Lady Constance Malleson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lady
Constance Malleson
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Lady Constance Malleson in 1922
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Constance Mary Annesley
24 October 1895 Castlewellan Castle, Northern Ireland
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| Died | 5 October 1975 (aged 79) Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England
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| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Colette O'Niel |
| Occupation | writer and actress |
| Years active | 1915–1936 |
Lady Constance Malleson (born October 24, 1895 – died October 5, 1975) was a talented British writer and actress. She was also known by her stage name, Colette O'Niel. Constance came from a noble family, being the daughter of Hugh Annesley, the 5th Earl Annesley. She studied drama and became a popular performer in theaters.
During her twenty-year career as an actress, she appeared in many plays across the United Kingdom. She performed in famous London theaters and even acted in a silent film called Hindle Wakes in 1918. Before she stopped acting, Malleson also wrote and produced her own play, The Way.
Constance Malleson was very interested in promoting peace and improving society. After her acting career, she spent her time traveling and writing books. She wrote several novels and stories about her own life. One of her books, In the North, shared her experiences helping people in Scandinavia during a war. Her 1933 novel, The Coming Back, is thought to be inspired by her close friendship with the famous philosopher Bertrand Russell. They were friends for many years, sharing ideas about peace and social change.
Contents
Who Was Lady Constance Malleson?
Lady Constance Malleson was a remarkable woman who lived from 1895 to 1975. She was known for her work as an actress and a writer. She also cared deeply about making the world a better place.
Her Early Life and Education
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Constance Mary Annesley was born on October 24, 1895. Her birthplace was Castlewellan Castle in Castlewellan, Northern Ireland. She was the youngest child of Hugh Annesley, a nobleman, and his second wife. Constance had an older sister, Lady Clare Annesley, who was also a strong supporter of women's rights and peace. Mabel Annesley, a talented British artist known for her beautiful wood engravings and watercolour paintings, was Constance's elder half-sister.
Constance was taught at home by private teachers until her father passed away in 1908. After that, she went to a boarding school called Down House in Kent, England. She wasn't very fond of the school. In her autobiography, she even called it "Damned Hell," showing her independent spirit from a young age.
Becoming an Actress and Writer
After finishing school in Dresden and studying French in Paris, Constance decided to pursue acting. She enrolled at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1913. She believed that every woman should be able to earn her own living. She also spoke out for fair wages for all actors, not just the main stars.
In 1915, she married fellow actor Miles Malleson. The couple later divorced in 1922. Constance performed in many plays in London's famous West End. She also acted in the silent film Hindle Wakes. She joined the Hull Repertory Theatre Company in 1925. She thought that short plays were important for new writers to see how audiences reacted to their work. In 1928, she wrote and produced her own play, The Way, which was performed in London.
A Friendship with Bertrand Russell
During the First World War, Constance became interested in pacifism, which means believing in peace and opposing war. This led her to meet the famous philosopher and activist Bertrand Russell in 1916. They became close friends and shared many ideas about peace.
Russell encouraged Constance to focus on writing. He felt her talents could be best used there. He even helped her publish her first short story in 1919. Constance and Russell remained good friends and wrote letters to each other until his death in 1970. Their friendship was a very important part of her life.
Traveling the World and Helping Others
After her acting career, Constance Malleson moved to the countryside. She also traveled a lot and wrote several books. Her autobiography came out in 1931. Her first novel, The Coming Back, was published in 1933. This novel is believed to be inspired by her friendship with Bertrand Russell.
Constance traveled to many places, including the Middle East, Africa, and often to the Nordic countries. In the 1930s and 1940s, she gave talks in these countries about important social issues. These included mental health and blood donation.
From March 1940 to July 1941, Constance was in Vehmersalmi, Finland helping with relief efforts during the Russo-Finnish War. She found herself in a difficult situation when Finland allied with Germany against the Soviet Union in order to get German airplanes and soldiers to help fight the Soviets. Constance made the tough choice to leave Vehmersalmi as she worried that staying might cause problems for her village friends because she was from England. It was also getting hard to pay for things, since she couldn’t get money from her family back home.
Because of the war, cars and motorboats weren’t available for ordinary travel. So, a man from the village named Emil Miettinen helped by rowing Constance in a small boat for about 5 miles to meet a bigger cargo boat. That bigger boat then carried her another 11 miles to the city of Kuopio.
From Kuopio, she took a train to Helsinki. There, she had to wait for a visa so she could go to Sweden. Once she had it, she got on a passenger ship and sailed from Finland to Stockholm.
Her experiences in the Nordic countries led her to write the book In the North in 1946.
Later Life and Passing
Constance Malleson passed away in a nursing home near Bury St Edmunds, England, on October 5, 1975. She left behind a legacy as a dedicated actress, a thoughtful writer, and a passionate advocate for peace and social improvement.
| Article contributor: Marja Lampi. Marja is a Finnish librarian, documentary maker and non-fiction writer, who has written Lady Constance Malleson's biography "Lady Constance Mallesonin tarina", Rosebud Books, Helsinki, 2025. |
See also
