Maria Aitken
Encyclopedia
Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken (born 12 September 1945) is an English actress, writer, producer and director.
Aitken was born in Dublin, the daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and socialite Penelope Aitken
, whose father was John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby
. She is a great-niece of newspaper magnate and war-time minister Lord Beaverbrook. She attended Sherborne School for Girls
in Dorset
. As a student at St Anne's College, Oxford in the mid-1960s, she was cast in a small part in Richard Burton
's production of Faustus, which was also filmed.
She played Lady Edwina Mountbatten
in the movie Jinnah
, which highlighted the life and times of Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. She also appeared with John Cleese
in both A Fish Called Wanda
and Fierce Creatures
. More recently she has concentrated on directing. Her most recent production is The 39 Steps
, originally at The Tricycle, Kilburn, and then at the West End's Criterion Theatre
until April 2007.
Aitken is the sister of disgraced former politician Jonathan Aitken
, and the mother of actor Jack Davenport
from her marriage to Nigel Davenport. She is married to the novelist Patrick McGrath, and appeared in a supporting role in the 1995
film The Grotesque
, an adaptation of McGrath's 1989
novel of the same name
. Aitken and McGrath live together in New York
and London
. In 1983, Aitken was arrested arriving at Heathrow Airport in possession of a small amount of cocaine, leading to a charge of drug smuggling. Her defence counsel was George Carman
who would subsequently represent the Guardian
newspaper against her brother. The charges were eventually dropped.
She is the author of Style: Acting in High Comedy, published in 1996, which contends that "High comedies are not bloodless, refined, wordy plays—their themes are sex, money and social advancement. They contain a splendid contradiction: wit and elegance at the service of man's basest drives."
Aitken is mentioned in Lynne Truss
' column "Single Bananas," part of her "Making the Cat Laugh," as reprinted in The Lynn Truss Treasury, ISBN 1-592-40136-8.
She has been a patron of the British Thyroid Foundation
since 1992
Aitken was born in Dublin, the daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and socialite Penelope Aitken
Penelope Aitken
Penelope Loader, Lady Aitken, MBE , styled The Honorable Lady Aitken and nicknamed 'Pempe', was an English socialite.-Biography:...
, whose father was John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby
John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby
John Loader Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby, GCMG, KCB, KCVO, CSI, CIE was a British civil servant.Maffey was the younger son of Thomas Maffey, a commercial traveller of Rugby, Warwickshire, and his wife Mary Penelope, daughter of John Loader...
. She is a great-niece of newspaper magnate and war-time minister Lord Beaverbrook. She attended Sherborne School for Girls
Sherborne School For Girls
Sherborne Girls is an independent day and boarding school for girls located in Sherborne, North Dorset. The school was founded in 1895 by Mr. and Mrs. Kenelm Wingfield Digby...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
. As a student at St Anne's College, Oxford in the mid-1960s, she was cast in a small part in Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
's production of Faustus, which was also filmed.
She played Lady Edwina Mountbatten
Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma
Edwina Cynthia Annette Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma,, GBE, DCVO, CI, DStJ was an English heiress, socialite, relief-worker, wife of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma, and last Vicereine of India.- Lineage and wealth :Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma...
in the movie Jinnah
Jinnah (film)
- Awards :Jinnah received the Silver Remi Award at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival in 1999.- Reviews :* * * * * - External links :* *...
, which highlighted the life and times of Pakistan's founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. She also appeared with John Cleese
John Cleese
John Marwood Cleese is an English actor, comedian, writer, and film producer. He achieved success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and as a scriptwriter and performer on The Frost Report...
in both A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda
A Fish Called Wanda is a 1988 crime-comedy film written by John Cleese and Charles Crichton. It was directed by Crichton and an uncredited Cleese, and stars Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin. The film is about a jewel heist and its aftermath...
and Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures
Fierce Creatures is a 1997 comedy film. Although not a sequel, it was a follow-up to the wildly popular A Fish Called Wanda, starring the same four actors, John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline and Michael Palin...
. More recently she has concentrated on directing. Her most recent production is The 39 Steps
The 39 Steps (play)
The 39 Steps is a farce adapted from the 1915 novel by John Buchan and the 1935 film by Alfred Hitchcock. Patrick Barlow wrote the adaptation, based on the original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon of a two-actor version of the play...
, originally at The Tricycle, Kilburn, and then at the West End's Criterion Theatre
Criterion Theatre
The Criterion Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Piccadilly Circus in the City of Westminster, and is a Grade II* listed building. It has an official capacity of 588.-Building the theatre:...
until April 2007.
Aitken is the sister of disgraced former politician Jonathan Aitken
Jonathan Aitken
Jonathan William Patrick Aitken is a former Conservative Member of Parliament in the United Kingdom, and British government minister. He was convicted of perjury in 1999 and received an 18-month prison sentence, of which he served seven months...
, and the mother of actor Jack Davenport
Jack Davenport
Jack Davenport is an English actor, best known for his roles in the television series This Life, Coupling and as James Norrington in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He has also appeared in many other Hollywood films such as The Talented Mr. Ripley...
from her marriage to Nigel Davenport. She is married to the novelist Patrick McGrath, and appeared in a supporting role in the 1995
1995 in film
-Top grossing films:-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.* March 28 - Actress Julia Roberts and singer Lyle Lovett announce their plans for separation....
film The Grotesque
The Grotesque (film)
The Grotesque is a 1995 British film by John-Paul Davidson, adapted from the 1989 novel by Patrick McGrath...
, an adaptation of McGrath's 1989
1989 in literature
The year 1989 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:* February 24 - Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini places a US$3 million bounty for the death of The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie.-Literature:...
novel of the same name
The Grotesque (novel)
The Grotesque is a 1989 gothic fiction novel by British author Patrick McGrath. It was adapted into a 1995 film starring Alan Bates, Lena Headey, Theresa Russell and Sting.-Plot summary:...
. Aitken and McGrath live together in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and 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...
. In 1983, Aitken was arrested arriving at Heathrow Airport in possession of a small amount of cocaine, leading to a charge of drug smuggling. Her defence counsel was George Carman
George Carman
George Alfred Carman, QC , was a leading English barrister of the 1980s and 1990s. He first came to the attention of the general public in 1979, when he successfully defended the former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe after he was charged with conspiracy to murder...
who would subsequently represent the Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper against her brother. The charges were eventually dropped.
She is the author of Style: Acting in High Comedy, published in 1996, which contends that "High comedies are not bloodless, refined, wordy plays—their themes are sex, money and social advancement. They contain a splendid contradiction: wit and elegance at the service of man's basest drives."
Aitken is mentioned in Lynne Truss
Lynne Truss
Lynne Truss is an English writer and journalist, best known for her popular book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.-Early life:...
' column "Single Bananas," part of her "Making the Cat Laugh," as reprinted in The Lynn Truss Treasury, ISBN 1-592-40136-8.
She has been a patron of the British Thyroid Foundation
British Thyroid Foundation
The British Thyroid Foundation is a UK-based, patient-led, registered charity dedicated to supporting people with thyroid disorders and helping their families and people around them to understand the condition.-Function:...
since 1992