Phyllis Calvert | |
|---|---|
 Calvert in 1974 | |
| Born | Phyllis Hannah Bickle 18 February 1915 Chelsea, London, England |
| Died | 8 October 2002 (aged 87) Cheam, London, England |
| Alma mater | Royal Central School of Speech and Drama |
| Years active | 1927–2000 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2[1] |
Phyllis Hannah Murray-Hill (née Bickle; 18 February 1915 – 8 October 2002), known professionally as Phyllis Calvert, was an English film, stage and television actress.[2] She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s such as The Man in Grey (1943) and was one of the most popular movie stars in Britain in the 1940s.[3] She continued her acting career for another 50 years.[4]
In the words of an article by Michael Brooke for the BFI's Screenonline website: "Most of the time she drew what looked like the short straw, playing the 'good girl' in films that revelled in the exploits of her wicked opposite number, and it says much for her talent and charisma that she was able to hold attention in what must have seemed thankless parts – she herself acknowledged that 'I do think it is much more difficult to establish a really charming, nice person than a wicked one – and make it real'."[3]
- ^ Lewis, Paul (12 October 2002). "Phyllis Calvert, 87, Virtuous Heroine of Wartime Melodramas". The New York Times.
- ^ III, Harris M. Lentz (9 April 2003). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2002: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786452071 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b Brooke, Michael (2003–14). "BFI Screenonline: Calvert, Phyllis (1915–2002) Biography". BFI Screenonline.
- ^ "Phyllis Calvert". BFI. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2015.