Phyllis Calvert
Encyclopedia
Phyllis Calvert was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas
of the 1940s.
Born Phyllis Hannah Bickle in Chelsea
, she trained at the Margaret Morris School of Dancing and performed from the age of ten, gaining her first film role at the age of 12, in The Arcadians (1927), also known as The Land of Heart's Desire. Calvert performed in repertory theatre and in several films, before making her London stage debut in A Woman's Privilege in 1939. In 1942, she had the lead role as Patricia Graham in Terence Rattigan
's Flare Path
.
During the following decade, she starred in many romances, including Fanny by Gaslight
, with James Mason
and Stewart Granger
, and My Own True Love, becoming one of Britain's highest paid stars. However, three Hollywood studios failed to pay her what she asked.
She first found success in the film adaptation of H. G. Wells
' Kipps
(1941), but it was in the Gainsborough melodrama The Man in Grey
(1943) that confirmed her status.
She acted in over 40 films, her later films include Oh! What a Lovely War
and The Walking Stick
. Calvert had already appeared on television, playing Mrs. March in the 1958 serials Little Women and Good Wives (both adapted from Louisa May Alcott
's novel Little Women
), as well as individual episodes of several other programmes, when, in 1970, she landed the part of an agony aunt with problems of her own in Kate
. She made TV appearances in programmes such as Crown Court, Ladykillers, Tales of the Unexpected, Boon, After Henry and The Line Grove Story.
She was married to the actor and antiquarian bookseller Peter Murray Hill, with whom she had two children, Ann Auriol (born 1943) and Piers Auriol (born 1954). She died in London in 2002, from natural causes, aged 87.
Gainsborough melodramas
The Gainsborough melodramas were a sequence of films produced by the British film studio Gainsborough Pictures during the 1940s which conformed to a melodramatic style. The melodramas were not a film series but an unrelated sequence of films which had similar themes and frequently recurring actors...
of the 1940s.
Born Phyllis Hannah Bickle in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, she trained at the Margaret Morris School of Dancing and performed from the age of ten, gaining her first film role at the age of 12, in The Arcadians (1927), also known as The Land of Heart's Desire. Calvert performed in repertory theatre and in several films, before making her London stage debut in A Woman's Privilege in 1939. In 1942, she had the lead role as Patricia Graham in Terence Rattigan
Terence Rattigan
Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan CBE was one of England's most popular 20th-century dramatists. His plays are generally set in an upper-middle-class background...
's Flare Path
Flare Path (play)
-1942–43 Broadway production:Flare Path had a short run on Broadway at Henry Miller's Theatre from December 1942 to January 1943. Alec Guinness played Teddy and Nancy Kelly played Patricia. The play was Guinness's Broadway debut, and he was granted leave from the Royal Navy in order to take the role...
.
During the following decade, she starred in many romances, including Fanny by Gaslight
Fanny by Gaslight (film)
Fanny by Gaslight was a 1944 British drama film, produced by Gainsborough Pictures, set in the 1870s and adapted from a novel by Michael Sadleir . It was one of its famous period-set "Gainsborough melodramas"...
, with James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
and Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger
Stewart Granger was an English-American film actor, mainly associated with heroic and romantic leading roles. He was a popular leading man from the 1940s to the early 1960s rising to fame through his appearances in the Gainsborough melodramas.-Early life:He was born James Lablache Stewart in Old...
, and My Own True Love, becoming one of Britain's highest paid stars. However, three Hollywood studios failed to pay her what she asked.
She first found success in the film adaptation of H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
' Kipps
Kipps (1941 film)
Kipps, also known as The Remarkable Mr. Kipps, is a 1941 comedy film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Carol Reed...
(1941), but it was in the Gainsborough melodrama The Man in Grey
The Man in Grey
The Man in Grey is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures, and is widely considered as the first of its "Gainsborough melodramas"...
(1943) that confirmed her status.
She acted in over 40 films, her later films include Oh! What a Lovely War
Oh! What a Lovely War
Oh! What a Lovely War is a musical film based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop created in 1963,...
and The Walking Stick
The Walking Stick
The Walking Stick is a 1970 film directed by Eric Till and starring David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Winston Graham...
. Calvert had already appeared on television, playing Mrs. March in the 1958 serials Little Women and Good Wives (both adapted from Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott
Louisa May Alcott was an American novelist. She is best known for the novel Little Women and its sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys. Little Women was set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts, and published in 1868...
's novel Little Women
Little Women
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott . The book was written and set in the Alcott family home, Orchard House, in Concord, Massachusetts. It was published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869...
