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Ethel Griffies

Ethel Griffies(bornEthel Woods;26 April 1878 – 9 September 1975) was a British actress. She is remembered for portraying theornithologistMrs. Bundy inAlfred Hitchcock's classicThe Birds(1963). She appeared in stage roles in her native England and in the United States, and had featured roles in around 100 motion pictures. Griffies was one of the oldest working actors in the English-speaking theatre at the time of her death at 97 years old. She acted alongside such stars asMay Whitty,Ellen Terry,andAnna Neagle.

Ethel Griffies
Griffies inJane Eyre(1943)
Born
Ethel Woods

(1878-04-26)26 April 1878
Sheffield,West Riding of Yorkshire,England
Died9 September 1975(1975-09-09)(aged 97)
London,England
OccupationActress
Years active1881–1967
Spouses
Walter Beaumont
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(m.1900; died 1910)​
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(m.1917; died 1956)​

Biography

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Griffies was born inSheffield,West Riding of Yorkshire,the daughter of actor and manager Samuel Rupert Woods and actress Lillie Roberts. Taken onstage at the age of three, she continued to act for the next 86 years.[1]

Griffies married actor Walter Beaumont in 1900; he died in 1910. In 1917, she married actorEdward Cooper,who predeceased her by almost two decades.[1]

On 9 September 1975, Griffies died of a stroke in London.[2]

Career

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Griffies appeared in numerous plays, making her theatre debut in London in 1899. After making brief cameos in films since 1917, she began a full career in the industry by 1930 with the film version of the playOld English.She went on to appear in more than 90 film and television roles, with her career lasting until her retirement in 1967.

She played Grace Poole in two versions ofJane Eyre:the1934 Monogram versionand the better-known1943 version.One of her last well-known roles was the elderlyornithologistMrs. Bundy inAlfred Hitchcock'sThe Birds(1963). She also performed inBilly Liarthe same year asThe Birds.

Griffies in Jane Eyre in 1934
Griffies inStranger on the Third Floor

Filmography (selected)

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References

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  1. ^abNissen, Axel (2016).Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood.McFarland. pp. 71–75.ISBN9781476626062.Retrieved21 May2018.
  2. ^Calta, Louis (12 September 1975)."Ethel Griffies, Who at 97 Was Oldest Working Actress, Dies".The New York Times– via NYTimes.com.
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