Mary Merrall
Encyclopedia
Mary Merrall born Elsie Lloyd, was an English actress whose career of over 60 years encompassed stage, film and television work.
and the Theatre Royal, Glasgow
. Among her most famous stage roles were Lady Macbeth
in a controversial but influential 1928 modern-dress production by Barry Jackson which opened in Birmingham before transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre
, and Mrs. Danvers in Daphne du Maurier
's Rebecca
at the Strand Theatre
in 1940. Her stage career also took her to the United States, where she appeared in Canaries Sometimes Sing (Frederick Lonsdale
) in New York and Chicago in 1930.
, Merrall did not make the move into films until the 1940s. She was given leading roles in the 1940 Irish-set drama Dr. O'Dowd
(now classed as a lost film
) and the film adaptation of Walter Greenwood
's Love on the Dole
the following year. The 1940s then brought a steady stream of good film parts including her best-remembered roles as Mrs. Foley in the 1945 classic Dead of Night
and Mrs. Nickleby in the Alberto Cavalcanti
-directed 1947 screen version of Nicholas Nickleby
. Into the 1950s Merrall also landed a string of diverse roles in films such as Encore
(1951), prison drama The Weak and the Wicked
(1954), comedy The Belles of St Trinian's
(1954) and harrowing World War II drama The Camp on Blood Island
(1958).
As film work began to dry up from the late 1950s, Merrall increasingly found work in television, appearing in several productions for the ITV
drama strands Play of the Week and ITV Playhouse as well as guest appearances in popular series such as Sir Francis Drake
, Dixon of Dock Green
, The Saint
, The Avengers
, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
and UFO
.
star Albert Whelan
. Merrall's second marriage, to noted Shakespearean actor Ion Swinley, was also dissolved in 1927. Her third marriage, to fellow actor Franklin Dyall
, lasted until Dyall's death in 1950.
Merrall died in London on 31 August 1973, aged 83.
Stage career
Merrall's stage career started in her teens and for the rest of her life she remained a well-known and respected stage actress. Although she was based in London, she often appeared in other prestigious venues in the UK such as the Birmingham Repertory TheatreBirmingham Repertory Theatre
Birmingham Repertory Theatre is a theatre and theatre company based on Centenary Square in Birmingham, England...
and the Theatre Royal, Glasgow
Theatre Royal, Glasgow
The Theatre Royal is the oldest theatre in Glasgow, located at 282 Hope Street in Cowcaddens. The theatre originally opened in 1867, changing its name to the Theatre Royal in 1869, and is the longest running theatre in Scotland...
. Among her most famous stage roles were Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth
Lady Macbeth may refer to:*Lady Macbeth, from William Shakespeare's play Macbeth**Queen Gruoch of Scotland, the real-life Queen on whom Shakespeare based the character...
in a controversial but influential 1928 modern-dress production by Barry Jackson which opened in Birmingham before transferring to London's Royal Court Theatre
Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is a non-commercial theatre on Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is noted for its contributions to modern theatre...
, and Mrs. Danvers in Daphne du Maurier
Daphne du Maurier
Dame Daphne du Maurier, Lady Browning DBE was a British author and playwright.Many of her works have been adapted into films, including the novels Rebecca and Jamaica Inn and the short stories "The Birds" and "Don't Look Now". The first three were directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Her elder sister was...
's Rebecca
Rebecca (novel)
Rebecca is a novel by Daphne du Maurier. When Rebecca was published in 1938, du Maurier became – to her great surprise – one of the most popular authors of the day. Rebecca is considered to be one of her best works...
at the Strand Theatre
Novello Theatre
The Novello Theatre is a West End theatre on Aldwych, in the City of Westminster.-History:The theatre was built as one of a pair with the Aldwych Theatre on either side of the Waldorf Hotel, both being designed by W. G. R. Sprague. The theatre opened as the Waldorf Theatre on 22 May 1905, and was...
in 1940. Her stage career also took her to the United States, where she appeared in Canaries Sometimes Sing (Frederick Lonsdale
Frederick Lonsdale
Frederick Lonsdale was an English dramatist.-Personal life:Lonsdale was born Lionel Frederick Leonard in St Helier, Jersey, the son of Susan and John Henry Leonard, a tobacconist. He began as a private soldier and worked for the London and South Western Railway...
