Geraldine McEwan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Geraldine McEwan
Born	Geraldine McKeown (1932-05-09)9 May 1932 Old Windsor, Berkshire, England
Died	30 January 2015(2015-01-30) (aged 82) Hammersmith, London, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1946–2011
Spouse(s)	Hugh Cruttwell ​ ​ (m. 1953; died 2002)​
Children	2, including Greg Cruttwell

Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; May 9, 1932 – January 30, 2015) was a talented English actress. She had a very long career, acting in movies, plays, and TV shows.

Geraldine McEwan was nominated five times for the important Olivier Award. She also won the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Actress twice. These awards were for her roles in the plays The Rivals (1983) and The Way of the World (1995). She was also nominated for a Tony Award in 1998 for her role in The Chairs.

She won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in 1991. This was for her role in the TV series Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. From 2004 to 2009, she became very famous for playing the detective Miss Marple. This was in the ITV series Marple, based on Agatha Christie's books.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Geraldine McKeown was born on May 9, 1932, in Old Windsor, England. Her parents were Donald and Norah McKeown. Her family had Irish roots. Her father worked as a printer's compositor, which is someone who sets type for printing.

Geraldine won a scholarship to attend Windsor County Girls' School. She felt a bit out of place there. She took elocution lessons to improve her speaking. Later in life, she said she loved English class.

She was a very shy and private person when she was young. But she found that acting helped her. She realized that by playing other people, she could feel more comfortable in the world. It was a way for her to protect herself.

Geraldine became interested in theatre as a teenager. Her acting career began when she was just 14 years old. She started as an assistant stage manager at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. She first appeared on stage in October 1946. She played a small part in a play called A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Becoming a Star on Stage and Screen

Geraldine McEwan made her first appearance in London's West End in 1951. This is a famous area for plays in London. She then appeared on television in a BBC series called Crime on Our Hands in 1954.

In 1957, she took over a role in the play The Entertainer. This play was showing at the Palace Theatre in the West End.

She performed at the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. This theatre later became the home of the new Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in 1960. She played many important roles there. For example, she played Olivia in Twelfth Night in 1958. Critics said her performance was fresh and exciting.

In 1961, she played Ophelia in Hamlet. She also played Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing.

Geraldine McEwan made her first appearance on Broadway in New York in 1963. This was in a play called The School for Scandal. She later joined the National Theatre Company. This was at the suggestion of the famous actor Laurence Olivier. She performed in many plays there over five years.

At first, people saw her mainly as a comedian. But her roles in plays like Dance of Death showed her serious acting skills. She also appeared in a film version of Dance of Death in 1969.

Famous TV Roles and Awards

In 1978, Geraldine McEwan played the main character, Jean Brodie, in a TV show. This show was based on the book The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The author of the book, Muriel Spark, loved Geraldine's performance.

She also starred in other popular TV shows. These included The Barchester Chronicles (1982) and Mapp and Lucia (1985–86).

In 1983, Geraldine played Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals at the National Theatre. Her performance was highly praised. She won the Evening Standard Award for Best Actress for this role.

She also tried directing plays. In 1988, she directed As You Like It for the Renaissance Theatre Company.

Later Career and Miss Marple

Geraldine McEwan won another Evening Standard Best Actress Award in 1995. This was for her role as Lady Wishfort in The Way of the World. Critics were amazed by her performance.

She also starred in the play The Chairs in 1997. This play had a short run on Broadway in 1998. Geraldine was nominated for a Tony Award for her work.

Her later TV work included Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1990). She won a British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for this role in 1991. She was also in Mulberry (1992–93) and an episode of Red Dwarf (1999).

In movies, she played the witch Mortianna in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). She also played Sister Bridget in The Magdalene Sisters (2002).

Geraldine McEwan became very well-known for playing Miss Marple. She was chosen by Granada Television for the new Marple series (2004–07). She told The New York Times that she enjoyed playing unique and slightly unusual characters. She liked that Miss Marple was an older woman who lived a quiet life but solved serious crimes.

She retired from the role of Miss Marple in 2008 after starring in 12 films. Julia McKenzie took over the role after her.

In 2005, she lent her voice to the character Miss Thripp in the film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. She voiced the character again in A Matter of Loaf and Death in 2008. Her final film role was voicing Haru in the UK English dub of Arrietty in 2010.

Personal Life

In 1953, Geraldine McEwan married Hugh Cruttwell. She had first met him when she was 14 years old. Hugh Cruttwell was the Principal of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art from 1965 to 1984. They had two children, a son named Greg Cruttwell, who is an actor, and a daughter named Claudia.

Death

Geraldine McEwan passed away on January 30, 2015. She was at the Charing Cross Hospital in Hammersmith, London. She had suffered a stroke three months before her death.

Filmography

Miss Marple in Marple: 2004–2008

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Geraldine McEwan para niños