Beatrix Lehmann
Encyclopedia
Beatrix Alice Lehmann was a British
actress, theatre director and author.
She trained at the RADA
and made her stage debut as Peggy in a 1924 production The Way of the World
at the Lyric Theatre
, Hammersmith. As well as her extensive theatrical career she appeared in films and on television. She also wrote short stories and two novels including Rumour of Heaven, first published in 1934 (ISBN 014016166X).
In 1946 Lehmann became director and producer of the Arts Council Midland Theatre Company.
In 1978 she gave a memorable performance in the Doctor Who
serial The Stones of Blood
as Professor Emilia Rumford. She also played Susan Calvin
in two episodes of the British science fiction series Out of the Unknown
. In 1979 she played Mrs Pleasant in a film version of The Cat and The Canary
. Other roles include parts in Z-Cars
, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
, War and Peace
, Love for Lydia
, Staircase
, and Crime and Punishment
.
She came from a family of notable achievers: the third of four children of author and publisher Rudolph Chambers Lehmann. Her great-uncle was Henri Lehmann
the artist. Her brother was publisher John Lehmann
and one of her two older sisters was the novelist Rosamond Lehmann
. Beatrix never married, and died in Camden
, London
on 31 July 1979 aged 76.
There are 12 portraits of Beatrix Lehmann in the British National Portrait Gallery Collection (see link below).
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
actress, theatre director and author.
She trained at the RADA
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
and made her stage debut as Peggy in a 1924 production The Way of the World
The Way of the World
The Way of the World is a play written by British playwright William Congreve. It premiered in 1700 in the theatre in Lincoln's Inn Fields in London...
at the Lyric Theatre
Lyric Hammersmith
The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions....
, Hammersmith. As well as her extensive theatrical career she appeared in films and on television. She also wrote short stories and two novels including Rumour of Heaven, first published in 1934 (ISBN 014016166X).
In 1946 Lehmann became director and producer of the Arts Council Midland Theatre Company.
In 1978 she gave a memorable performance in the Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
serial The Stones of Blood
The Stones of Blood
The Stones of Blood is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four weekly parts from October 28 to November 18, 1978...
as Professor Emilia Rumford. She also played Susan Calvin
Susan Calvin
Dr. Susan Calvin is a fictional character from Isaac Asimov's Robot Series. She was the chief robopsychologist at US Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc., the major manufacturer of robots in the 21st century...
in two episodes of the British science fiction series Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown
Out of the Unknown is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Each episode was an independent dramatisation of a separate science fiction short story...
. In 1979 she played Mrs Pleasant in a film version of The Cat and The Canary
The Cat and the Canary (1979 film)
The Cat and the Canary is a film released in 1979. It is an adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black comedy play of the same name. The play has previously been filmed several times, the first being a 1927 silent film version.- Plot synopsis :...
. Other roles include parts in Z-Cars
Z-Cars
Z-Cars is a British television drama series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby in the outskirts of Liverpool in Merseyside. Produced by the BBC, it debuted in January 1962 and ran until September 1978.-Origins:The series was developed by...
, The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. The film stars Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, along with Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack...
, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart....
, War and Peace
War and Peace (TV series)
War and Peace is a television dramatization of the Leo Tolstoy novel of War and Peace. This 20 episode series began on September 28, 1972.The BBC dramatisation of Tolstoy's epic story of love and loss set against the backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars...
, Love for Lydia
Love for Lydia
Love for Lydia is a semi-autobiographical novel written by British author H. E. Bates, first published in 1952.-Plot:Lydia Aspen, a seemingly shy girl from a wealthy but isolated background, is encouraged by her aunts, her new carers, to discover the delights of growing up...
, Staircase
Staircase (play)
Staircase is a two-character play by Charles Dyer about an aging gay couple who own a barber shop in the East End of London. One of them is a part-time actor about to go on trial for propositioning a police officer...
, and Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
.
She came from a family of notable achievers: the third of four children of author and publisher Rudolph Chambers Lehmann. Her great-uncle was Henri Lehmann
Henri Lehmann
Henri Lehmann was a German-born French historical painter and portraitist.__NOEDITSECTION__-Life:Born Heinrich Salem Lehmann in Kiel, Schleswig, Germany, he received his first art tuition from his father Leo Lehmann and from other painters in Hamburg...
the artist. Her brother was publisher John Lehmann
John Lehmann
Rudolf John Frederick Lehmann was an English poet and man of letters, and one of the foremost literary editors of the twentieth century, founding the periodicals New Writing and The London Magazine.The fourth child of journalist Rudolph Lehmann, and brother of Helen Lehmann, novelist Rosamond...
and one of her two older sisters was the novelist Rosamond Lehmann
Rosamond Lehmann
Rosamond Nina Lehmann, CBE , was a British novelist. Her first novel, Dusty Answer , was a succès de scandale; she subsequently became established in the literary world and intimate with members of the Bloomsbury set...
. Beatrix never married, and died in Camden
Camden
- Australia :* Camden, New South Wales** Camden Council ** Electoral district of Camden- England :* London Borough of Camden** Camden Town, an area in the borough* Camden School for Girls- United States :* Camden, Alabama* Camden, Arkansas...
, 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...
on 31 July 1979 aged 76.
There are 12 portraits of Beatrix Lehmann in the British National Portrait Gallery Collection (see link below).
Selected filmography
- The Passing of the Third Floor BackThe Passing of the Third Floor BackThe Passing of the Third Floor Back is a 1935 British drama film directed by Berthold Viertel and starring Conrad Veidt, Anna Lee, René Ray and Frank Cellier. The film is based on a short story by Jerome K. Jerome and depicts the various small-minded inhabitants of a building and the arrival of a...
(1935) - Candles at NineCandles at NineCandles at Nine is a 1944 British mystery film directed by John Harlow and starring Beatrix Lehmann, Joss Ambler and Jessie Matthews. A wealthy man jokes about being murdered for his inheritance, but is then found dead...
(1944) - The KeyThe Key (1958 film)The Key is a 1958 war film set in 1940 during the World War II Battle of the Atlantic. It was based on the novel Stella by Jan de Hartog.-Plot:...
(1958) - The Spy Who Came in from the ColdThe Spy Who Came in from the Cold (film)The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a 1965 film adaptation of the novel of the same name by John le Carré. It was adapted by Paul Dehn and Guy Trosper. The film stars Richard Burton as Alec Leamas, along with Claire Bloom, Oskar Werner, Peter van Eyck, Sam Wanamaker, Rupert Davies and Cyril Cusack...
(1965) - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film)A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film)A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum is a 1966 farce musical comedy film, based on the stage musical.Inspired by the farces of the ancient Roman playwright Plautus – specifically Pseudolus, Miles Gloriosus and Mostellaria – it tells the bawdy story of a slave named Pseudolus...
(1966) - The Cat and the Canary (1979 film)The Cat and the Canary (1979 film)The Cat and the Canary is a film released in 1979. It is an adaptation of John Willard's 1922 black comedy play of the same name. The play has previously been filmed several times, the first being a 1927 silent film version.- Plot synopsis :...
(1979)