Claire Bloom facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claire Bloom CBE
Bloom in 1958
Born	Patricia Claire Blume (1931-02-15) 15 February 1931 (age 94) Finchley, Middlesex, England
Education	Guildhall School of Music and Drama Central School of Speech and Drama
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1946–present
Spouse(s)	Rod Steiger ​ ​ (m. 1959; div. 1969)​ Hillard Elkins ​ ​ (m. 1969; div. 1972)​ Philip Roth ​ ​ (m. 1990; div. 1995)​
Children	Anna Steiger
Relatives	John Bloom (brother)

Patricia Claire Bloom (born 15 February 1931) is a famous English actress. She is known for her leading roles in movies and on stage. Over her long career, she has won two BAFTA Awards and a Drama Desk Award. For her work in drama, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013.

Bloom began acting on the London stage when she was only sixteen. She became well-known for performing in plays by Shakespeare, such as playing Ophelia in Hamlet. She also starred in famous plays like A Streetcar Named Desire and A Doll's House.

Her big break in movies came when she starred with the legendary Charlie Chaplin in his film Limelight (1952). This role made her a star and won her a BAFTA Award. She later appeared in many popular films, including Richard III (1955), The Haunting (1963), and Clash of the Titans (1981). More recently, she played Queen Mary in the award-winning movie The King's Speech (2010).

Early Life and Education

Bloom in The Brothers Karamazov (1958)

Claire Bloom was born Patricia Claire Blume on 15 February 1931, in Finchley, a part of London, England. Her parents were Elizabeth and Edward Max Blume. Her grandparents were Jewish immigrants from a region that is now in Belarus.

Bloom's education was often interrupted. She attended the independent Badminton School in Bristol. During the Blitz in 1940, when London was being bombed, she and her brother moved with their mother to the United States for safety. They lived in Florida for a year, where a young Claire helped raise money for the British War Relief Society by singing at events.

It was in New York that Bloom decided to become an actress. For her twelfth birthday, her mother took her to see the Broadway play Three Sisters. Bloom was so moved by the performance that she knew she wanted to act.

After returning to England in 1943, she studied acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

Acting Career

Stage Beginnings

With John Neville in Romeo and Juliet (1957)

Bloom started her career on BBC radio programs. She first appeared on stage in 1946 at the age of 15. A year later, she was at the famous Shakespeare Memorial Theatre playing Ophelia in Hamlet. She acted alongside the well-known actor Paul Scofield.

In 1947, she was in the play The Lady's Not For Burning with Sir John Gielgud and a young Richard Burton. She later received great praise for playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet in 1957. The famous critic Kenneth Tynan said she was the best Juliet he had ever seen. She also earned praise for her role as Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire.

Breakthrough in Film

With Charlie Chaplin in Limelight (1952)

Bloom's first film was The Blind Goddess in 1948. Her career took off when Charlie Chaplin chose her to co-star in his 1952 film Limelight. In the movie, she played a ballerina who believes she can't walk. The film was a huge success and made Bloom an international star. Chaplin said he wanted an actress with "beauty, talent, and a great emotional range," and he found that in Bloom.

After Limelight, she starred in many historical and costume films. These included Alexander the Great (1956), where she acted with Richard Burton again, and The Brothers Karamazov (1958). She also appeared in Laurence Olivier's film version of Richard III (1955) as Lady Anne.

In the 1960s, she took on more modern roles. She starred in the classic horror film The Haunting (1963) and the spy thriller The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), once again with Richard Burton.

Television and Later Roles

Bloom with Guy Pearce, a fellow actor in The King's Speech, January 2011

Bloom has also had a successful career in television. One of her most famous TV roles was as Lady Marchmain in the 1981 series Brideshead Revisited. In 1985, she won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress for playing Joy Gresham in the TV film Shadowlands.

She appeared in two films by director Woody Allen: Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) and Mighty Aphrodite (1995). In 2010, she played Queen Mary in the Oscar-winning film The King's Speech.

Fans of the TV show Doctor Who might recognize her from the 2009-2010 special, "The End of Time". She played a mysterious character known only as "The Woman," who was later revealed to be the Doctor's mother. From 2005 to 2022, she also had a recurring role in the popular British series Doc Martin as the main character's mother.

Personal Life

Bloom has been married three times. Her first husband was actor Rod Steiger. They were married in 1959 and had one daughter, Anna Steiger, who is an opera singer. Bloom and Steiger divorced in 1969. She was later married to producer Hillard Elkins and then to writer Philip Roth.

In 1982, Bloom wrote a book about her life and career called Limelight and After: The Education of an Actress.

Selected Film and TV Roles

Film

• Limelight (1952)
• Richard III (1955)
• Alexander the Great (1956)
• The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
• The Haunting (1963)
• The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
• Charly (1968)
• Clash of the Titans (1981)
• Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
• The King's Speech (2010)
• Max Rose (2013)

Television

• Anna Karenina (1961)
• Brideshead Revisited (1981)
• Shadowlands (1985)
• Miss Marple: The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1992)
• Doc Martin (2005–2022)
• Doctor Who (2009–2010)
• Summer of Rockets (2019)

Awards and Honours

Bloom was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2013 for her contributions to drama.

See also

In Spanish: Claire Bloom para niños