Rosalie Crutchley

Rosalie Crutchley (4 January 1920 – 28 July 1997) was an English actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Crutchley was best known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in the theatre and in films, making her stage debut at least as early as 1932^[1] and her screen debut in 1947. She continued acting up until her death in 1997.

She had dark piercing eyes, and often played foreign characters, or rather sinister characters. She played many classical roles, including Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hermione in The Winter's Tale and Goneril in King Lear.

Her screen debut was as a violinist who is murdered in Take My Life (1947). She played Madame Defarge in both A Tale of Two Cities, the 1958 film, and in the 1965 television serialisation of the same story.

She played Catherine Parr in the 1970 TV series, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, and played the same character its sequel, Elizabeth R (1971).

Other roles included Mrs Sparsit in Hard Times (ITV, 1977), and Electra (1974). She is probably remembered best for her performances in the classic films Quo Vadis (1951) as Acte, Nero's confidante, and The Haunting (1963) as the sinister housekeeper Mrs. Dudley.

Crutchley also appeared in adaptations of two A.J. Cronin novels, The Spanish Gardener (1956) and Beyond This Place (1959), and played the flinty maiden aunt in the TV adaptation of Brendon Chase (1980–81). She had two guest roles in Casualty, in 1992 and 1995. She also had a short, but memorable, appearance in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

She appeared in only one film musical, Man of La Mancha (1972), based on the hit stage production, as Don Quixote's housekeeper. In the role, her less-than-good singing voice was used for intentionally comic effect in the song "I'm Only Thinking of Him".

Her last appearance was in an episode of the TV detective series, Midsomer Murders, in the episode, The Killings at Badger's Drift, playing Lucy Bellringer. This was shown in 1997, shortly before her death.

She was married to, and divorced from, actor Peter Ashmore. She had two children, Jonathan Ashmore and Catherine Ashmore.

Selected filmography

• Give Us This Day (1949)
• Quo Vadis (1951)
• Flame and the Flesh (1954)
• Make Me an Offer (1954)
• The Spanish Gardener (1956)
• The Gamma People (1956)
• Miracle in Soho (1957)
• No Time for Tears (1957)
• Seven Thunders (1957)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1958)
• Web of Evidence (1959)
• The Nun's Story (1959)
• Sons and Lovers (1960)
• No Love for Johnnie (1961)
• Greyfriars Bobby (1961)
• The Haunting (1963)
• Girl in the Headlines (1963)
• Behold a Pale Horse (1964)
• Wuthering Heights (1970)
• Whoever Slew Auntie Roo? (1971)
• Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)
• The House in Nightmare Park (1973)
• Mohammad, Messenger of God (1976)
• Smiley's People (1982)
• A World Apart (1988)

External links

• Rosalie Crutchley at the Internet Movie Database

References