) in New York and Chicago in 1930.
Film and television
With the exception of an appearance in a 1932 quota quickie Men of SteelMen of Steel (film)
Men of Steel is a British drama film, directed by George King and starring John Stuart and Benita Hume. The screenplay was adapted by Edward Knoblock and Billie Bristow from a novel by Douglas Newton.-Production background:...
, Merrall did not make the move into films until the 1940s. She was given leading roles in the 1940 Irish-set drama Dr. O'Dowd
Dr. O'Dowd
Dr. O'Dowd is a 1940 British drama film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Shaun Glenville, Peggy Cummins, Felix Aylmer and Irene Handl. The film is currently missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.-Cast:* Shaun...
(now classed as a lost film
Lost film
A lost film is a feature film or short film that is no longer known to exist in studio archives, private collections or public archives such as the Library of Congress, where at least one copy of all American films are deposited and catalogued for copyright reasons...
) and the film adaptation of Walter Greenwood
Walter Greenwood
Walter Greenwood was an English novelist, best known for the socially influential novel Love on the Dole .-Biography:...
's Love on the Dole
Love on the Dole (film)
Love on the Dole is a 1941 British drama film starring Deborah Kerr and Clifford Evans. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Walter Greenwood.- Plot summary :...
the following year. The 1940s then brought a steady stream of good film parts including her best-remembered roles as Mrs. Foley in the 1945 classic Dead of Night
Dead of Night
Dead of Night is a British portmanteau horror film made by Ealing Studios, its various episodes directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. The film stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers and Michael Redgrave...
and Mrs. Nickleby in the Alberto Cavalcanti
Alberto Cavalcanti
Alberto de Almeida Cavalcanti was a Brazilian-born film director and producer.-Early life:Cavalcanti was born in Rio de Janeiro, the son of a prominent mathematician. He was a precociously intelligent child, and by the age of 15 was studying law at university. Following an argument with a...
-directed 1947 screen version of Nicholas Nickleby
Nicholas Nickleby (1947 film)
Nicholas Nickleby is a 1947 British drama film directed by Cavalcanti. The screenplay by John Dighton is based on the 1839 novel The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens...
. Into the 1950s Merrall also landed a string of diverse roles in films such as Encore
Encore (1951 film)
Encore is a 1951 anthology film composed of adaptations of three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham:*"The Ant and the Grasshopper", directed by Pat Jackson and adapted by T. E. B...
(1951), prison drama The Weak and the Wicked
The Weak and the Wicked
The Weak and the Wicked is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the book by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and Diana Dors....
(1954), comedy The Belles of St Trinian's
The Belles of St Trinian's
The Belles of St Trinian's is a comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School, released in 1954. It and its sequels were inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle. Directed by Frank Launder and written by him and Sidney Gilliat, it was the first of a series of five...
(1954) and harrowing World War II drama The Camp on Blood Island
The Camp on Blood Island
The Camp on Blood Island is a 1958 British World War II film, directed by Val Guest for Hammer Film Productions and starring Carl Möhner, André Morrel, Edward Underdown and Walter Fitzgerald....
(1958).
As film work began to dry up from the late 1950s, Merrall increasingly found work in television, appearing in several productions for the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
drama strands Play of the Week and ITV Playhouse as well as guest appearances in popular series such as Sir Francis Drake
Sir Francis Drake (TV series)
Sir Francis Drake was a British adventure television series starring Terence Morgan as Sir Francis Drake, commander of the sailing ship the Golden Hind...
, Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green
Dixon of Dock Green was a popular BBC television series that ran from 1955 to 1976, and later a radio series. Despite being a drama series, it was initially produced by the BBC's light entertainment department.-Overview:...
