Marda "Scrappy" Vanne was a South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

n actress who found fame in 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...

. Born 27 September 1896 in South Africa to Sir Willem and Lady van Hulsteyn

She was briefly married to Johannes Gerhardes "Hans" Strijdom, but divorced within a year. Strijdom later went on to become Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

 of South Africa from 1954 until 1958.

Marda Vanne moved to London in 1918 to build on her acting career. She applied for, and gained, British Citizenship in 1965.