Barbara Jefford facts for kids

Mary Barbara Jefford was a talented British actress. She was born on July 26, 1930, and passed away on September 12, 2020, at the age of 90. She was very well known for her amazing performances in plays with famous groups like the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Old Vic. She also played a memorable role as Molly Bloom in the 1967 movie Ulysses.

Early Life and First Steps

Barbara Jefford was born in Plymstock, a town in Devon, England. Her parents were Elizabeth and Percival Jefford. She grew up in the beautiful West Country area.

She went to Weirfield School in Taunton. Later, she studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, which is a very famous acting school. While still a student in 1946, she got small parts in radio shows. Her first time acting on a stage was in 1949. She played the character Viola in the play Twelfth Night in Brighton.

A Star on Stage

Barbara Jefford spent most of her career acting in plays. She was especially famous for her roles in plays by William Shakespeare.

Starting at Stratford

After just one year of acting in different local theaters, she got a big role in 1950. She played Isabella in a play called Measure for Measure at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. This theater later became the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. She acted alongside famous actors like John Gielgud.

Over the next four years, she played many more important Shakespearean characters. These included Anne Boleyn in Henry VIII and Desdemona in Othello. She also played Rosalind in As You Like It during a tour in New Zealand.

Acting at the Old Vic

After her time at Stratford, Barbara Jefford acted in a play called Tiger at the Gates in London's West End and on Broadway in New York. Then, she returned to act at the Old Vic, another very famous theater.

At the Old Vic, she continued to play many Shakespearean roles. She was Portia in The Merchant of Venice, Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, and Queen Margaret in Henry VI. She also played Gertrude in Hamlet in 1978. Beyond Shakespeare, she acted in plays like The Importance of Being Earnest and Saint Joan. Many of these plays toured around the world, including the United States and Europe.

Other Important Plays

Barbara Jefford also worked with the Oxford Playhouse. There, she played Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra for the first time. She also acted in other plays that moved to big theaters in London.

In the 1970s, she performed in An Enemy of the People. She also appeared in many other West End productions. In 1976, she was part of the very first play at the Olivier Theatre, called Tamburlaine the Great.

Throughout her long career, she acted in 54 different Shakespeare plays. Her last Shakespearean role was in 2002, when she played Queen Margaret in Richard III in Sheffield.

Movies and TV Shows

Barbara Jefford also appeared in films and on television. In 1959, she played Ophelia in a TV version of Hamlet.

She was often the voice for other actresses in movies. For example, she provided the voice for Tatiana Romanova in the James Bond film From Russia with Love (1963). She also did voice work in other Bond movies like Thunderball (1965) and The Spy Who Loved Me (1977).

Her first big movie role was as Molly Bloom in Ulysses (1967). For this role, she was nominated for a British Academy Award. She also played Magda Goebbels in Hitler: The Last Ten Days (1973). Other movies she appeared in include When the Whales Came (1989), The Ninth Gate (1999), and The Deep Blue Sea. Her last movie role was in 2013, when she played Sister Hildegard in Philomena, which starred Judi Dench.

On television, Barbara Jefford appeared in many dramas. These included episodes of Play For Today, Midsomer Murders, and The House of Eliott.

Radio Performances

Barbara Jefford also had a very active career in radio plays. She performed in many different shows for the BBC.

Some of her radio roles included:

• Isabella in Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure" (1950).
• Goneril in Shakespeare's "King Lear" (1967).
• Cleopatra in Shakespeare's "Antony and Cleopatra" (1981).
• Queen Elizabeth I in "Mary Stuart" (1987).

Awards and Recognition

In 1965, Barbara Jefford was given the Order of the British Empire (OBE). This is a special award from the British government for her great work in theater. She was the youngest person to receive this award at that time.

In 1977, she also received the Jubilee Festival Medal.

Later Years

Barbara Jefford continued to act for many years. She passed away on September 12, 2020, when she was 90 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Barbara Jefford para niños