Pamela Brown | |
|---|---|
_-_Promotional_Image.webp) Still of Brown fromBram Stoker's Dracula (1974) | |
| Born | Pamela Mary Brown (1917-07-08)8 July 1917 Hampstead, London, England |
| Died | 19 September 1975(1975-09-19) (aged 58) Avening,Gloucestershire, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1942–1975 |
| Spouse | |
| Partner | Michael Powell (1962; died 1975)[1] |
Pamela Mary Brown (8 July 1917 – 19 September 1975) was a British actress. For her portrayal ofQueen Victoria's motherPrincess Victoria, Duchess of Kent inVictoria Regina (1961) she was awarded thePrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.
Brown was born inHampstead, London, to George Edward Brown, a journalist, and his wife, Helen Blanche (née Ellerton).[2] Growing up as a Roman Catholic, she attendedSt Mary's School, Ascot.[3]
After attending theRoyal Academy of Dramatic Art, Brown made her stage debut in 1936 as Juliet in aStratford-upon-Avon production ofRomeo and Juliet.[4] Three of her early film roles were inPowell and Pressburger films: her first screen part inOne of Our Aircraft Is Missing (1942), a memorable supporting role inI Know Where I'm Going! (1945), and in the fantasy film-operaThe Tales of Hoffmann (1951). She played a bitter spinster inPersonal Affair, starringGene Tierney (1953).
From the early 1950s, Brown'sarthritic condition (first appearing when she was sixteen) began to make playing on the stage difficult; her mobility was restricted and she was in great pain, which was kept at bay by drugs.[5] Nevertheless, she was a notable success as Jennet in the London production ofChristopher Fry'sThe Lady's Not For Burning, oppositeRichard Burton,Claire Bloom andJohn Gielgud (1949), which transferred to Broadway for an extended run (1950–51).[6][7]Time magazine wrote (20 November 1950): "As the lady, Pamela Brown proves that Fry did not write the part for her in vain. No one has a more gloriously uppity charm; no voice can simultaneously so rasp and thrill; no one ever made standoffishness more come-hitherable."[8]
Brown's success in film continued asJane Shore inLaurence Olivier'sRichard III (1955) and oppositeKirk Douglas in theVan Gogh biopicLust for Life (1956). Highlights of her 1960s work include the epicCleopatra (High Priestess; 1963),Becket (Eleanor of Aquitaine; 1964) andA Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (High Priestess; 1966). Brown playedLady Bessborough inLady Caroline Lamb (1972) andArchduchess Sophia ofAustria inFall of Eagles (1974).
In February 1953, Brown divorced her husband,Peter Copley, for infidelity.[9] They had no children. A devout Roman Catholic, she could not remarry while Copley was still alive but chose to live with her partnerMichael Powell, the director who had given her early film roles. They remained together until her death frompancreatic cancer in September 1975, aged 58, inAvening, Gloucestershire.[5] Brown was buried in Holy Cross churchyard, Avening.[10]
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