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Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema for 20 years and was voted the most popular star in Britain in 1949. She was known for providing glamour and sophistication to war-torn London audiences with her lightweight musicals, comedies, and historical dramas. Almost all of her films were produced and directed by
Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best known for the films he made with his third wif ...
, whom she married in 1943. In her historical dramas, Neagle was renowned for her portrayals of British historical figures, including Nell Gwyn (''Nell Gwyn'', 1934),
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
(''Victoria the Great'', 1937 and ''Sixty Glorious Years'', 1938), Edith Cavell (''Nurse Edith Cavell'', 1939), and
Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War ...
(''The Lady with a Lamp'', 1951).


Biography


Early life

Neagle was born in Forest Gate,
Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...
, daughter of Florence Neagle and her husband, Herbert William Robertson, a Merchant Navy captain. Her elder brother was the bass-baritone and actor Stuart Robertson (1901–1958). Robertson attended primary school in
Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popu ...
and then
St Albans High School for Girls St Albans High School for Girls is a selective, private day school for girls aged 4 – 18 years, which is affiliated to the Church of England and takes girls of all faiths or none. There are approximately 328 pupils in the preparatory schoo ...
. She made her stage debut as a dancer in 1917, and later appeared in the chorus of C.B. Cochran's revues and also André Charlot's revue ''Bubbly''. While with Cochran, she understudied Jessie Matthews. In 1931, she starred in the West End musical ''Stand Up and Sing'' with actor Jack Buchanan, who encouraged her to take a featured role. For this play, she began using the professional name Anna Neagle (the surname being her mother's maiden name). The play was a success with a total run of 604 performances. ''Stand Up and Sing'' provided her big break when film producer and director
Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best known for the films he made with his third wif ...
caught the show to consider Buchanan for an upcoming film, but also took note of her cinematic potential.''British Pictures'' Profile and Reviews.


Cinematic beginnings

Forming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical '' Goodnight, Vienna'' (1932), again with Jack Buchanan. With this film, Neagle became an overnight favourite. Although the film cost a mere £23,000 to produce, it was a hit at the box office, with profits from its Australian release alone being £150,000.
( Portable Document Format, PDF file).
After her starring role in '' The Flag Lieutenant'' (also 1932), directed by and co-starring Henry Edwards, she worked exclusively under Wilcox's direction for all but one of her subsequent films, becoming one of Britain's biggest stars. She continued in the musical genre, co-starring with Fernand Gravey (later known as Fernand Gravet) in ''
Bitter Sweet Bittersweet, bitter-sweet, or bitter sweet may refer to: Biology * A vine in the nightshade family, ''Solanum dulcamara'' * Some species of vines in the genus ''Celastrus'', including American bittersweet (''C. scandens'') and Oriental bitters ...
'' (1933). This first version of Noël Coward's tale of ill-fated lovers was later obscured by the better known Jeanette MacDonaldNelson Eddy remake in 1940. Neagle had her first major success with '' Nell Gwyn'' (1934), which Wilcox had previously shot as a silent starring Dorothy Gish in 1926. Neagle's performance as Gwyn, who became the mistress of Charles II (played by Cedric Hardwicke) prompted some
censorship in the United States Censorship in the United States involves the suppression of speech or public communication and raises issues of freedom of speech, which is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. Interpretation of this fundament ...
. The Hays Office had Wilcox add a (historically false) scene featuring the two leads getting married and also a "framing" story resulting in an entirely different ending.
Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
, then a film critic, said of ''Nell Gwyn'': "I have seen few things more attractive than Miss Neagle in breeches". Two years after ''Nell Gwyn'', she followed up with another real-life figure, portraying Irish actress Peg Woffington in ''
Peg of Old Drury ''Peg of Old Drury'' is a 1935 British historical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Cedric Hardwicke and Margaretta Scott. The film is a biopic of eighteenth-century Irish actress Peg Woffington. It was based on the play ' ...
'' (1936). That same year, she appeared in '' Limelight'', a backstage film musical in which she played a chorus girl. Her co-star was Arthur Tracy, who had gained fame in the United States as a radio performer known as the Street Singer. The film also featured Jack Buchanan in an uncredited cameo. performing "Goodnight Vienna". Neagle and Wilcox followed with a
circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclis ...
trapeze fable ''
Three Maxims ''Three Maxims'' is a 1936 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Tullio Carminati and Leslie Banks. It was released in the United States under the alternative title '' The Show Goes On''. Separate French and Ge ...
'' (1937), which was released in the United States as ''The Show Goes On''. The film, with a script featuring a contribution from Herman J. Mankiewicz (later to co-write ''
Citizen Kane ''Citizen Kane'' is a 1941 American drama film produced by, directed by, and starring Orson Welles. He also co-wrote the screenplay with Herman J. Mankiewicz. The picture was Welles' first feature film. ''Citizen Kane'' is frequently cited ...
'' with
Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
), had Neagle performing her own high-wire acrobatics. Although now highly successful in films, Neagle continued acting on stage. In 1934, while working under director Robert Atkins, she performed as Rosalind in '' As You Like It'' and Olivia in '' Twelfth Night''. Both productions earned her critical accolades, despite the fact that she had never performed
Shakespearean William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...
roles before. In 1937, Neagle gave her most prestigious performance so far – as
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previ ...
in the historical drama '' Victoria the Great'' (1937), co-starring
Anton Walbrook Adolf Anton Wilhelm Wohlbrück (19 November 18969 August 1967) was an Austrian actor who settled in the United Kingdom under the name Anton Walbrook. A popular performer in Austria and pre-war Germany, he left in 1936 out of concerns for his o ...
as Prince Albert. The script by Robert Vansittart and Miles Malleson (from
Laurence Housman Laurence Housman (; 18 July 1865 – 20 February 1959) was an English playwright, writer and illustrator whose career stretched from the 1890s to the 1950s. He studied art in London. He was a younger brother of the poet A. E. Housman and his s ...
's play ''Victoria Regina'') alternated between the political and the personal lives of the royal couple. The
Diamond Jubilee A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or the 60th anniversary of an institution's founding. The term is also used for 75th anniver ...
sequence that climaxed the film was shot in Technicolor. ''Victoria the Great'' was such an international success that it resulted in Neagle and Walbrook playing their roles again in an all-Technicolor sequel entitled '' Sixty Glorious Years'' (1938), co-starring C. Aubrey Smith as the
Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister ...
. While the first of these films was in release, Neagle returned to the London stage and entertained audiences with her portrayal of the title role in '' Peter Pan''.


