Adrianne Allen
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| Adrianne Allen | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1907 Manchester, England  |
| Died | September 14, 1993 (aged 86) (cancer) Montreux, Switzerland |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Spouse(s) | Raymond Massey (1929-1939) William Whitney (1939-1993) |
Adrianne Allen (February 7, 1907 - September 14, 1993) was a British stage actress who specialised in light comedy,[1] most famous for her roles as Sybil Chase in the original West End production of Private Lives and as Elizabeth Bennet in the 1935 Broadway production of Pride and Prejudice. She also appeared in several films and is the mother of Daniel and Anna Massey.
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[edit] Biography
Allen was born in Manchester, England on February 7, 1907. Having been educated in France and Germany,[2] she trained as an actress at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, where her 1926 graduation performance caught the attention of Basil Dean, who cast her as Nina Vansittart in the Noel Coward play Easy Virtue.[3]
In 1929, she got married to Raymond Massey, after he had cast her for a part in Noel Coward's play The Rat Trap.[3] Her first West End appearance followed in July 1930, where she played the role of Sibyl in Noel Coward's Private Lives.[2] Together, she had two children with Raymond Massey, Daniel and Anna, who both later became actors themselves. Her marriage ended in divorce in 1939, by which time she had appeared on Broadway (in Cynara and as Gladys Cooper in The Shining Hour) and in several films, most notably Merrily We Go to Hell.
Following her divorce, she married an American lawyer, William Whiteny. She starred in more films, and appeared on British television, before returning to Broadway in 1957, where she starred alongside her daughter in The Reluctant Debutante.[3] Her acting career ended in 1958.[1]
She died from cancer on September 14, 1993 in Montreux, Switzerland.
[edit] Filmography
- Loose Ends (1930)
- The Stronger Sex (1931)
- The Woman Between (1931)
- Black Coffee (1931)
- Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
- The Night of June 13th (1932)
- The Morals of Marcus (1935)
- The October Man (1947)
- Bond Street (1948)
- Vote For Huggett (1949)
- The Final Test (1953)
- Meet Mr. Malcolm (1954)