), as well as individual episodes of several other programmes, when, in 1970, she landed the part of an agony aunt with problems of her own in Kate
Kate (TV series)
Kate is a British drama television series which originally aired on ITV in 38 episodes between 6 January 1970 and 29 November 1972. It starred Phyllis Calvert in the role of an agony aunt who becomes personally drawn into the problems of the people who send letters to her...
. She made TV appearances in programmes such as Crown Court, Ladykillers, Tales of the Unexpected, Boon, After Henry and The Line Grove Story.
She was married to the actor and antiquarian bookseller Peter Murray Hill, with whom she had two children, Ann Auriol (born 1943) and Piers Auriol (born 1954). She died in London in 2002, from natural causes, aged 87.
Selected filmography
- The ArcadiansThe Arcadians (film)The Arcadians is a 1927 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Ben Blue, Jeanne De Casalis and Vesta Sylva. It is an adaptation of the musical The Arcadians. It is considered a lost film and is on the BFI 75 Most Wanted list of missing films.-Cast:* Ben Blue - Simplicitas...
(1927) - Two Days to Live (1939)
- Let George Do ItLet George Do ItLet George Do It is a 1940 British, black-and-white, comedy musical war film, directed by Marcel Varnel and starring George Formby, with Ronald Shiner as the clarinetist...
(1940) - Charley's (Big-Hearted) AuntCharley's (Big-Hearted) AuntCharley's Aunt is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Walter Forde starring Arthur Askey and Richard Murdoch as Oxford 'scholars'.The film is one of many to be made based on the farce Charley's Aunt.-Cast:...
(1940) - Neutral PortNeutral PortNeutral Port is a 1940 British war film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Will Fyffe, Leslie Banks, Yvonne Arnaud, Phyllis Calvert and Wally Patch. A British merchant ship is torpedoed by a German U-Boat and takes shelter in a neutral port. The Captain then strikes back at the German enemy...
(1940) - They Came by NightThey Came by NightThey Came by Night is a 1940 British crime film directed by Harry Lachman and starring Will Fyffe, Phyllis Calvert and Anthony Hulme. A man is blackmailed into taking his brother's place in a gang for a jewellry heist.-Cast:...
(1940) - Inspector Hornleigh Goes To ItInspector Hornleigh Goes To ItInspector Hornleigh Goes To It is a 1941 British detective film directed by Walter Forde and starring Gordon Harker, Alastair Sim, Phyllis Calvert and Edward Chapman. It was the third and final film adaptation of the Inspector Hornleigh stories...
(1941) - KippsKipps (1941 film)Kipps, also known as The Remarkable Mr. Kipps, is a 1941 comedy film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Carol Reed...
(1941) - The Young Mr. Pitt (1942)
- UncensoredUncensored (film)Uncensored is a 1942 British World War II drama, directed by Anthony Asquith for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Eric Portman and Phyllis Calvert...
(1942) - The Man in GreyThe Man in GreyThe Man in Grey is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures, and is widely considered as the first of its "Gainsborough melodramas"...
(1943) - Two Thousand WomenTwo Thousand WomenTwo Thousand Women is a 1944 British comedy-drama war film about a camp of interned British women in Occupied France. Three RAF aircrewmen whose bomber had been shot down enter the camp and are hidden by the women from the Germans...
(1944) - Fanny by GaslightFanny by Gaslight (film)Fanny by Gaslight was a 1944 British drama film, produced by Gainsborough Pictures, set in the 1870s and adapted from a novel by Michael Sadleir . It was one of its famous period-set "Gainsborough melodramas"...
(1944) - Madonna of the Seven MoonsMadonna of the Seven MoonsMadonna of the Seven Moons is a 1945 British drama film directed by Arthur Crabtree and starring Phyllis Calvert, Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc. The film was one of the Gainsborough melodramas. It was based on a novel by Margery Lawrence.-Plot:...
(1945) - They Were SistersThey Were SistersThey Were Sisters is a 1945 British melodrama film, directed by Arthur Crabtree for Gainsborough Pictures and starring James Mason and Phyllis Calvert. The film was produced by Harold Huth, with cinematography from Jack Cox and screenplay by Roland Pertwee...
(1945) - The Magic BowThe Magic BowThe Magic Bow is a 1946 British musical film based on the life of the Italian violinist and composer Niccolò Paganini. It was directed by Bernard Knowles...
(1946) - Men of Two WorldsMen of Two WorldsMen of Two Worlds is a 1946 British drama film directed by Thorold Dickinson and starring Robert Adams, Eric Portman and Phyllis Calvert. An African music student returns home to battle a witch doctor for control over his tribe.-Cast:...