, The Saint
The Saint (TV series)
The Saint was an ITC mystery spy thriller television series that aired in the UK on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centred on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar, a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise. The character may be nicknamed The Saint because the...
, The Avengers
The Avengers (TV series)
The Avengers is a spy-fi British television series set in the 1960s Britain. The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel and his assistant John Steed . Hendry left after the first series and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants...
, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)
Randall and Hopkirk , first transmitted during 1969-70, is a British private detective television series starring Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk, respectively. The series was originally created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Monty Berman...
and UFO
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
.
Private life
Merrall married three times. Her first marriage to J.B. Hissey in 1909 ended acrimoniously in 1914 amid a great deal of public and media interest, after Hissey brought a highly-publicised divorce suit alleging infidelity on Merrall's part, naming several men including famous music hallMusic hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
star Albert Whelan
Albert Whelan
Albert Whelan , was an Australian popular singer and entertainer, who was prominent in the English music hall during the first half of the 20th century....
. Merrall's second marriage, to noted Shakespearean actor Ion Swinley, was also dissolved in 1927. Her third marriage, to fellow actor Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall
Franklin Dyall was an English actor.He appeared in 26 films between 1916 and 1948...
, lasted until Dyall's death in 1950.
Merrall died in London on 31 August 1973, aged 83.
Partial filmography
- 1932: Men of SteelMen of Steel (film)Men of Steel is a British drama film, directed by George King and starring John Stuart and Benita Hume. The screenplay was adapted by Edward Knoblock and Billie Bristow from a novel by Douglas Newton.-Production background:...
- 1940: Dr. O'DowdDr. O'DowdDr. O'Dowd is a 1940 British drama film directed by Herbert Mason and starring Shaun Glenville, Peggy Cummins, Felix Aylmer and Irene Handl. The film is currently missing from the BFI National Archive, and is listed as one of the British Film Institute's "75 Most Wanted" lost films.-Cast:* Shaun...
- 1941: Love on the DoleLove on the Dole (film)Love on the Dole is a 1941 British drama film starring Deborah Kerr and Clifford Evans. It was adapted from the novel of the same name by Walter Greenwood.- Plot summary :...
- 1943: Squadron Leader XSquadron Leader XSquadron Leader X is a 1943 British World War II spy drama, directed by Lance Comfort and starring Eric Portman and Ann Dvorak. The screenplay was adapted by Miles Malleson and Wolfgang Wilhelm from a short story by Emeric Pressburger.-Plot:...
- 1945: Dead of NightDead of NightDead of Night is a British portmanteau horror film made by Ealing Studios, its various episodes directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. The film stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers and Michael Redgrave...
- 1945: Pink String and Sealing WaxPink String and Sealing WaxPink String and Sealing Wax is a 1945 British drama film directed by Robert Hamer and starring Mervyn Johns, Googie Withers and Gordon Jackson.-Cast:* Mervyn Johns as Edward Sutton* Googie Withers as Pearl Bond* Gordon Jackson as David Sutton...
- 1946: This Man Is MineThis Man Is Mine (1946 film)This Man Is Mine is a 1946 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Tom Walls, Glynis Johns and Jeanne De Casalis. A Canadian soldier is billeted with a British family for the Christmas holidays to the delight of the two unmarried daughters...
- 1947: Nicholas NicklebyNicholas Nickleby (1947 film)Nicholas Nickleby is a 1947 British drama film directed by Cavalcanti. The screenplay by John Dighton is based on the 1839 novel The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens...
- 1947: They Made Me a FugitiveThey Made Me a FugitiveThey Made Me A Fugitive is a 1947 British film noir set in postwar England. Based on the Jackson Budd novel A Convict has Escaped, the black-and-white film was directed by Alberto Cavalcanti with brooding and atmospheric cinematography by noted cameraman Otto Heller...
