Brenda de Banzie(1909-1981)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
The daughter of a musical conductor, fair-haired, matronly Brenda
de Banzie appeared in around 40 films. As the result of two
outstanding performances she became an unexpected star when well into
her middle age. Brenda first came to public notice as a sixteen year
old chorus girl on the London stage in "Du Barry Was a Lady" in 1942. By
that time, she had already been treading the boards in repertory for
some seven years. The theatre was, first and foremost, her preferred
medium. In the early
1950s, she had an excellent run of top-billed performances at the West End which included "Venus Observed" with Laurence Olivier,
and "Murder Mistaken", in which she played a wealthy hotel owner whose husband is
plotting to bump her off for her money. For this, she won the coveted
Clarence Derwent Award as Best Supporting Actress.
Critical plaudits tempted her to try her luck on screen, so Brenda
eventually made her celluloid debut in
Anthony Bushell's murder mystery
The Long Dark Hall (1951). Her
performance -- as a rather vulgar and dowdy boarding house landlady -- drew
good notices, including one from
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times.
In 1954, director David Lean cast
Brenda in her defining role as Maggie Hobson, an ambitious
spinster, opposite
Charles Laughton and
John Mills in
Hobson's Choice (1954). As it turned out, she
pretty much stole every scene from her illustrious co-stars. Rather
surprisingly, a BAFTA eluded her. In 1958, Brenda landed the prize
role of Phoebe Rice, the bitter, alcoholic wife of a second-rate music
hall performer (played superbly by Olivier) in
John Osborne's
The Entertainer (1960). She
recreated her performance for Broadway and for the film version in 1960
and received a Tony Award nomination. Sadly, despite such promise her stock did not improve thereafter and she was
relegated for the remainder of her career to matronly character roles. Brenda passed away on the operating table during surgery for a non-malignant brain tumor in March
1981.
de Banzie appeared in around 40 films. As the result of two
outstanding performances she became an unexpected star when well into
her middle age. Brenda first came to public notice as a sixteen year
old chorus girl on the London stage in "Du Barry Was a Lady" in 1942. By
that time, she had already been treading the boards in repertory for
some seven years. The theatre was, first and foremost, her preferred
medium. In the early
1950s, she had an excellent run of top-billed performances at the West End which included "Venus Observed" with Laurence Olivier,
and "Murder Mistaken", in which she played a wealthy hotel owner whose husband is
plotting to bump her off for her money. For this, she won the coveted
Clarence Derwent Award as Best Supporting Actress.
Critical plaudits tempted her to try her luck on screen, so Brenda
eventually made her celluloid debut in
Anthony Bushell's murder mystery
The Long Dark Hall (1951). Her
performance -- as a rather vulgar and dowdy boarding house landlady -- drew
good notices, including one from
Bosley Crowther of The New York Times.
In 1954, director David Lean cast
Brenda in her defining role as Maggie Hobson, an ambitious
spinster, opposite
Charles Laughton and
John Mills in
Hobson's Choice (1954). As it turned out, she
pretty much stole every scene from her illustrious co-stars. Rather
surprisingly, a BAFTA eluded her. In 1958, Brenda landed the prize
role of Phoebe Rice, the bitter, alcoholic wife of a second-rate music
hall performer (played superbly by Olivier) in
John Osborne's
The Entertainer (1960). She
recreated her performance for Broadway and for the film version in 1960
and received a Tony Award nomination. Sadly, despite such promise her stock did not improve thereafter and she was
relegated for the remainder of her career to matronly character roles. Brenda passed away on the operating table during surgery for a non-malignant brain tumor in March
1981.