Pamela Brown (actress)
| Pamela Brown | |
|---|---|
| Still of Brown from Bram Stoker's Dracula (1974)
Still of Brown from Bram Stoker's Dracula (1974)
| |
| Born | Pamela Mary Brown 8 July 1917 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 19 September 1975 (aged 58) Avening, Gloucestershire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1942–1975 |
| Spouse | Peter Copley (m. 1941; div. 1953) |
| Partner | Michael Powell (1962; died 1975)[1] |
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Pamela Mary Brown (8 July 1917 – 19 September 1975) was a British actress. For her portrayal of Queen Victoria's mother Princess Victoria, Duchess of Kent in Victoria Regina (1961) she was awarded the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Early life
Brown was born in Hampstead, London, to George Edward Brown, a journalist, and his wife, Helen Blanche (née Ellerton).[2] Growing up as a Roman Catholic, she attended St Mary's School, Ascot.[3]
Career
After attending the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Brown made her stage debut in 1936 as Juliet in a Stratford-upon-Avon production of Romeo and Juliet.[4] Three of her early film roles were in Powell and Pressburger films: her first screen part in One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942), a memorable supporting role in I Know Where I'm Going! (1945), and in the fantasy film-opera The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). She played a bitter spinster in Personal Affair, starring Gene Tierney (1953).
From the early 1950s, Brown's arthritic condition (first appearing when she was sixteen) began to make playing on the stage difficult; her mobility was restricted and she was in great pain, which was kept at bay by drugs.[5] Nevertheless, she was a notable success as Jennet in the London production of Christopher Fry's The Lady's Not For Burning, opposite Richard Burton, Claire Bloom and John Gielgud (1949), which transferred to Broadway for an extended run (1950–51).[6][7] Time magazine wrote (20 November 1950): "As the lady, Pamela Brown proves that Fry did not write the part for her in vain. No one has a more gloriously uppity charm; no voice can simultaneously so rasp and thrill; no one ever made standoffishness more come-hitherable."[8]
Brown's success in film continued as Jane Shore in Laurence Olivier's Richard III (1955) and opposite Kirk Douglas in the Van Gogh biopic Lust for Life (1956). Highlights of her 1960s work include the epic Cleopatra (High Priestess; 1963), Becket (Eleanor of Aquitaine; 1964) and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (High Priestess; 1966). Brown played Lady Bessborough in Lady Caroline Lamb (1972) and Archduchess Sophia of Austria in Fall of Eagles (1974).
Personal life
In February 1953, Brown divorced her husband, Peter Copley, for infidelity.[9] They had no children. A devout Roman Catholic, she could not remarry while Copley was still alive but chose to live with her partner Michael Powell, the director who had given her early film roles. They remained together until her death from pancreatic cancer in September 1975, aged 58, in Avening, Gloucestershire.[5] Brown was buried in Holy Cross churchyard, Avening.[10]
Complete filmography
| One of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942) as Els Meertens I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) as Catriona Death of a Rat (1946, TV movie) as Yolan Alice in Wonderland (1949) as The Queen of Hearts The Tales of Hoffmann (1951) as Nicklaus The Second Mrs. Tanqueray (1952) as Paula Tanqueray Personal Affair (1953) as Evelyn Baker's Dozen (1955, TV movie) as Mrs. Carewe Richard III (1955) as Jane Shore Now and Forever (1956) as Mrs. Grant Lust for Life (1956) as Christine Dark Possession (1959, TV movie) as Charlotte Bell Wheeler The Scapegoat (1959) as Blanche The House in Paris (1959, TV movie) as Naomi Victoria Regina (1961, TV movie) as Duchess of Kent |
Cleopatra (1963) as High Priestess Espionage (1963), episode "Never Turn Your Back on a Friend" as Miss. Jensen Becket (1964) as Eleanor of Aquitaine The Importance of Being Earnest (1964, Armchair Theatre TV movie) as Lady Bracknell The Witness (1966, TV movie) as Madame Pontreau A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966) as High Priestess Half a Sixpence (1967) as Mrs. Washington The Admirable Crichton (1968, TV movie) as Lady Brocklehurst Secret Ceremony (1968) as Hilda On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970) as Mrs. Fitzherbert Figures in a Landscape (1970) as Widow Wuthering Heights (1970) as Mrs. Linton The Night Digger (1971) as Mrs. Edith Prince Lady Caroline Lamb or Peccato d'amore (1972) as Lady Bessborough Dracula (1974, TV movie) as Mrs. Westenra In This House of Brede (1975, TV movie) as Dame Agnes |
Sound recordings
Brown can be heard as Gwendolyn on the 1953 recording of The Importance of Being Earnest with John Gielgud and Edith Evans,[11] as Cleopatra in the Caedmon Records production of Antony and Cleopatra,[12] as Madame Irma in the Caedmon production of The Balcony,[13] as Gertrude in Hamlet with Gielgud,[14] and reading excerpts from Lady Chatterley's Lover.[15]
References
- Back to citation Thorpe, Vanessa (10 February 2019). "Scorsese editor Thelma Schoonmaker plans Michael Powell tribute". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- Back to citation "Brown, Pamela Mary (1917–1975)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40455. (Subscription, Wikipedia Library access or UK public library membership required.)
- Back to citation "26 famous people who went to school in Berkshire". berksandbuckslife.co.uk. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- Back to citation "Shakespeare Festival at Stratford". The Times. London. 23 March 1936. p. 10.
- Back to citation occurrence 5.0 Back to citation occurrence 5.1 "Actress Pamela Brown dies at her home". Bristol Post. 22 September 1975. p. 6. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- Back to citation Ellis, Samantha (28 May 2003). "The Lady's Not For Burning, Globe Theatre, May 1949". The Guardian. London.
- Back to citation Zolotow, Sam (8 November 1950). "Play by Fry bows tonight at Royale; 'The Lady's Not for Burning,' a British Importation, Stars John Gielgud, Pamela Brown". The New York Times. p. 49. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- Back to citation "New Play in Manhattan". Time. Vol. 56, no. 21. 20 November 1950. p. 60. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- Back to citation "Pamela Brown Wins Divorce in London". Argus Leader. Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Associated Press. 23 February 1953. p. 1. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
- Back to citation Thomson, David (1 October 1995). "Cinema: A genius without a job". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2009.
- Back to citation "The Importance of Being Earnest".
- Back to citation Lask, Thomas. "Shakespeare Albums by the Pair".
- Back to citation Kresh, Paul. "The Actor's Art Captured on Disks".
- Back to citation Gould, Jack. "GIELGUD PERFORMS 'HAMLET' ON RADIO; 90-Minute Version Presented by Theatre Guild--Pamela Brown Plays the Queen".
- Back to citation Kresh, Paul. "Love Stories Make The Turntable Go 'Round".