May Whitty
Encyclopedia
Dame
May Whitty, DBE
(19 June 1865 – 29 May 1948), born Mary Louise Whitty, was an English stage actress who appeared in numerous films in later life, achieving recognition in several character
roles.
, daughter of William Alfred Whitty (c.1837-1876) and Mary Louisa Ashton (c.1837-1894), May Whitty made her first stage appearance in Liverpool in 1881, later moving to London to appear on the West End
.
She married the actor-manager Ben Webster
in 1892 in St Giles Parish, London and in 1895 they visited the United States
where Whitty appeared on Broadway
. Their first child, a son, died at birth. Their only surviving child, a daughter born in the USA in 1905, Margaret Webster
, was a stage actress and held dual US/UK citizenship. Whitty's stage career continued for the rest of her life. In March 1910, she made her transition to middle-aged and elderly character roles, playing Amelia Madras in Harley Granville-Barker
's four act comedy The Madras House.
In 1918 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(DBE) in recognition of her charitable work during World War I
. She is also the first film and stage actress to become a DBE. In fact, she and opera singer Nellie Melba
were the first women entertainers to be awarded the honour in 1918.
(1937
) (which also starred Robert Montgomery
and Rosalind Russell
, and received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
. This led to several supporting roles in films including that of the 'vanishing lady', "Miss Froy", in Alfred Hitchcock
's The Lady Vanishes
(1938
). She moved permanently to the USA (although she never became a U.S. citizen) in 1939 and appeared both on stage and in Hollywood films where she usually played wealthy dowagers. It was one such part, as "Lady Beldon" in Mrs Miniver
(1942), that brought her a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
from cancer
at the age of 82; her husband had died the previous year during surgery.
has - I've just had it longer."
Dame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
May Whitty, DBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(19 June 1865 – 29 May 1948), born Mary Louise Whitty, was an English stage actress who appeared in numerous films in later life, achieving recognition in several character
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
roles.
Background
Born in LiverpoolLiverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, daughter of William Alfred Whitty (c.1837-1876) and Mary Louisa Ashton (c.1837-1894), May Whitty made her first stage appearance in Liverpool in 1881, later moving to London to appear on the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
.
She married the actor-manager Ben Webster
Ben Webster (actor)
Ben Webster was a British-born actor, and the husband of actress Dame May Whitty, and father of the British-American stage actress, Margaret Webster. His father, W. S. Webster, was the son of the famous actor Benjamin Nottingham Webster.Ben Webster was born on June 2, 1864 in London and married...
in 1892 in St Giles Parish, London and in 1895 they visited the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where Whitty appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
. Their first child, a son, died at birth. Their only surviving child, a daughter born in the USA in 1905, Margaret Webster
Margaret Webster
Margaret Webster was an American-born theater actress, producer and director. Through her parents, she held dual US/UK citizenship.-Career:...
, was a stage actress and held dual US/UK citizenship. Whitty's stage career continued for the rest of her life. In March 1910, she made her transition to middle-aged and elderly character roles, playing Amelia Madras in Harley Granville-Barker
Harley Granville-Barker
Harley Granville-Barker was an English actor-manager, director, producer, critic and playwright....
's four act comedy The Madras House.
In 1918 she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(DBE) in recognition of her charitable work during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She is also the first film and stage actress to become a DBE. In fact, she and opera singer Nellie Melba
Nellie Melba
Dame Nellie Melba GBE , born Helen "Nellie" Porter Mitchell, was an Australian operatic soprano. She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian Era and the early 20th century...
were the first women entertainers to be awarded the honour in 1918.
Film career
She made her first major Hollywood film appearance, recreating her stage role in the film Night Must FallNight Must Fall (1937 film)
Night Must Fall is a 1937 film adaptation of the Emlyn Williams play of the same name. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and adapted by John Van Druten. It stars Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, and Dame May Whitty...
(1937
1937 in film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
) (which also starred Robert Montgomery
Robert Montgomery (actor)
Robert Montgomery was an American actor and director.- Early life :Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery, Jr. in Beacon, New York, then known as "Fishkill Landing", the son of Mary Weed and Henry Montgomery, Sr. His early childhood was one of privilege, since his father was president of the New...
and Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell
Rosalind Russell was an American actress of stage and screen, perhaps best known for her role as a fast-talking newspaper reporter in the Howard Hawks screwball comedy His Girl Friday, as well as the role of Mame Dennis in the film Auntie Mame...