An American excursion

The success of ''Victoria the Great'' and ''Sixty Glorious Years'' caused Hollywood studios to take notice. Neagle and Wilcox began an association with
RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...
. Their first American film was ''
Nurse Edith Cavell ''Nurse Edith Cavell'' is a 1939 American film directed by British director Herbert Wilcox about Edith Cavell. The film was nominated at the 1939 Oscars for Best Original Score. Plot The story follows the broadly true story of Edith Cavell w ...
'' (1939), a remake of ''
Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's ...
'', a Wilcox silent that starred
Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her ...
. In this, another Neagle role based on an actual British heroine, she played the role of the nurse who was shot by the
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in World War I for alleged spying. The resulting effort had a significant impact for audiences on the eve of war. In a turnabout from this serious drama, the couple followed with three musical comedies, all based on once-popular stage plays. The first of these was ''
Irene Irene is a name derived from εἰρήνη (eirēnē), the Greek for "peace". Irene, and related names, may refer to: * Irene (given name) Places * Irene, Gauteng, South Africa * Irene, South Dakota, United States * Irene, Texas, United State ...
'' (1940), co-starring Ray Milland. It included a Technicolor sequence, which featured Neagle singing the play's most famous song, " Alice Blue Gown". She followed this film with '' No, No, Nanette'' (1940) with
Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include '' One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darli ...
, in which she sang " Tea For Two", and '' Sunny'' (1941), with
Ray Bolger Raymond Wallace Bolger (January 10, 1904 – January 15, 1987) was an American actor, dancer, singer, vaudevillian and stage performer (particularly musical theatre) who started in the silent-film era. Bolger was a major Broadway performer in ...
. Neagle and Wilcox's final American film was '' Forever and a Day'' (1943), a tale of a London family house from 1804 to the 1940 blitz. This film boasts 80 performers (mostly expatriate British), including Ray Milland, C. Aubrey Smith, Claude Rains, Charles Laughton, and – among the few North Americans –
Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...
. Wilcox directed the sequence featuring Neagle, Milland, Smith, and Rains, while other directors who worked on the film included
René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...
, Edmund Goulding, Frank Lloyd, Victor Saville, and
Robert Stevenson Robert Stevenson may refer to: * Robert Stevenson (actor and politician) (1915–1975), American actor and politician * Robert Stevenson (civil engineer) (1772–1850), Scottish lighthouse engineer * Robert Stevenson (director) (1905–1986), Engli ...
. During the war, the profits and salaries were given to war relief. After the war, prints were intended to be destroyed, so that no one could profit from them, but this never occurred.


