Margaret Leighton,CBE(26 February 1922 – 13 January 1976) was an English actress, active on stage and television, and in film.[1]Her film appearances includedAnthony Asquith'sThe Winslow Boy(her first credited film role),Alfred Hitchcock'sUnder Capricorn,Powell and Pressburger'sThe Elusive Pimpernel,George More O'Ferrall'sThe Holly and the Ivy,Martin Ritt'sThe Sound and the Fury,John Guillermin'sWaltz of the Toreadors,Franklin J. Schaffner'sThe Best Man,Tony Richardson'sThe Loved One,John Ford's7 Women,andJoseph Losey'sThe Go-BetweenandGalileo.ForThe Go-Between,she won theBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Roleand was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Margaret Leighton | |
|---|---|
 Leighton in 1959 | |
| Born | 26 February 1922 Barnt Green,Worcestershire,England |
| Died | 13 January 1976(aged 53) Chichester,West Sussex,England |
| Years active | 1938–1976 |
| Spouses | |
Leighton began her career on stage in 1938, before joining theOld Vicand making her Broadway debut in 1946. A four-time Tony Award nominee, she twice won theTony Award for Best Actress in a Play:for the original Broadway productions ofSeparate Tables(1957) andThe Night of the Iguana(1962). She also won anEmmy Awardfor a 1970 television version ofHamlet.
Life and career
editBorn inBarnt Green,Worcestershire, Leighton made her stage debut as Dorothy inLaugh with Me(1938), which also was performed that year forBBC Television.[2]She became a star ofthe Old Vic.[2]HerBroadwaydebut was as the Queen inHenry IV(1946), starringLaurence OlivierandRalph Richardsonduring a visit of the Old Vic to the U.S., and the company performed a total of five plays from its repertoire before returning to London.[3]
After appearing in two British films, including the starring role ofFlora MacDonaldoppositeDavid NiveninBonnie Prince Charlie(1948) and in the popularThe Winslow Boy(also 1948), the actress appeared inAlfred Hitchcock'sUnder Capricorn(1949) and the crime/mysteryCalling Bulldog Drummond(1951).[4]In the U.S., she portrayed the wife of a presidential candidate inThe Best Man(1964).[5]
Leighton won theTony Awardfor Best Actress in a Play for her performance inSeparate Tables(1956); she won another Tony in that category forThe Night of the Iguana(1962), playing Hannah Jelkes (a role played byDeborah Kerrin the film version) oppositeBette Davis's Maxine Faulk.[6][7]Leighton was nominated for Best Actress in a Play forMuch Ado About Nothing(1959) and forTchin-Tchin(1962).[6]Her last appearance on Broadway was as Birdie Hubbard in a revival ofLillian Hellman'sThe Little Foxes(1967).[8]
She had a noteworthy list of TV appearances, includingAlfred Hitchcock Presents,Ben CaseyandBurke's Law.[9][10]She won theEmmy Awardfor Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in Drama forHamlet(1970) and she was nominated for an Emmy in 1966 for Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama for four episodes ofDr. Kildare.[11]Her final TV performance was in the first season ofSpace: 1999where she played Queen Arra in the episode "Collision Course."[10]
For her film role as Mrs Maudsley inThe Go-Between(1971), Leighton won the BritishBAFTA Film Awardfor Best Supporting Actress.[12]She also received an Oscar nomination forBest Supporting Actressfor the role.[13]She received a BAFTA nomination for Best British Actress for her role as Valerie Carrington inCarrington V.C.(1954).[14]
Personal life
editLeighton was married three times, to publisherMax Reinhardtfrom 1947 to 1955, to actorLaurence Harveyfrom 1957 to 1961, and to actorMichael Wildingfrom 1964 until her death.[15]She had no children by any of the marriages.[8]
She was appointed aCBEin 1974.[3]Leighton died ofmultiple sclerosisin 1976, aged 53, inChichester,Sussex.[16][8]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | The Winslow Boy | Catherine Winslow | First credited feature |
| Bonnie Prince Charlie | Flora MacDonald | ||
| 1949 | Under Capricorn | Milly | |