, and received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. This led to several supporting roles in films including that of the 'vanishing lady', "Miss Froy", in Alfred Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
's The Lady Vanishes
The Lady Vanishes (1938 film)
The Lady Vanishes is a 1938 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and adapted by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder from the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White...
(1938
1938 in film
The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,...
). She moved permanently to the USA (although she never became a U.S. citizen) in 1939 and appeared both on stage and in Hollywood films where she usually played wealthy dowagers. It was one such part, as "Lady Beldon" in Mrs Miniver
Mrs. Miniver (film)
Mrs. Miniver is a 1942 American drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Teresa Wright. Based on the fictional English housewife created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns, the film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture,...
(1942), that brought her a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Death
She continued to act for the remainder of her life and died in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
from cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
at the age of 82; her husband had died the previous year during surgery.
Quotes
"I have everything Betty GrableBetty Grable
Elizabeth Ruth "Betty" Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer.Her iconic bathing suit photo made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the LIFE magazine project "100 Photos that Changed the World"...
has - I've just had it longer."
Filmography
- Enoch ArdenEnoch Arden (film)Enoch Arden is a 1914 British silent drama film directed by Percy Nash and starring Gerald Lawrence, Fay Davis and Ben Webster. It was based on a poem Enoch Arden by Alfred Lord Tennyson.-Cast:* Gerald Lawrence - Enoch Arden* Fay Davis - Annie Lee...
(1914) - The Little MinisterThe Little Minister (1915 film)The Little Minister is a 1915 British silent romance film directed by Percy Nash and starring Joan Ritz, Gregory Scott and Henry Vibart. It was based on an 1891 novel The Little Minister by J.M. Barrie which was subsequently turned into a play The Little Minister in 1897...
(1915) - Colonel Newcombe, the Perfect Gentleman (1920)
- Keep Your Seats, Please (1936) (uncredited)
- Night Must FallNight Must Fall (1937 film)Night Must Fall is a 1937 film adaptation of the Emlyn Williams play of the same name. It was directed by Richard Thorpe and adapted by John Van Druten. It stars Robert Montgomery, Rosalind Russell, and Dame May Whitty...
(1937) - The Thirteenth Chair (1937)
- Conquest (1937)
- I Met My Love AgainI Met My Love AgainI Met My Love Again is a 1938 romantic drama film distributed by United Artists, directed by Joshua Logan, Arthur Ripley and George Cukor. The screenplay was written by David Hertz, based on the novel Summer Lightning by Allene Corliss. The film stars Joan Bennett and Henry Fonda.-Synopsis:Two...
(1938) - Parnell (1938) (TV)
- The Lady VanishesThe Lady Vanishes (1938 film)The Lady Vanishes is a 1938 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and adapted by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder from the 1936 novel The Wheel Spins by Ethel Lina White...
(1938) - Mary Rose (1939) (TV)
- The Royal Family of Broadway (1939) (TV)
- Rake's Progress (1939) (TV)
- RafflesRaffles (1939 film)Raffles is a 1939 film starring David Niven and Olivia de Havilland. It is one of several film adaptations of an 1899 novel by E. W. Hornung, Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman. Sidney Howard wrote the screenplay for the 1930 version, died in 1939, and was given credit as co-author of the screenplay...
(1939) - Return to YesterdayReturn to YesterdayReturn to Yesterday is a 1940 British drama film directed by Robert Stevenson. It stars Clive Brook and Anna Lee. It was based on the play Goodness How Sad! by Robert Morley.-Cast:* Clive Brook as Robert Maine* Anna Lee as Carol Sands...
(1940) - A Bill of DivorcementA Bill of DivorcementA Bill of Divorcement is a 1932 American drama film, directed by George Cukor and starring John Barrymore and Katharine Hepburn in her movie debut. It is based on the British play of the same name, written by Clemence Dane as a reaction to a law passed in Britain in the early 1920s that allowed...
(1940) - One Night in Lisbon (1941)
- SuspicionSuspicion (film)Suspicion is a romantic psychological thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine as a married couple. It also stars Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Nigel Bruce, Dame May Whitty, Isabel Jeans, Heather Angel, and Leo G...
