Adrianne Allen (7 February 1907 – 14 September 1993) was an English stage actress. Most often seen in light comedy, Allen played Sybil Chase in the original

West End West End most commonly refers to: * West End of London, an area of central London, England * West End theatre, a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London, England West End may also refer to: Pl ...

production of ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...

'' and Elizabeth Bennet in the 1935 Broadway production of ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is an 1813 novel of manners by Jane Austen. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreci ...

''. She appeared in several films and was the mother of actors

Daniel Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel—"God is my strength" ...

and Anna Massey.

Life and career

Allen was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

on 7 February 1907 to John and Margaret Allen. After her education in France and Germany, she trained as an actress at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sena ...

, where her 1926 graduation performance caught the attention of

Basil Dean Basil Herbert Dean CBE (27 September 1888 – 22 April 1978) was an English actor, writer, producer and director in the theatre and in cinema. He founded the Liverpool Playhouse, Liverpool Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, af ...

, who cast her as Nina Vansittart in the

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time (magazine), Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combina ...

play '' Easy Virtue'', when it arrived to London from Broadway. In 1929, she married

Raymond Massey Raymond Hart Massey (August 30, 1896 – July 29, 1983) was a Canadian actor, known for his commanding, stage-trained voice. For his lead role in '' Abe Lincoln in Illinois'' (1940), Massey was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. Amo ...

, after he had cast her for a part in Noël Coward's play '' The Rat Trap''. Her first

appearance followed in July 1930, where she played the role of Sibyl in Noël Coward's ''

''. She had two children with Raymond Massey,

and Anna, who later became actors. The marriage ended in divorce in 1939. Shortly after her divorce she married William Dwight Whitney, the lawyer who had handled the divorce. During this time she appeared on Broadway, in ''Cynara'', and as Judy Linden in '' The Shining Hour'', and in several films, most notably '' Merrily We Go to Hell''. In 1942, she played "Doris" in the original London production of

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wa ...

's play '' Flare Path''. She starred in more films, and appeared on British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication Media (communication), medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of Transmission (telecommunications), television tra ...

, before returning to Broadway in 1957, where she starred alongside her daughter in '' The Reluctant Debutante''. Her acting career ended in 1958.

Death

Allen died from cancer on 14 September 1993 in

Montreux Montreux (, , ; frp, Montrolx) is a Swiss municipality and town on the shoreline of Lake Geneva at the foot of the Alps. It belongs to the district of Riviera-Pays-d'Enhaut in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland, and has a population of approxi ...

, Switzerland.Obituary
nytimes.com. Accessed 20 November 2022. Both of her children died of cancer,as well.

Selected Broadway and West End roles

* ''Cynara'' (1931) as Doris Lea * '' The Shining Hour'' (1934) as Judy Linden * ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1935) as

Elizabeth Bennet Elizabeth Bennet is the protagonist in the 1813 novel ''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen. She is often referred to as Eliza or Lizzy by her friends and family. Elizabeth is the second child in a family of five daughters. Though the circ ...

* '' Flare Path'' (1942) as Doris, Countess Skriczevinsky * ''Love for Love'' (1947) as Mrs. Frail * ''

Edward, My Son ''Edward, My Son'' is a 1949 British drama film directed by George Cukor for MGM-British Studios that stars Spencer Tracy and Deborah Kerr. The screenplay by Donald Ogden Stewart is based on the 1947 play of the same title by Noel Langley a ...

'' (1948) as Evelyn Holt * '' Someone Waiting'' (1953) as Vera * '' The Reluctant Debutante'' (1956) as Sheila Broadbent

Filmography

* '' Loose Ends'' (1930) * '' The Stronger Sex'' (1931) *'' The Woman Between'' (1931) * '' Black Coffee'' (1931) * '' Merrily We Go to Hell'' (1932) * '' The Night of June 13'' (1932) * '' The Morals of Marcus'' (1935) * ''

The October Man ''The October Man'' is a 1947 mystery film/film noir starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood, written by novelist Eric Ambler, who also produced. A man is suspected of murder, and the lingering effects of a brain injury he sustained in an earlie ...

'' (1947) * ''

Bond Street Bond Street in the West End of London links Piccadilly in the south to Oxford Street in the north. Since the 18th century the street has housed many prestigious and upmarket fashion retailers. The southern section is Old Bond Street and the l ...

'' (1948) * ''

Vote for Huggett ''Vote for Huggett'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Jack Warner, Kathleen Harrison, Susan Shaw and Petula Clark. Warner reprises his role as the head of a London family, in the post-war years. In this, t ...

'' (1949) * ''

The Final Test ''The Final Test'' is a 1953 British sports film written by Terence Rattigan, directed by Anthony Asquith, and starring Jack Warner, Robert Morley, George Relph and Ray Jackson. A number of leading cricketers also appear including Denis C ...

'' (1953) * ''

Meet Mr. Malcolm ''Meet Mr. Malcolm'' is a 1954 British crime film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Adrianne Allen, Sarah Lawson and Meredith Edwards. It was made at Kensington Studios as a second feature. Synopsis Crime writer Colin Knowles (Richard Gal ...

'' (1954)

References

External links

* *
Photo of Adrianne Allen
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Adrianne 1907 births 1993 deaths Massey family Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Deaths from cancer in Switzerland English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses English expatriates in Switzerland Actresses from Manchester 20th-century English actresses British expatriate actresses in the United States 20th-century British businesspeople