Lucile Watson
 |
Lucile Watson | |
|---|---|
 Watson in 1953 | |
| Born | May 27, 1879 Quebec City, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | June 24, 1962 (aged 83) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1902–1954 |
Lucile Watson (May 27, 1879 – June 24, 1962) was a Canadian actress, long based in the United States. She was "famous for her roles of formidable dowagers."[1]
Early years
[edit]Watson was born in Quebec and raised in Ottawa, the daughter of an officer in the British Army. Despite his wishes, she traveled to New York City and enrolled in a dramatic school.[2]
Career
[edit]
Watson was primarily a stage actress, appearing in 39 Broadway plays.[3]
In perhaps her most acclaimed performance, Watson portrayed Fanny Farrelly in playwright Lillian Hellman's anti-fascist dramatic stage play Watch on the Rhine on Broadway in 1941, starring Paul Lukas.[4] Two years later in Hollywood, she and Lukas reprised their roles in the film adaptation,[5] for which Watson received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.[6]
Death
[edit]Watson died on June 24, 1962.[7]
Broadway roles
[edit]- No More Ladies (1934) as Mrs. Fanny Townsend
- Watch on the Rhine (1941) as Fanny Farrelly[8]
Partial filmography
[edit]
- The Royal Family of Broadway (1930) as Actress Backstage (uncredited)
- What Every Woman Knows (1934) as La Contessa la Brierre
- The Bishop Misbehaves (1935) as Lady Emily
- The Garden of Allah (1936) as Mother Superior Josephine
- A Woman Rebels (1936) as Betty Bumble
- Three Smart Girls (1936) as Martha
- The Young in Heart (1938) as Mrs. Jennings
- Sweethearts (1938) as Mrs. Marlowe
- Made for Each Other (1939) as Mrs. Harriet Mason
- The Women (1939) as Mrs. Morehead
- Waterloo Bridge (1940) as Lady Margaret Cronin
- Florian (1940) as Countess
- Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) as Mrs. Custer
- Rage in Heaven (1941) as Mrs. Monrell
- Footsteps in the Dark (1941) as Mrs. Archer
- The Great Lie (1941) as Aunt Ada
- Model Wife (1941) as J.J. Benson
- Watch on the Rhine (1943) as Fanny Farrelly
- Uncertain Glory (1944) as Mme. Maret
- Till We Meet Again (1944) as Mother Superior
- The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) as Mrs. Charles
- Tomorrow Is Forever (1946) as Aunt Jessica Hamilton
- My Reputation (1946) as Mrs. Mary Kimball
- Never Say Goodbye (1946) as Mrs. Hamilton
- Song of the South (1946) as Grandmother
- The Razor's Edge (1946) as Louisa Bradley
- Ivy (1947) as Mrs. Gretorex
- The Emperor Waltz (1948) as Princess Bitotska
- Julia Misbehaves (1948) as Mrs. Packett
- That Wonderful Urge (1948) as Aunt Cornelia Farley
- Little Women (1949) as Aunt March
- Everybody Does It (1949) as Mrs. Blair
- Let's Dance (1950) as Serena Everett
- Harriet Craig (1950) as Celia Fenwick
- My Forbidden Past (1951) as Aunt Eula Beaurevel
Sources
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Famed actress dies at 83". California, Redlands. Redlands Daily Facts. June 26, 1962. p. 5. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lucile Watson, Type". D.C, Washington. The Washington Herald. February 9, 1919. p. 15. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Lucile Watson". Playbill. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
- ^ "Obituaries". Variety. June 27, 1962. p. 63. ProQuest 1032424803.
Perhaps her most highly praised performance was as Fanny Farrelly in Lillian Hellman's anti-Nazi play, 'Watch on the Rhine,' which starred Paul Lucas and opened in 1941.
- ^ "Watch on the Rhine". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
- ^ United Press (February 7, 1944). "Three Former Winners Listed in 'Oscar' Race". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 9. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Lucile Watson, Actress, 83, Dies". Connecticut, Bridgeport. The Bridgeport Post. June 25, 1962. p. 24. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Watch on the Rhine". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
Further reading
[edit]- Alistair, Rupert (2018). "Lucile Watson". The Name Below the Title : 65 Classic Movie Character Actors from Hollywood's Golden Age (softcover) (First ed.). Great Britain: Independently published. pp. 249–251. ISBN 978-1-7200-3837-5.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lucile Watson.
- Lucile Watson at IMDb
- Lucile Watson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Lucile Watson portraits Broadway 1910s or 20s NYP Library
- Lucile Watson at Find a Grave
