Carry On film . It features regular team members Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Jim Dale, Charles Hawtrey and Joan Sims. French actress Dany Robin makes her only Carry On appearance in Don't Lose Your Head. It was released in 1966...
(1966) - Woman Times SevenWoman Times SevenWoman Times Seven is a 1967 Italian/French/American co-production anthology film of seven different episodes, all starring Shirley MacLaine with most based on aspects of adultery...
(1967) - A Dandy in AspicA Dandy in AspicA Dandy in Aspic is a 1968 British spy film, directed by Anthony Mann, based on the novel of the same name by Derek Marlowe and starring Laurence Harvey, Tom Courtenay and Mia Farrow....
(1968) - Twinky (1969)
- Two Gentlemen SharingTwo Gentlemen SharingTwo Gentlemen Sharing is a 1969 British drama film directed by Ted Kotcheff, written by Evan Jones and starring Robin Phillips, Judy Geeson, Esther Anderson, Hal Frederick and Norman Rossington. A white British man is forced to confront his prejudices when the flat he advertises for sharing is...
(1969) - Goodbye, Mr. ChipsGoodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)Goodbye, Mr. Chips is a 1969 American musical film directed by Herbert Ross. The screenplay by Terence Rattigan is based on James Hilton's 1934 novella of the same name, which originally was adapted for the screen in 1939.-Plot:...
(1969) - Carry On Again DoctorCarry On Again DoctorCarry On Again Doctor is the eighteenth Carry On film. It was released in 1969 and was the third to feature a medical theme. The film features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jacques...
(1969) - The Rise and Rise of Michael RimmerThe Rise and Rise of Michael RimmerThe Rise and Rise of Michael Rimmer is a British 1970 cult satire film written by and starring Peter Cook, John Cleese and Graham Chapman, and directed by Kevin Billington .-Synopsis:...
(1970) - Promise at DawnPromise at DawnPromise at Dawn is a 1970 drama film directed by Jules Dassin. It is based on the 1960 novel Promise at Dawn by Romain Gary.-Cast:* Melina Mercouri - Nina Kacew* Assi Dayan - Romain age 25* Didier Haudepin - Romain age 15...
(1970) - The Magician of Lublin (1979)
Television Credits
- Caesar's Friend (1939)
- Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Presents (1956) (two episodes)
- The Court of Last Resort (1958)
- Hallmark Hall of Fame (1957-1958) (two episodes)
- Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
(1960) (one episode) - Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond (1961-1962) (three episodes)
- The SaintThe Saint (TV series)The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
(1962-1963) (two episodes) - Softly, Softly (1966) (one episode)
- Two in Clover (1969) (one episode)
- W. Somerset MaughamW. Somerset MaughamWilliam Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
's The Three Fat Women of Antibes (1969) (one episode) - Let There Be Love (1982) (TV Series)
- Tales of the UnexpectedTales of the Unexpected (TV series)Tales of the Unexpected is a British television series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. Filming began in 1978.The series was an anthology of different tales...
(1983) (one episode) - Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime (1984) (one episode)
- The Casebook of Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
(1993) (one episode)