(1946) - The Root of All EvilThe Root of All Evil (1947 film)The Root of All Evil is a 1947 British drama film, directed by Brock Williams for Gainsborough Pictures and starring Phyllis Calvert and Michael Rennie. The film was the first directorial assignment for Williams, who was better known as a screenwriter, and also produced the screenplay based on a...
(1947) - Time Out of Mind (1947)
- Broken JourneyBroken JourneyBroken Journey is a 1948 British drama film directed by Ken Annakin and featuring Phyllis Calvert, James Donald, Margot Grahame, Raymond Huntley and Guy Rolfe.-Cast:* Phyllis Calvert as Mary Johnstone* James Donald as Bill Haverton...
(1948) - Golden MadonnaGolden MadonnaGolden Madonna is a 1949 British drama film directed by Ladislao Vajda and starring Phyllis Calvert, Tullio Carminati and Michael Rennie. A young British woman who owns a villa in Italy offends the village she lives in by throwing away a painting that they consider lucky. To redeem herself she goes...
(1949) - My Own True Love (1949)
- The Woman with No NameThe Woman with No NameThe Woman with No Name is a 1950 British drama film directed by Ladislao Vajda and starring Phyllis Calvert, Edward Underdown, Helen Cherry, Richard Burton and James Hayter...
(1950) - Appointment with DangerAppointment with DangerAppointment with Danger is an American crime film noir directed by Lewis Allen and written by Richard L. Breen and Warren Duff. The drama features Alan Ladd, Phyllis Calvert, Paul Stewart, among others.-Plot:...
(1951) - Mr. Denning Drives NorthMr. Denning Drives NorthMr. Denning Drives North is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Anthony Kimmins and starring John Mills, Phyllis Calvert and Eileen Moore. The plot concerns an aircraft manufacturer who accidentally kills the boyfriend of his daughter and tries to dispose the body...
(1952) - MandyMandy (film)Mandy was a 1952 Ealing Studios film, based on the book The Day Is Ours by Hilda Lewis, with screenplay by Nigel Balchin and Jack Whittingham, and direction by Alexander Mackendrick and Fred Sears. Another title for the film was Crash of Silence...
(1952) - The NetThe Net (1953 film)The Net is a 1953 British film made by Two Cities Films, directed by Anthony Asquith and starring James Donald, Phyllis Calvert, Robert Beatty and Herbert Lom...
(1953) - It's Never Too LateIt's Never Too Late (1956 film)It's Never Too Late is a 1956 British comedy film directed by Michael McCarthy and starring Phyllis Calvert, Patrick Barr, Susan Stephen and Guy Rolfe...
(1956) - Child in the HouseChild in the HouseChild in the House is a 1956 British drama film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Phyllis Calvert, Eric Portman and Stanley Baker. A girl struggles to cope with her uncaring relatives...
(1956) - A Lady MislaidA Lady MislaidA Lady Mislaid is a 1958 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and starring Phyllis Calvert, Alan White and Thorley Walters....
(1958) - The Young and the Guilty (1958)
- Indiscreet (1958)
- Oscar WildeOscar Wilde (film)Oscar Wilde is a 1960 biographical film about Oscar Wilde, made by Vantage Films and released by 20th Century Fox.-Production:The film was directed by Gregory Ratoff and produced by William Kirby, from a screenplay by Jo Eisinger, based on the play Oscar Wilde by Leslie Stokes and Sewell Stokes...
(1960) - The Battle of the Villa FioritaThe Battle of the Villa FioritaThe Battle of the Villa Fiorita is a 1965 British drama film directed by Delmer Daves. It stars Maureen O'Hara and Rossano Brazzi. Set in contemporary Italy, it tells of three children aware that their mother has left them for a lover and both stay at the Villa Fiorita...
(1965) - Twisted NerveTwisted NerveTwisted Nerve is a 1968 British psychological thriller film about a disturbed young man, Martin, who pretends, under the name of Georgie, to be mentally retarded in order to be near Susan, a girl he has become infatuated with, killing those who get in his way.-Plot:The film opens with Martin...
(1968) - Oh! What a Lovely WarOh! What a Lovely WarOh! What a Lovely War is a musical film based on the stage musical Oh, What a Lovely War! originated by Charles Chilton as a radio play, The Long Long Trail in December 1961, and transferred to stage by Gerry Raffles in partnership with Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop created in 1963,...
(1969) - The Walking StickThe Walking StickThe Walking Stick is a 1970 film directed by Eric Till and starring David Hemmings and Samantha Eggar. It is based on the novel of the same name written by Winston Graham...
(1970) - Mrs DallowayMrs Dalloway (film)Mrs Dalloway is a 1997 drama film directed by Marleen Gorris and starring Vanessa Redgrave, Natascha McElhone and Michael Kitchen. It is an adaptation of the novel Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf...
(1997)