Edana Romney | |
|---|---|
 Publicity still forCorridor of Mirrors (1948) | |
| Born | (1919-03-15)15 March 1919 |
| Died | 17 December 2002(2002-12-17) (aged 83) Santa Maria, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Edna Rubenstein |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, Writer |
| Spouse | |
Edana Romney (15 March 1919 – 17 December 2002) was a South African actress, writer, and television presenter, based in London and later in Southern California.
Born asEdna Rubenstein inJohannesburg, Edana Romney was of Jewish ancestry, her paternal grandfather being anIrish Jew who had emigrated toSouth Africa. Romney trained as a dancer from an early age and made her performing debut in Johannesburg in 1930, the year she turned eleven. Relocating to London, Romney - then 14 - successfully auditioned for theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA), claiming to be the eligibility age of 16, and won a scholarship to study at RADA in 1935 and 1936.[1]
After leaving RADA, Romney acted mostly in UK regional theatre productions, including thePrince's Theatre, Bristol production of theMatheson Lang playThe Matador in 1936. She appeared in theWest End production ofJames Bridie'sTobias and the Angel atSt Martin's Theatre in 1938. In the same year she performed in theRegent's Park Open Air productions ofTobias and the Angel and as Titania inA Midsummer Night's Dream.
The first of Romney's occasional screen acting roles was a reprise of her theatrical role in a 1939BBC Television version ofTobias and the Angel.[2] She made her feature film debut inEast of Piccadilly (1941), playing the small but pivotal role of the victim murdered in the film's opening sequence.
Although her second film role, inAlibi (1942), was only incidental, Romney formed a production company with the film's screenwriterRudolph Cartier.[3] The partnership acquired the rights to the 1941 Chris Massie novelCorridor of Mirrors for which Cartier and Romney co-wrote a screenplay which they sought to have filmed with Romney as lead actress - a project which would take almost seven years to come to fruition. According to Romney, several film studios wished to purchase the screenplay but were not interested in Romney as star.[4] It was also the intention of Cartier and Romney that Cartier would direct the film.
Corridor of Mirrors was eventually shot in 1947 after Cartier and Romney financed ashowreel of Romney in scenes planned for the film, which lured top matinee idolEric Portman onboard the production to act as Romney's leading man.[5]Corridor of Mirrors saw the directorial debut ofTerence Young - Cartier being disqualified as director due totrade union objections - and the film was released in 1948 to reasonable critical and commercial success.
In November 1949, it was announced that Romney would again star in a film for which she wrote the screenplay, Romney being set to play French tragedienneRachel in abiopic entitledThe Magnificent Upstart to be directed byWilliam Dieterle who had helmed the box office hitLove Letters (1945) adapted from the Chris Massie[6] novelPity My Simplicity. However, the Rachel biopic was never made, and Romney's acting career afterCorridor of Mirrors comprised only four television roles in the 1950s. Two of these wereSunday Night Theatre episodes for the BBC directed by Rudolph Cartier, with Romney playing the leads in the series' versions ofThat Lady in 1954 andDark Victory in 1956.[7]
Romney appeared regularly as a television personality: she presentedIs This Your Problem? (1955-1957),[8] a BBC panel discussion programme about "delicate" women's issues, such as unexpected pregnancy and unhappiness as housewives.[9] She also wrote a weekly newspaper advice column as a tie-in to the television show. She also hosted a radio show, "Edana Romney's World" and gave talks at women's groups based on her role as a "lovelorn counselor".[10]
In 1946, Romney became the second wife of the film producerJohn Woolf;[11] the couple divorced in 1955. By the 1960s, Romney had relocated to California and was established as a high-profileBeverly Hills hostess living atJohn Barrymore's one-time mansion "The Hacienda", where her "Twelfth Night" parties were of special note.[12] Edana Romney died in 2002, aged 83, inSanta Maria, California. There is a collection of her papers archived at theUniversity of Southern California.[1]
In 2022, Romney was portrayed bySian Clifford in the British-American filmSee How They Run.
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