Wendy Toye facts for kids

Wendy Toye (born Beryl May Jessie Toye, May 1, 1917 – February 27, 2010) was a talented British artist. She was a dancer, a film director, a stage director, and an actress. She was also awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her amazing work in the arts.

Life and Career of Wendy Toye

Wendy Toye was born in London, England. She started her career as a dancer and a choreographer, which means she created dance routines for shows. She worked on both stage plays and films. She even worked with famous directors like Jean Cocteau and Carol Reed. In 1947, she directed the first ever show of Bless the Bride.

Wendy Toye's Film Success

Wendy Toye made her first short film called The Stranger Left No Card in 1952. This film was so good that it won an award at the 1953 Cannes Film Festival. Later, her Christmas-themed short film On the Twelfth Day… (1955) was nominated for an Oscar! She directed many films from the early 1950s until the early 1980s. Wendy also gave advice to the Arts Council, which supports arts in England, and gave talks in Australia.

In 1958, Wendy Toye was a special guest on the BBC Radio show Desert Island Discs. She chose a wide variety of music, from classical composers like Bach and Mahler to the singer Lena Horne. In 1963, she was chosen to be the head of the judges at the 13th Berlin International Film Festival.

Helping Others and Special Awards

Wendy Toye supported many charities. She helped the Theatrical Guild, which assists people who work backstage and front-of-house in theatres. She became the president of this group. She also helped the Actors' Charitable Trust, a charity for actors, after being asked by the famous writer Noël Coward. She was a vice president there.

Wendy Toye married Edward Selwyn Sharp in 1940, but they later divorced in 1950.

She worked with the cartoonist Ronald Searle on two films: On The Twelfth Day (1955) and The King’s Breakfast (1963). Ronald Searle designed the sets and costumes for these films. They first worked together on a stage play called Wild Thyme in 1955.

Wendy Toye received several special honors. In 1977, she was given the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal. In 1992, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her great contributions to the arts. In 1996, she received an honorary degree from City University. Her life was even featured on the TV show This Is Your Life in 1991.

Wendy Toye passed away on February 27, 2010, in London. She chose not to write a book about her life, even though her friends and family encouraged her. Most of her theatre work records are kept in the Wendy Toye Archive at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

Selected Work of Wendy Toye

Wendy Toye had a very long and busy career. Here are some of the many projects she worked on.

Early Career Highlights

• When she was just 10 years old, she created a ballet about the colors of the rainbow at the London Palladium (1927-28).
• Her first professional acting role was as Moth in A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Old Vic in April 1930.
• She won the European Championship Solo Amateur competition at a dance ball in 1926.

Dancer, Choreographer, and Actress Roles

• She was the choreographer for Mother Earth (Savoy) in 1929.
• She danced and created dances for several ballet companies in the early 1930s, including Camargo Society and Sadler's Wells Ballet.
• She was a dancer in The Miracle (Lyceum Theatre) in 1932.
• She was a main dancer in The Golden Toy (Coliseum) in 1934.
• She toured as a main dancer and choreographer with Markova-Dolin Ballet in 1935.
• She created dances for many of George Black's shows from 1937 to 1944.
• She played Winnie Tate in Annie Get your Gun (London Coliseum) in 1947.

Stage Director Roles

Wendy Toye directed many plays and musicals in London and other places.

London Productions

• Bless the Bride (Adelphi) in 1946
• And So to Bed (New) in 1951
• Wild Thyme (Duke of York's) in 1955
• As You Like It (Old Vic) in 1959
• Robert & Elizabeth (Lyric) in 1964
• Show Boat (Adelphi) in 1971
• She Stoops to Conquer (Young Vic) in 1972
• The Great Waltz (Drury Lane) in 1970
• Cowardy Custard (Mermaid) in 1972
• Ziegfeld (London Palladium) in 1988
• The Sound of Music (Sadler's Wells) in 1992

Chichester Festival Productions

• R loves J in 1973
• The Confederacy in 1974
• Made in Heaven in 1975

Watermill Theatre, Newbury Productions

• Gingerbread Man in 1981
• Songbook in 1988
• Moll Flanders in 1990
• Lloyd George Knew My Father in 1995

Other UK Productions

• Boots with Strawberry Jam (Nottingham Playhouse) in 1968
• Barnum (Manchester Opera House) in 1984 (as associate producer)

International Productions

• Peter Pan (Imperial, New York) in 1950 (co-director and choreographer)
• Shakespeare Quatercentenary Latin American tour in 1964
• Noel and Gertie (Princess Grace Theatre Monte Carlo) in 1984
• Kiss Me Kate (Aarhus & Copenhagen) in 1986
• The Kingfisher (Vienna English Theatre) in 1993

Operas Directed

Wendy Toye also directed several operas.

• The Seraglio (Bath Festival) in 1967
• The Mikado (Ankara) in 1982
• Der Apotheker, la Serva Padrona (Aix-en-Provence festival) in 1991

Sadler's Wells Opera/ENO Productions

• Bluebeard's Castle in 1957
• Die Fledermaus in 1959
• Orpheus in the Underworld in 1960
• La Vie Parisienne in 1961

TV Work

• Esmi Divided in 1957
• Girls Wanted - Istanbul in 1969 (nominated for a BAFTA award)
• Tales of the Unexpected in 1982

Films

Wendy Toye worked as both an actress and a director in films.

Actress

• Dance Pretty Lady (1931)
• Invitation to the Waltz (1935)

Director

• The Stranger Left No Card (1952)
• The Teckman Mystery (1954)
• On the Twelfth Day... (1955)
• Raising a Riot (1955)
• All for Mary (1955)
• Three Cases of Murder (1955)
• True as a Turtle (1957)
• We Joined the Navy (1962)
• The King's Breakfast (1963)