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Mona Washbourne

 
Actor: Mona Washbourne
Home > Library > Entertainment & Arts > Actors
  • Born: Nov 27, 1903 in Birmingham, England
  • Died: Nov 15, 1988 in London, England, UK
  • Occupation: Actor
  • Active: '50s-'70s
  • Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
  • Career Highlights: The Collector, Stevie, Billy Liar
  • First Major Screen Credit: Cast a Dark Shadow (1955)

Biography

Mona Washbourne was trained as a concert pianist at the Birmingham School of Music. After performing in the "Modern Follies Concert Party" of 1924, she found acting, singing and clowning more to her liking. She launched her musical-comedy career in the touring musical revue Fol De Rols, remaining in this line of work until switching to straight dramatic acting in the 1937 West End production of Mourning Becomes Electra. In 1948, Washbourne inaugurated her film career, contributing sparkling characterizations to such films as Doctor in the House (1954), The Good Companions (1957), Billy Liar (1963) and My Fair Lady (1964, as Henry Higgins's housekeeper Mrs. Pearce). She played her patented dithering, doddering mannerisms opposite two humorless "psychos" in the space of a single year when she appeared in Night Must Fall (1964) and The Collector (1965). She went on to essay several distinct characterizations in O Lucky Man (1973), and to win the British Film Academy Award for her portrayal of the "lion mother" in Stevie (1978). Having appeared in experimental television broadcasts as early as 1929, Mona Washbourne returned to the small screen to close out her career as Nanny Hawkins in Brideshead Revisited (1982). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
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Mona Washbourne (born 27 November 1903, Birmingham - died 15 November 1988, London) was an English actress of stage, film and television.

Mona Washbourne began her entertaining career training as a concert pianist. While performing on stage in the early 1920s, she found that she liked acting and became an actor.[citation needed] In 1948, after numerous stage musical performances, Washbourne began appearing in films. Her film credits include Billy Liar (1963) and The Collector (1965). She played Mrs. Pearce in 1964's My Fair Lady and the Matron in the 1968 film, If.

She appeared at both the Royal Court Theatre in London and on Broadway in 1970 in David Storey's Home. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play. She won the 1981 New York Film Critics Circle Awards for Best Supporting Actress in Stevie.

In 1981, Mona Washbourne appeared in Granada television's adaptation of Brideshead Revisited.

Family

Her husband and brother-in-law, Basil Dignam and Mark Dignam, were noted stage actors.

External links

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Copyrights:

Actor. Copyright © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Mona Washbourne".  Read more