Margaret Rutherford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Rutherford
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| Born |
Margaret Taylor Rutherford-Benn
11 May 1892 |
| Died | 22 May 1972 (aged 80) Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, England
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| Resting place | St. James's Church, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1925–1967 |
| Spouse(s) |
Stringer Davis
(m. 1945) |
| Parent(s) | William Rutherford Benn Florence Nicholson |
| Relatives | Sir John Benn, 1st Baronet (uncle) |
Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was a famous English actress. She was known for her roles on stage, television, and in movies.
Margaret Rutherford became very well known after World War II. She starred in popular film versions of plays like Blithe Spirit by Noël Coward and The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. She won an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) and a Golden Globe Award for her role in the movie The V.I.P.s in 1963.
In the early 1960s, she played Agatha Christie's famous detective, Miss Marple, in a series of four films. For her amazing work, she was honored by the British Queen. She became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1961 and a Dame Commander (DBE) in 1967. Being a "Dame" is like being a "Sir" for women, a very high honor!
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Margaret Rutherford's Early Life and Family
Margaret Rutherford's father, William Rutherford Benn, was a journalist and poet. He married Florence Nicholson in 1882. Shortly after they were married, her father became very unwell and needed special care. He was admitted to a hospital for people with mental health issues.
After some time, he was allowed to travel under his family's care. Sadly, during this time, he caused the death of his own father, the Reverend Julius Benn. Because of this, William Benn was admitted to another special hospital. He was later discharged and reunited with his wife. He even changed his last name.
Margaret Taylor Rutherford was born in 1892 in Balham, South London. She was the only child of William and Florence. Her uncle, Sir John Benn, 1st Baronet, was an important politician. Her cousin, Tony Benn, also became a well-known politician.
Hoping for a fresh start, Margaret's parents moved to Madras, India. However, when Margaret was just three years old, her mother passed away. Margaret was then sent back to Britain to live with her aunt, Bessie Nicholson, in Wimbledon.
Young Margaret was told that her father had died of a broken heart. But when she was 12, she found out the truth. Her father had been readmitted to the special hospital in 1903 and stayed there until he passed away in 1921.
Margaret Rutherford went to Wimbledon High School. A theatre space there, the Rutherford Centre, is now named after her. From about age 13, she attended Raven's Croft School, a boarding school. It was there that she became very interested in theatre and started performing in school plays.
After school, her aunt paid for her to have private acting lessons. When her aunt died, she left money that helped Margaret get into the Old Vic School, a famous drama school. Margaret often said her Aunt Bessie was like an "adoptive mother" and one of the kindest people she knew.
Margaret Rutherford's Stage Career
Margaret Rutherford was a talented piano player and first worked as a piano teacher. She also taught elocution, which is about clear speaking. She started her acting career quite late, making her first stage appearance in 1925 when she was 33 years old, at the Old Vic theatre.
Because of her unique look and larger build, she wasn't usually cast as a romantic lead. Instead, she quickly became famous for her comedy roles. She appeared in many successful British plays. Margaret once wrote in her autobiography, "I never intended to play for laughs. I am always surprised that the audience thinks me funny at all."
Her talent was truly noticed by critics in 1939. This was when she played Miss Prism in a play called The Importance of Being Earnest in London's West End.
In 1941, Noël Coward's play Blithe Spirit opened in London. Margaret Rutherford played the funny and clumsy medium, Madame Arcati. Audiences and critics loved her performance. The famous theatre critic Kenneth Tynan once said that Margaret Rutherford could "act with her chin alone," meaning she was very expressive!
She also had a successful role as the mysterious housekeeper Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca in 1940. After the war, she continued to perform in popular plays. Her final stage performance was in 1966 in The Rivals. Sadly, her health was declining, and she had to leave the role after only a few weeks.
Margaret Rutherford's Film Career
Margaret Rutherford made her first movie in 1936. But it was her role as Madame Arcati in the 1945 film Blithe Spirit that made her a film star. Her lively performance, riding a bicycle with her cape fluttering, became a famous image.
She played Nurse Carey in Miranda (1948) and the energetic Professor Hatton-Jones in Passport to Pimlico (1949). This was one of the famous Ealing Comedies. She also brought her stage roles to the big screen, playing the headmistress in The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950) and Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest (1952).
Margaret Rutherford starred in many more comedies. These included Trouble in Store (1953) with Norman Wisdom and An Alligator Named Daisy (1955). She also appeared in The Smallest Show on Earth (1957) with Peter Sellers.
In the early 1960s, she became very famous for playing Miss Jane Marple in four films based on Agatha Christie's mystery novels. These films showed Marple as a colorful, respectable, but sometimes bossy and quirky character. Agatha Christie herself dedicated her 1963 novel The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side "To Margaret Rutherford in admiration." However, Christie also felt the films changed her original stories too much.
In 1963, Margaret Rutherford played the funny, forgetful Duchess of Brighton in The V.I.P.s. This movie had many famous actors like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. For this role, she won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She was the oldest woman at the time to win an Oscar.
She also worked with famous directors like Orson Welles in Chimes at Midnight (1965) and Charlie Chaplin in A Countess from Hong Kong (1967). This was one of her last films.
Margaret Rutherford's Personal Life and Later Years
In 1945, when Margaret Rutherford was 53, she married actor Stringer Davis. They had known each other for 15 years. Stringer's mother didn't think Margaret was a good match for her son, so their wedding was put off until after his mother passed away.
Margaret and Stringer appeared in many plays and films together. Stringer loved Margaret very much. He was always by her side, working as her private secretary and taking care of her. Margaret sometimes suffered from periods of deep sadness and needed special care. These times were kept private from the public during her life.
In the 1950s, Margaret and Stringer unofficially adopted a writer named Dawn Langley Simmons. Dawn later wrote a book about Margaret Rutherford's life.
Towards the end of her life, Margaret Rutherford suffered from a serious illness that affected her memory and ability to work. Stringer cared for her at their home until she passed away on 22 May 1972, at the age of 80. Many famous British actors attended a special service to remember her. They spoke about her amazing talent and how she was always kind to everyone.
Margaret Rutherford and Stringer Davis (who passed away in 1973) are buried together in the churchyard of St. James's Church in Gerrards Cross. On Margaret Rutherford's memorial stone, it says "A Blithe Spirit." This is a special reference to the play by Noël Coward that helped make her so famous.
Legacy
A TV show called For One Night Only: Margaret Rutherford was made in 1993. In it, an actor played Margaret Rutherford telling her life story in a fun cabaret style.
Images for kids
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Margaret Rutherford honour plaque in London
See also
In Spanish: Margaret Rutherford para niños
