Margaret Rutherford

Dame Margaret Rutherford (May 11, 1892 - May 22, 1972) was a British character actress who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.

Born in London, she made her stage debut in 1925 at the Old Vic. However, her appearance was such that romantic heroines were almost out of the question, and she soon established her name in comedy, appearing in many of the most successful British films of the mid-20th century. In most of these films, she had originally played the role on stage.

In 1961, she first played the film role with which she was most often associated in later life, that of Miss Marple in a series of films based on the novels of Agatha Christie.

Rutherford won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for The VIPs (1963), as the absent-minded Duchess of Brighton, opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.

Her husband was the actor Stringer Davis, whom she married in 1945 and with whom she often appeared. Rutherford was awarded an OBE in 1961 and in 1967 she was created a Dame of the British Empire (DBE). She was a cousin of the politician, Tony Benn.

She suffered from Alzheimer's disease at the end of her life, and died 11 days after her 80th birthday, of complications from a hip injury. She is buried along with her husband in the graveyard of St. James Church, Gerrards Cross.

Selected filmography

  • Blithe Spirit (1945) (in which she played Madame Arcati)
  • The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) (in which she played Miss Prism)
  • The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
  • The Mouse that Roared (1959)
  • Murder She Said (1961)
  • Murder at the Gallop (1963)
  • Murder Ahoy (1964)
  • Murder Most Foul (1964)
  • The VIPs (1963) (Best Supporting Actress Oscar)

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James Church, Gerrards Cross. Other movies Leelee has starred in include Jungle 2 Jungle (1997), Never Been Kissed (1999), Here on Earth (2000), My First Mister (2001), The Glass House (2001), Joy Ride (2001) and Max (2002). She is buried along with her husband in the graveyard of St. Leelee speaks fluent French and this has enabled her to land roles in L'Idole (2002) and the miniseries Les Liaisons dangereuses (2003), an adaptation of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos's classic novel of sexual intrigue. She suffered from Alzheimer's disease at the end of her life, and died 11 days after her 80th birthday, of complications from a hip injury. The title role in the TV movie Joan of Arc (1999) earned her a Golden Globe nomination and a second nomination followed her portrayal of Tosia Altman in the TV movie Uprising (2001). She was a cousin of the politician, Tony Benn. She rose to fame in her mid-teens with her appearance in the movie Deep Impact (1998) and went on to play a modern Lolita in Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (Released in 1999, although Leelee was not even seventeen when her nymphet-like scenes were shot), which led to the forming of a firm friendship with the director.

Rutherford was awarded an OBE in 1961 and in 1967 she was created a Dame of the British Empire (DBE). She claims to be a descendant of the family of King Jan Sobieski of Poland and collects locks of hair from her co stars. Her husband was the actor Stringer Davis, whom she married in 1945 and with whom she often appeared. Liliane Rudabet Gloria Elsveta Sobieski (born June 10, 1982), better known as Leelee (or LeeLee) Sobieski, is an American actress, born in New York City, New York to a French father and an American mother. Rutherford won a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for The VIPs (1963), as the absent-minded Duchess of Brighton, opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. In 1961, she first played the film role with which she was most often associated in later life, that of Miss Marple in a series of films based on the novels of Agatha Christie.

In most of these films, she had originally played the role on stage. However, her appearance was such that romantic heroines were almost out of the question, and she soon established her name in comedy, appearing in many of the most successful British films of the mid-20th century. Born in London, she made her stage debut in 1925 at the Old Vic. Dame Margaret Rutherford (May 11, 1892 - May 22, 1972) was a British character actress who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.

The VIPs (1963) (Best Supporting Actress Oscar). Murder Most Foul (1964). Murder Ahoy (1964). Murder at the Gallop (1963).

Murder She Said (1961). The Mouse that Roared (1959). The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950). The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) (in which she played Miss Prism).

Blithe Spirit (1945) (in which she played Madame Arcati).