Sally Gray
Encyclopedia
Constance Vera Browne, Baroness Oranmore and Browne (14 February 1916 – 24 September 2006), commonly known as Sally Gray, was an English movie actress of the 1930s and 1940s.
Her mother was a ballet dancer and her grandmother was a "principal boy" in the 1870's. Born Constance Vera Stevens in Holloway
, London
, Gray made her stage debut at the age of twelve in All God's Chillun at the Globe Theatre
in London
, playing a little black boy.
She then went back to school for two years, training at Fay Compton’s School of Dramatic Art and then became well established in the theatre before embarking on a series of light comedies, musicals and thrillers in the 1930s.
Gray began in films in her teens with a bit part in School for Scandal (1930) and returned in 1935, making nearly twenty films, culminating in her sensitive role in Brian Desmond Hurst
’s romantic melodrama Dangerous Moonlight
(1941). She was off the screen for several years owing to an alleged nervous breakdown and then returned in 1946 to make her strongest bid for stardom.
This latter involved a series of melodramas. They include the hospital thriller Green for Danger
(1946), Carnival
(1946), and The Mark of Cain
(1948). She made two films that, in different ways, capture some of the essence of postwar Britain: Alberto Cavalcanti
's They Made Me a Fugitive
(1947) (as a gangster's moll) and the stagebound Silent Dust
(1948). She also appeared in Edward Dmytryk's film noir piece Obsession
(1949), in which she plays Robert Newton
’s faithless wife. Her final film was the spy yarn Escape Route
(1952).
RKO Executives, impressed with Gray, authorized producer William Sistrom
to offer her a long-term contract if she would move to the United States. John Paddy Carstairs
, director of The Saint in London
, also thought she could be a star. However, she declined the offer and instead retired in 1952 after secretly marrying Dominick Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne
and lived in County Mayo
, Ireland
. In the early 1960s, they returned to England
and settled in a flat in Eaton Place, Belgravia
, in London
. They had no children.
Her mother was a ballet dancer and her grandmother was a "principal boy" in the 1870's. Born Constance Vera Stevens in Holloway
Holloway, London
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road . At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head area...
, 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...
, Gray made her stage debut at the age of twelve in All God's Chillun at the Globe Theatre
Gielgud Theatre
The Gielgud Theatre is a West End theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster, London, at the corner of Rupert Street. The house currently has 889 seats on three levels.-History:...
in 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...
, playing a little black boy.
She then went back to school for two years, training at Fay Compton’s School of Dramatic Art and then became well established in the theatre before embarking on a series of light comedies, musicals and thrillers in the 1930s.
Gray began in films in her teens with a bit part in School for Scandal (1930) and returned in 1935, making nearly twenty films, culminating in her sensitive role in Brian Desmond Hurst
Brian Desmond Hurst
thumb|right|200px|Portrait by [[Allan Warren]]Brian Desmond Hurst was a Belfast-born film director. Responsible for over 30 movies as director, Hurst was Ireland's most prolific movie director during the 20th century.-Early life:Hurst was born Hans Hurst in Ribble Street, East Belfast"". into a...
’s romantic melodrama Dangerous Moonlight
Dangerous Moonlight
Dangerous Moonlight is a 1941 British film, starring Anton Walbrook, best known for its score written by Richard Addinsell with orchestrations by Roy Douglas, which includes the Warsaw Concerto...
(1941). She was off the screen for several years owing to an alleged nervous breakdown and then returned in 1946 to make her strongest bid for stardom.
This latter involved a series of melodramas. They include the hospital thriller Green for Danger
Green for Danger (film)
Green for Danger is a 1946 British thriller film, based on the popular 1944 detective novel by Christianna Brand.The book Green for Danger was praised for its clever plot, interesting characters, and wartime hospital setting. The film version, starring Alastair Sim and Trevor Howard, with Sally...
(1946), Carnival
Carnival (1946 film)
-Cast:*Sally Gray as Jenny Pearl*Michael Wilding as Maurice Avery*Stanley Holloway as Charlie Raeburn*Bernard Miles as Trewhella*Jean Kent as Irene Dale*Catherine Lacey as Florrie Raeburn*Nancy Price as Mrs. Trewhella*Hazel Court as Mae Raeburn...
(1946), and The Mark of Cain
The Mark of Cain
The Mark of Cain is a hard rock/alternative metal band from Adelaide, South Australia. Their style has been likened to that of Helmet and Rollins Band, yet this band predates both of those groups and was influenced by the early work of Joy Division and US hardcore...
(1948). She made two films that, in different ways, capture some of the essence of postwar Britain: 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...
's They Made Me a Fugitive
They Made Me a Fugitive
They 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...