Return to the UK

Returning to the UK, Neagle and Wilcox commenced with '' They Flew Alone'' (1942; shot after but released before ''Forever and a Day''). Neagle this time played
aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
Amy Johnson, who had recently died in a flying accident.
Robert Newton Robert Guy Newton (1 June 1905 – 25 March 1956) was an English actor. Along with Errol Flynn, Newton was one of the more popular actors among the male juvenile audience of the 1940s and early 1950s, especially with British boys. Known for hi ...
co-starred as Johnson's husband, Jim Mollison. The film intercut the action with newsreel footage. Neagle and Wilcox married in August 1943 at London's
Caxton Hall Caxton Hall is a building on the corner of Caxton Street and Palmer Street, in Westminster, London, England. It is a Grade II listed building primarily noted for its historical associations. It hosted many mainstream and fringe political and ar ...
.City of Westminster green plaques They continued with ''
Yellow Canary The yellow canary (''Crithagra flaviventris'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islands. T ...
'' (1943), co-starring Richard Greene and Margaret Rutherford. In this spy story, Neagle plays a German-sympathiser (or at least that is what she seems to be at first), who is forced to go to Canada for her own safety. In reality, of course, she is working as an
undercover agent To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an indi ...
out to expose a plot to blow up Halifax Harbour in
Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...
. ''Yellow Canary'' received positive comment for its atmospheric recreation of wartime conditions. In 1945, Neagle appeared on stage in ''Emma'', a dramatisation of Jane Austen's novel. That same year, she was seen in the film ''
I Live in Grosvenor Square ''I Live in Grosvenor Square'' is a British comedy-drama romance war film directed and produced by Herbert Wilcox. It was the first of Wilcox's "London films" collaboration with his wife, actress Anna Neagle. Her co-stars were Dean Jagger and ...
'', co-starring Rex Harrison. She wanted Harrison for the lead in her next film, ''
Piccadilly Incident ''Piccadilly Incident'' is a 1946 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Coral Browne, Edward Rigby and Leslie Dwyer. Wilcox teamed his wife Anna Neagle with Michael Wilding for the first time, es ...
'' (1946). However, he (as well as
John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...
) proved to be unavailable at the time, so Wilcox cast Michael Wilding in the lead. Thus was born what film critic Godfrey Winn called "the greatest team in British films". The story – of a wife, presumed dead, returning to her (remarried) husband – bears a resemblance to the Irene Dunne
Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...
comedy ''
My Favorite Wife ''My Favorite Wife'' (released in the U.K. as ''My Favourite Wife'') is a 1940 screwball comedy produced by Leo McCarey and directed by Garson Kanin. The picture stars Irene Dunne as a woman who, after being shipwrecked on a tropical island for ...
''. ''Piccadilly Incident'' was chosen as '' Picturegoer's'' Best Film of 1947. Despite the fact that Neagle was some eight years senior to Wilding, they proved to be an extremely bankable romantic pairing at the British box office. By now in her mid-40s, Neagle continued to have success in youthful and romantic lead roles. Neagle and Wilding were reunited in ''
The Courtneys of Curzon Street ''The Courtneys of Curzon Street'' (also titled ''The Courtney Affair'' or Kathy's Love Affair, in the U.S.) is a 1947 British drama film starring Anna Neagle and Michael Wilding. It is a study of class division and snobbery in Britain in the la ...
'' (1947), a period drama that became the year's top box-office attraction. The film featured Wilding as an upper-class dandy and Neagle as the maid he marries, only to have the two of them driven apart by Victorian society. The third pairing of Neagle and Wilding in the "London Films", as the series of films came to be called, was in ''
Spring in Park Lane ''Spring in Park Lane'' is a 1948 British romantic comedy film produced and directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding and Tom Walls. It was part of a series of films partnering Neagle and Wilding. It was the top film a ...
'' (1948). A drama, this depicted the romance between a millionaire's niece and a footman (actually a nobleman who has seen better days). The script was written by Nicholas Phipps, who also played Wilding's brother. Although not a musical, it contains a dream sequence featuring the song "The Moment I Saw You". ''Spring in Park Lane'' was the 1949 ''Picturegoer'' winner for Best Film, Actor, and Actress. Neagle and Wilding were together for a fourth time in the Technicolor romance ''
Maytime in Mayfair ''Maytime in Mayfair'' is a 1949 British musical comedy film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Michael Wilding, Nicholas Phipps, and Tom Walls. It was a follow up to ''Spring in Park Lane''. The film was one of the most popula ...
'' (1949). The plot is reminiscent of '' Roberta'', as it had Wilding inheriting a dress shop owned by Neagle. By now, Neagle was at her peak as Britain's top box-office actress, and she made what reputedly became her own favourite film, '' Odette'' (1950), co-starring Trevor Howard, Peter Ustinov, and Marius Goring. As Odette Sansom, she was the Anglo-French resistance fighter who was pushed to the edge of betrayal by the Nazis. In 1950, Neagle and Wilcox moved to the top-floor flat in Aldford House overlooking
Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...
, which was their home until 1964. She played
Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War ...
in '' The Lady with a Lamp'' (1951), based on the 1929 play by
Reginald Berkeley Reginald Cheyne Berkeley (18 August 1890 – 30 March 1935) was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom, and later a writer of stage plays, then a screenwriter in Hollywood. He had trained as a lawyer. He died in Los Angeles from pneumo ...
. Returning to the stage in 1953, she scored a success with ''
The Glorious Days ''The Glorious Days'' is a 1952 British musical composed by Harry Parr Davis and Harold Purcell from a book by Robert Nesbitt and Miles Malleson. It was designed as a vehicle for Anna Neagle, showcasing her in several roles throughout history i ...
'', which had a run of 476 performances. Neagle and Wilcox brought the play to the screen under the title ''
Lilacs in the Spring ''Lilacs in the Spring'' is a 1954 British musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Errol Flynn and David Farrar. The film was made at Elstree Studios with sets designed by the art director William C. Andrews. Shot in T ...
'' (1954), co-starring
Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, freque ...
. In the film, she plays an actress knocked out by a bomb, who dreams she is Queen Victoria and Nell Gwyn, as well as her own mother. As she begins dreaming, the film switches from black-and-white to colour. In Britain, where Neagle had top billing, the film was reasonably successful. In the United States, however, where Flynn had top billing, the title was changed to ''Let's Make Up'', and it flopped, with limited bookings.