| 1950 | The Astonished Heart | Leonora Vail | |
| The Elusive Pimpernel | Marguerite Blakeney | ||
| 1951 | Calling Bulldog Drummond | Helen Smith | |
| 1952 | Home at Seven | Janet Preston | |
| The Holly and the Ivy | Margaret Gregory | ||
| 1954 | The Good Die Young | Eve Ravenscourt | |
| The Teckman Mystery | Helen Teckman | ||
| Carrington V.C. | Valerie | ||
| 1955 | The Constant Husband | Counsel for the Defence | |
| 1957 | The Passionate Stranger | Judith Wynter / Leonie Hathaway | |
| 1959 | The Sound and the Fury | Caddy Compson | |
| 1962 | Waltz of the Toreadors | Emily Fitzjohn | |
| 1964 | The Best Man | Alice Russell | |
| 1965 | The Loved One | Helen Kenton | |
| 1966 | 7 Women | Agatha Andrews | |
| 1969 | The Madwoman of Chaillot | Constance | |
| 1971 | The Go-Between | Mrs. Maudsley | |
| 1972 | X Y & Zee | Gladys | |
| Lady Caroline Lamb | Lady Melbourne | ||
| 1973 | Bequest to the Nation | Frances Nelson | |
| 1974 | From Beyond the Grave | Madame Orloff | Segment: "The Elemental" |
| 1975 | Galileo | Elderly Court Lady | |
| 1976 | Trial by Combat | Ma Gore |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Laugh with Me | Dorothy | BBC TV play |
| 1947 | Everyman | Beauty | BBC TV play |
| 1948 | Arms and the Man | Raina Petkoff | BBC TV adaptation |
| 1951, 1953 | Sunday Night Theatre | Catherine Bailey, Rosalind, Lucasta Angel | Episodes: "Release (I)", "As You Like It", "The Confidential Clerk" |
| 1955 | ITV Opening Night at the Guildhall | Gwendolen Fairfax | TV film |
| 1955, 1960 | ITV Play of the Week | Natalya Petrovna, Mrs. Manningham | Episodes: "A Month in the Country", "Gaslight" |
| 1956 | Theatre Royal | Marion | Episode: "The Triumphant" |
| 1957 | Suspicion | Miss Perry | Episode: "The Sparkle of Diamonds" |
| 1958 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Iris Teleton | Season 4 Episode 10: "Tea Time" |
| 1959 | Playhouse 90 | Miss Kerrison | Episode: "The Second Man" |
| 1959 | DuPont Show of the Month | Millie Crocker-Harris | Episode: "The Browning Version" |
| 1964 | Ben Casey | Leila Farr | Episode: "August Is the Month Before Christmas" |
| 1964 | Burke's Law | Connie Hanson | Episode: "Who Killed Everybody?" |
| 1965 | The Alfred Hitchcock Hour | Nell Snyder | Season 3 Episode 13: "Where the Woodbine Twineth" |
| 1965 | Dr. Kildare | Chris Becker | Guest role (season 5) |
| 1966 | The F.B.I. | Amy Hunter | Episode: "The Chameleon" |
| 1966 | The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. | Gita Volander | Episode: "The Lethal Eagle Affair" |
| 1968 | A Touch of Venus | Rosemary | Episode: "All on Her Own" |
| 1968–69 | Play of the Month | Helen Lancaster, Mrs. Cheveley | Episodes: "Waters of the Moon", "An Ideal Husband" |
| 1969 | Judd, for the Defense | Mary Wright | Episode: "The Crystal Maze" |
| 1969 | The Wednesday Play | Florence Lancaster | Episode: "The Vortex" |
| 1970 | The Name of the Game | Amelia Rayner | Episode: "The King of Denmark" |
| 1970 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Gertrude | Episode: "Hamlet" |
| 1972 | Armchair Theatre | Lady Huntercombe | Episode: "Hot Summer: Do Not Sell" |
| 1973 | The Upper Crusts | Lady Seacroft | TV series |
| 1973 | Frankenstein: The True Story | Francoise DuVal | TV film |
| 1974 | Great Expectations | Miss Havisham | TV film |
| 1975 | Space: 1999 | Arra | Episode: "Collision Course" |
Select theatre credits
edit- Robert's Wife(1942) – Birmingham Rep
- Major Barbara(1942) – Birmingham Rep
- The Farmer's Wife(1942) – Birmingham Rep
- The Little Minister(1943) – Birmingham Rep
- Elusive Straw Hat(1943) – Birmingham Rep
- Ladies in Retirement(1943) – Birmingham Rep
- Robert's Wife(1943) – Birmingham Rep
- Heartbreak House(1943) – Birmingham Rep
- The Taming of the Shrew(1943) – Birmingham Rep
- The Beggar Prince(1943) – Birmingham Rep
- You Never Can Tell(1944) – Birmingham Rep
- As You Like It(1944) – Birmingham Rep
- Six Characters in Search of an Author(1944) – Birmingham Rep