(1947) (as a gangster's moll) and the stagebound Silent Dust
Silent Dust
Silent Dust is a 1949 British drama/thriller film, directed by Lance Comfort and starring Nigel Patrick, Sally Gray, Stephen Murray and Beatrice Campbell. The screenplay was by Michael Pertwee, adapted from his own play The Paragon...
(1948). She also appeared in Edward Dmytryk's film noir piece Obsession
Obsession (1949 film)
Obsession, released in the US as The Hidden Room, is a 1949 British crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk, based on the book A Man About A Dog by Alec Coppel, who also wrote the screenplay for the film, and turned the story into a novel. Obsession was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film...
(1949), in which she plays Robert Newton
Robert Newton
Robert Newton was an English stage and film actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the most popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys...
’s faithless wife. Her final film was the spy yarn Escape Route
Escape Route
Escape Route is a digital album by Joe Budden which was released exclusively on Amalgam Digital on August 11, 2009. As of October 6, 2009, the album was made available in stores.-Background:...
(1952).
RKO Executives, impressed with Gray, authorized producer William Sistrom
William Sistrom
William "Billy" Sistrom was an English film producer. He was born in Lincolnshire, England. He began work with Universal Pictures. Later he joined RKO in 1935, where he worked on the film adaptation of Leslie Charteris' The Saint in New York. He produced 30 UK and US films between 1930 and...
to offer her a long-term contract if she would move to the United States. John Paddy Carstairs
John Paddy Carstairs
John Paddy Carstairs was a British film director and television director , usually of light-hearted subject matter. He was also a comic novelist and painter....
, director of The Saint in London
The Saint in London
The Saint in London is an American crime film, the third in a series of films featuring the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint".The film starred George Sanders as Templar and was produced by William Sistrom. John Paddy Carstairs directed...
, also thought she could be a star. However, she declined the offer and instead retired in 1952 after secretly marrying Dominick Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne
Dominick Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne
Dominick Geoffrey Edward Browne, 4th Baron Oranmore and Browne, 2nd Baron Mereworth was the longest sitting British peer and legislator....
and lived in County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. In the early 1960s, they returned to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and settled in a flat in Eaton Place, Belgravia
Belgravia
Belgravia is a district of central London in the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Noted for its immensely expensive residential properties, it is one of the wealthiest districts in the world...
, in 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...
. They had no children.
Selected filmography
- School for ScandalSchool for Scandal (film)School for Scandal is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Thorold Dickinson and Maurice Elvey and starring Basil Gill, Madeleine Carroll and Ian Fleming. It is based on the play School for Scandal by Richard Brinsley Sheridan.-Cast:...
(1930) - The DictatorThe Dictator (film)The Dictator is a 1935 British historical drama film directed by Victor Saville and starring Clive Brook, Madeleine Carroll, Emlyn Williams and Helen Haye...
(1935) - Cafe ColetteCafe ColetteCafe Colette is a 1937 British thriller film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Paul Cavanagh, Greta Nissen and Sally Gray.-Cast:* Paul Cavanagh - Ryan* Greta Nissen - Vanda Muroff* Sally Gray - Jill Manning* Bruce Seton - Roger Manning...
(1937) - Lightning ConductorLightning Conductor (film)Lightning Conductor is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Gordon Harker, John Davis Lodge and Sally Gray. A London bus driver becomes embroiled in a plot by foreign agents to steal secret documents.-Cast:...
(1938) - Over She GoesOver She GoesOver She Goes is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Stanley Lupino, Claire Luce, Gina Malo and Max Baer. It was based on a play by Lupino...
(1938) - Sword of HonourSword of Honour (film)Sword of Honour is a 1939 British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Geoffrey Toone, Sally Gray, Wally Patch and Peter Gawthorne...
(1939) - The Lambeth WalkThe Lambeth Walk (film)The Lambeth Walk is a 1939 British musical comedy film directed by Albert de Courville and starring Lupino Lane, Sally Gray and Seymour Hicks. It was an adaptation of the 1937 musical Me and My Girl. The film takes its title from the play's best known song The Lambeth Walk...
(1939) - Dangerous MoonlightDangerous MoonlightDangerous Moonlight is a 1941 British film, starring Anton Walbrook, best known for its score written by Richard Addinsell with orchestrations by Roy Douglas, which includes the Warsaw Concerto...
(1941) - Green for DangerGreen for Danger (film)Green for Danger is a 1946 British thriller film, based on the popular 1944 detective novel by Christianna Brand.The book Green for Danger was praised for its clever plot, interesting characters, and wartime hospital setting. The film version, starring Alastair Sim and Trevor Howard, with Sally...
(1946) - ObsessionObsession (1949 film)Obsession, released in the US as The Hidden Room, is a 1949 British crime film directed by Edward Dmytryk, based on the book A Man About A Dog by Alec Coppel, who also wrote the screenplay for the film, and turned the story into a novel. Obsession was entered into the 1949 Cannes Film...
(1949) - Escape Route (1952)