On the wane

Neagle and Flynn reteamed for a second film, ''
King's Rhapsody ''King's Rhapsody'' is a musical with book and music by Ivor Novello and lyrics by Christopher Hassall. The musical was first produced at the Palace Theatre, London, on 15 September 1949 and ran for 841 performances, surviving its author, who d ...
'' (1955), based on an Ivor Novello musical and also starring Patrice Wymore (Flynn's wife at the time). Although Neagle performed several musical numbers for the film, most of them were cut from the final release, leaving her with essentially a supporting role. Shot in Eastmancolor and CinemaScope with location work near
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...
, Spain, ''King's Rhapsody'' was a major flop everywhere. Neagle's (and Flynn's) box-office appeal, it seemed, was fading. Neagle's last box-office hit was ''
My Teenage Daughter ''My Teenage Daughter'', later ''Teenage Bad Girl'', is a 1956 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Sylvia Syms and Norman Wooland. The screenplay concerns a mother who tries to deal with her teenage daughter's ...
'' (1956), which featured her as a mother trying to prevent her daughter (
Sylvia Syms Sylvia May Laura Syms (born 6 January 1934) is an English actress, best known for her roles in the films ''Woman in a Dressing Gown'' (1957), ''Ice Cold in Alex'' (1958), ''No Trees in the Street'' (1959), ''Victim'' (1961), and ''The Tamari ...
) from lapsing into juvenile delinquency. Neagle and Syms worked together again on '' No Time for Tears'' (1957), also starring Anthony Quayle and Flora Robson. As directed by Cyril Frankel, this was the first film for over 20 years where Neagle was directed by someone other than Herbert Wilcox. Set in a children's hospital, the film features Neagle as a matron dealing with the problems of the patients and the staff, notably a nurse (Syms) infatuated with one of the doctors ( George Baker). With her husband, Neagle began producing films starring Frankie Vaughan, but these were out of touch with changing tastes, and lost money, resulting in Wilcox going heavily into debt. Neagle herself made her final film appearance in '' The Lady Is a Square'' (1959), also Wilcox's last film as director. Neagle was the subject of ''
This Is Your Life This Is Your Life may refer to: Television * ''This Is Your Life'' (American franchise), an American radio and television documentary biography series hosted by Ralph Edwards * ''This Is Your Life'' (Australian TV series), the Australian versio ...
'' on two occasions, in February 1958 when she was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ A ...
at the BBC Television Theatre, and in March 1983, when Andrews surprised her at London's Royal National Hotel.