- Uncle Vanya(1945) – New Theatre, London
- Richard III(1944–45) – New Theatre, London
- Henry IV, Part IandII(1945–46) – New Theatre, London
- Henry IV Part I and II(1946) – New York
- Uncle Vanya(1946) – New York
- Oedipus Rex(1946) – New York
- The Critic(1946) – New York
- Separate Tables(1954–57) – London, New York
- Variation on a Theme(1958) – London
- Much Ado About Now(1959) – New York
- The Wrong Side of the Park(1960) – London
- The Night of the Iguana(1961–62) – New York
- Tchin-Tchin(1962–63) – New York
- The Chinese Prime Minister(1964) – New York
- Slapstick Tragedy(1966) – New York
- Cactus Flower(1967) – Lyric Theatre, London
- The Little Foxes(1967–68) – New York
- Antony and Cleopatra(1969) – Chinchester Festival
- Michael Codron(1970) – Apollo Theatre, London
- Reunion in Vienna(1972) – London
- A Family and a Fortune(1974–75) – Theatre Royal, Bath, then Apollo Theatre, London.
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Results | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | The Go-Between | Nominated | [17] |
| 1954 | British Academy Film Awards | Best British Actress | Carrington V.C. | Nominated | [18] |
| 1971 | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | The Go-Between | Won | [19] | |
| 1971 | Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | [20] | |
| 1966 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Single Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Drama | Dr. Kildare | Nominated | [21] |
| 1971 | Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Drama | Hamlet | Won | ||
| 1957 | Tony Awards | Best Leading Actress in a Play | Separate Tables | Won | [22] |
| 1960 | Much Ado About Nothing | Nominated | [23] | ||
| 1962 | The Night of the Iguana | Won | [24] | ||
| 1963 | Tchin-Tchin | Nominated | [25] |
References
edit- ^ObituaryVariety,21 January 1976, page 111.
- ^ab"Margaret Leighton | English actress".Encyclopedia Britannica.9 January 2024.
- ^ab"Leighton, Margaret (1922–1976) | Encyclopedia.com".www.encyclopedia.com.
- ^"Margaret Leighton".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 14 November 2017.
- ^"The Best Man (1964) – Franklin J. Schaffner | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related".AllMovie.
- ^ab"Margaret Leighton – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB".www.ibdb.com.
- ^"The Night of the Iguana (1964)".BFI.Archived fromthe originalon 1 November 2017.
- ^abc"Margaret Leighton – Broadway Cast & Staff | IBDB".www.ibdb.com.
- ^"Margaret Leighton | TV, Documentary and Other Appearances".AllMovie.
- ^ab"Margaret Leighton".www.aveleyman.com.
- ^"Margaret Leighton".Television Academy.
- ^"BAFTA Awards".awards.bafta.org.
- ^"The 44th Academy Awards | 1972".Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.5 October 2014.
- ^"BAFTA Awards".awards.bafta.org.
- ^"Leighton, Margaret (1922–1976)".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/40469.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^"Margaret Leighton | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos".AllMovie.
- ^"The 44th Academy Awards (1972) Nominees and Winners".Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.5 October 2014.Retrieved11 November2014.
- ^"BAFTA Awards: Film in 1955".British Academy Film Awards.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^"BAFTA Awards: Film in 1972".British Academy Film Awards.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^"KCFCC Award Winners – 1970–79".Kansas City Film Critics Circle. 14 December 2013.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^"Margaret Leighton".Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^"1957 Tony Awards".Tony Awards.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^"1960 Tony Awards".Tony Awards.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^"1962 Tony Awards".Tony Awards.Retrieved28 March2024.
- ^"1963 Tony Awards".Tony Awards.Retrieved28 March2024.