- 1948: The Three Weird SistersThe Three Weird SistersThe Three Weird Sisters is a 1948 British melodrama with Gothic influences, directed by Daniel Birt and starring Nancy Price, Mary Clare, Mary Merrall and Raymond Lovell. The screenplay was adapted by Dylan Thomas and Louise Birt from the novel The Case of the Weird Sisters by Charlotte Armstrong...
- 1949: Badger's GreenBadger's Green (1949 film)Badger's Green is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John Irwin and starring Barbara Murray, Brian Nissen, Garry Marsh and Kynaston Reeves. It is based on the play Badger's Green by R.C. Sheriff...
- 1949: For Them That TrespassFor Them That TrespassFor Them That Trespass is a 1949 British crime film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and starring Richard Todd, Patricia Plunkett and Stephen Murray...
- 1950: Trio
- 1951: The Late Edwina BlackThe Late Edwina BlackThe Late Edwina Black is a 1951 British drama film, directed by Maurice Elvey and starring David Farrar, Geraldine Fitzgerald and Roland Culver...
- 1951: Out of TrueOut of True (film)Out of True is a 1951 British drama-documentary film, directed by Philip Leacock and starring Jane Hylton and Muriel Pavlow. Out of True was made by the Crown Film Unit with sponsorship from the Ministry of Health, and was promoted as a "fictional account of a nervous breakdown which conforms to...
- 1951: EncoreEncore (1951 film)Encore is a 1951 anthology film composed of adaptations of three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham:*"The Ant and the Grasshopper", directed by Pat Jackson and adapted by T. E. B...
- 1952: Meet Me TonightMeet Me TonightMeet me Tonight is a 1952 omnibus British comedy film adapted from three one act plays by Noel Coward that are part of his Tonight at 8:30 play cycle...
- 1952: The Pickwick PapersThe Pickwick Papers (film)The Pickwick Papers is a 1952 British film from George Minter of the Charles Dickens classic. Both screenplay and direction were by Noel Langley. It was awarded a Golden Bear in Russia where the rights were sold for £10,000.-Cast:...
- 1954: The Weak and the WickedThe Weak and the WickedThe Weak and the Wicked is a 1954 British drama film directed by J. Lee Thompson based on the book by his wife, Joan Henry, starring Glynis Johns and Diana Dors....
- 1954: The Belles of St Trinian'sThe Belles of St Trinian'sThe Belles of St Trinian's is a comedy film set in the fictional St Trinian's School, released in 1954. It and its sequels were inspired by British cartoonist Ronald Searle. Directed by Frank Launder and written by him and Sidney Gilliat, it was the first of a series of five...
- 1956: It's Great to Be YoungIt's Great To Be YoungIt's Great to Be Young is a 1956 musical comedy film about a school music teacher, starring Cecil Parker and John Mills.-Cast:* John Mills as Mr. Dingle* Cecil Parker as Frome* John Salew as Routledge* Elizabeth Kentish as Mrs...
- 1957: Campbell's KingdomCampbell's KingdomCampbell's Kingdom is a 1957 British action film directed by Ralph Thomas, based on the 1952 novel of the same name by Hammond Innes. The film stars Dirk Bogarde and Stanley Baker, with Michael Craig, James Robertson Justice and Sid James in support...
- 1958: The Camp on Blood IslandThe Camp on Blood IslandThe Camp on Blood Island is a 1958 British World War II film, directed by Val Guest for Hammer Film Productions and starring Carl Möhner, André Morrel, Edward Underdown and Walter Fitzgerald....
- 1961: Spare the RodSpare the Rod (film)Spare the Rod is a 1961 British social drama, directed by Les Norman and starring Max Bygraves, Geoffrey Keen, Donald Pleasence and Richard O'Sullivan...
- 1963: Bitter Harvest
- 1965: The Amorous Adventures of Moll FlandersThe Amorous Adventures of Moll FlandersThe Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders is a 1965 British historical comedy film directed by Terence Young and starring Kim Novak, Richard Johnson and Claire Ufland...
- 1970: Futtocks End
External links
- Mary Merrall filmography at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...