(1941)
- Mrs. MiniverMrs. Miniver (film)Mrs. Miniver is a 1942 American drama film directed by William Wyler, and starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Teresa Wright. Based on the fictional English housewife created by Jan Struther in 1937 for a series of newspaper columns, the film won six Academy Awards, including Best Picture,...
(1942) - Thunder BirdsThunder Birds (1942 film)Thunder Birds is a Technicolor film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Gene Tierney, Preston Foster, and John Sutton...
(1942) - Forever and a Day (1943)
- Slightly DangerousSlightly DangerousSlightly Dangerous is a 1943 American romantic comedy film starring Lana Turner and Robert Young. A bored young woman in a dead-end job runs away to New York City and ends up impersonating the long-lost daughter of a millionaire. The film was directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Charles...
(1943) - Crash DiveCrash DiveCrash Dive is a World War II film in Technicolor released in 1943. It was directed by Archie Mayo, written by Jo Swerling and W.R. Burnett, and starred Tyrone Power, Dana Andrews and Anne Baxter...
(1943) - The Constant NymphThe Constant Nymph (1943 film)The Constant Nymph is a 1943 romantic drama film starring Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, Brenda Marshall, Charles Coburn, Dame May Whitty and Peter Lorre...
(1943) - Lassie Come HomeLassie Come HomeLassie Come Home is a 1943 MGM film starring Roddy McDowall and canine actor, Pal, in a story about the profound bond between Yorkshire boy Joe Carraclough and his rough collie, Lassie. The film was directed by Fred M. Wilcox from a screenplay by Hugo Butler based upon the 1940 novel Lassie...
(1943) - Flesh and FantasyFlesh and FantasyFlesh and Fantasy is a 1943 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier, starring Edward G. Robinson, Charles Boyer and Barbara Stanwyck. The making of this film was inspired by the success of Duvivier's previous anthology film, the 1942 Tales of Manhattan.Flesh and Fantasy tells three...
(1943) - Madame CurieMadame Curie (film)Madame Curie is a 1943 biographical film made by MGM. It was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sidney Franklin from a screenplay by Paul Osborn, Paul H. Rameau, and Aldous Huxley , adapted from the biography by Eve Curie....
(1943) - GaslightGaslight (1944 film)Gaslight is a 1944 mystery-thriller film adapted from Patrick Hamilton's play, Gas Light, performed as Angel Street on Broadway in 1941. It was the second version to be filmed; the first, released in the United Kingdom, had been made a mere four years earlier...
(1944) - The White Cliffs of DoverThe White Cliffs of Dover (1944 film)The White Cliffs of Dover is a 1944 film made by Loew's and MGM. It was directed by Clarence Brown and produced by Clarence Brown and Sidney Franklin. The screenplay was by Claudine West, Jan Lustig and George Froeschel, based on the Alice Duer Miller poem titled The White Cliffs with additional...
(1944) - My Name Is Julia RossMy Name is Julia RossMy Name is Julia Ross is a film noir directed by Joseph H. Lewis, based on the novel The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert. This drama is the first in a series of film noirs directed by Lewis and features Nina Foch, Dame May Whitty, George Macready.-Plot:In London, Julia Ross goes to a new...
(1945) - Devotion (1946)
- Green Dolphin StreetGreen Dolphin StreetGreen Dolphin Street is a 1947 historic drama film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.-Plot summary:In the 1840s, two sisters fall in love with the same man...
(1947) - This Time for KeepsThis Time for KeepsThis Time for Keeps is an American romantic musical film released in 1947 and produced by MGM. It is about a soldier, returning home from war who does not wish to work for his father's opera company or to continue his relationship with his pre-war lover. It stars Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante,...
(1947) - If Winter ComesIf Winter ComesIf Winter Comes is a 1947 drama film released by MGM. The movie was directed by Victor Saville, based on the novel by A.S.M. Hutchinson. The film tells the story of an English textbook writer who takes in a pregnant girl...
(1947) - The Sign of the RamThe Sign of the RamThe Sign of the Ram is an American film noir directed by John Sturges and written by Charles Bennett, based on a novel written by Margaret Ferguson. The drama features Susan Peters, Alexander Knox, among others.-Plot:The story tells of Leah St...
(1948) - The Return of October (1948)
External links
- Stage performances listed in Theatre Archive University of Bristol
- May Whitty photo gallery at NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection