| Edna Best | |
|---|---|
| Born | Edna Hove 3 March 1900 Hove, England, U.K. |
| Died | 18 September 1974 (aged 74) Geneva, Switzerland |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1921–1959 |
| Spouse | Nat Wolff (m. 1940–1959) ; his death Herbert Marshall (m. 1928–1940) ; divorced; 1 child Seymour Beard (19??-19??); divorced |
Edna Best (3 March 1900 – 18 September 1974) was a British actress. Born in Hove, England, she was educated in Brighton and later studied dramatic acting under Miss Kate Rorke. Best was known on the London stage before she entered films in 1921, having made her debut at the Grand Theatre, Southampton in Charley's Aunt in 1917. She also won a silver swimming cup as the lady swimming champion of Sussex.
She is best remembered for her role as the mother in the original 1934 film version of Alfred Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much. Among her other film credits are Intermezzo: A Love Story (1939), Swiss Family Robinson (1940), The Late George Apley and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (both 1947) and The Iron Curtain (1948).
She received a nomination for an Emmy Award in 1957 for her role in This Happy Breed. Best had appeared on television as early as 1938, in a production of the play Love from a Stranger, adapted from the Agatha Christie short story Philomel Cottage by Frank Vosper. The Wednesday afternoon broadcast was aired live, not recorded, and could be seen only in London due to the limitations of the nascent technology.
Contents |
She was married three times and divorced twice. Her marriage to actor Herbert Marshall (from 1928 until 1940) produced her only child, a daughter, actress Sarah Marshall. Her final marriage, to Nat Wolff, ended with his death in 1959.
Edna Best has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to Motion Pictures at 6124 Hollywood Boulevard.
She died in Geneva, Switzerland in 1974, aged 74.