Final years

Herbert Wilcox was bankrupt by 1964, but his wife soon revived his fortunes. She returned to the stage the following year and made a comeback in the West End musical '' Charlie Girl''. In it, she played the role of a former "Cochran Young Lady" who marries a peer of the realm. ''Charlie Girl'' was not a critical success, but it ran for six years and 2,047 performances. It earned Neagle an entry in the '' Guinness Book of World Records'' for her enduring popularity. Two years after ''Charlie Girl'' – which she also performed in Australia and New Zealand – Neagle was asked to appear in a revival of '' No, No, Nanette'', at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, having appeared in the screen version three decades earlier. Later, in 1975, she replaced
Celia Johnson Dame Celia Elizabeth Johnson, (18 December 1908 – 26 April 1982) was an English actress, whose career included stage, television and film. She is especially known for her roles in the films ''In Which We Serve'' (1942), ''This Happy Bree ...
in ''The Dame of Sark'' and, in 1978 (the year after her husband's death), she was acting in ''Most Gracious Lady'', which was written for the Silver Jubilee of
Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
. Although affected by
Parkinson's disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms beco ...
in her last years, Neagle continued to be active. She appeared in Cameron Mackintosh's revival of '' My Fair Lady'' and in 1985 she appeared as the Fairy Godmother in a production of '' Cinderella'' at the London Palladium. Neagle's great-nephew is actor
Nicholas Hoult Nicholas Caradoc Hoult (born 7 December 1989) is an English actor. His body of work includes supporting work in big-budget mainstream productions and starring roles in independent projects in both the American and the British film industries ...
, through Hoult's father's side. Neagle died aged 81 from breast cancer on 3 June 1986. A Memorial service at Westminster Abbey followed on 20 October 1986. She was interred alongside her husband in the
City of London Cemetery The City of London Cemetery and Crematorium is a cemetery and crematorium in the east of London. It is owned and operated by the City of London Corporation. It is designated Grade I on the Historic England National Register of Historic Parks an ...
. Their grave was recommemorated by Princess Anne, the Princess Royal on 6 March 2014. A memorial plaque on her former home at Aldford House,
Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...
was unveiled on 30 May 1996, by
Princess Anne Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...
and Lana Morris. She also has a memorial plaque in St Paul's Church, the Actors' Church in Covent Garden. A street named in her honour, Anna Neagle Close, is situated in Forest Gate, east London.


Awards

Neagle was created a
Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the 1952 New Year Honours and, for her contributions to the theatre, a
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(DBE) in the 1969 Birthday Honours.


Filmography

The following list contains all of Neagle's acting credits in feature-length films with the exception of ''Queen Victoria'' (1942), which is actually a compilation of two earlier films, ''Victoria the Great'' and ''Sixty Glorious Years''. All of her films were directed by Herbert Wilcox and produced in the United Kingdom unless otherwise noted. In addition, Neagle also appeared briefly as herself in a documentary short entitled ''The Volunteer'' (1943), and served as narrator for the films ''The Prams Break Through'' (1945) and ''Princess's Wedding Day'' (1947). Neagle also produced, but did not appear in, three films starring Frankie Vaughan: ''These Dangerous Years'' (1957), ''Wonderful Things'' (1957), and ''The Heart of a Man'' (1959).


Recordings

*'' What More Can I Ask?'', with orchestra conducted by Ray Noble : HMV B 4365 (matrix: 0B 4586-3) :Recorded London 4 January 1933 *''The Dream Is Over'', with orchestra conducted by Ray Noble :HMV B 4365 (matrix: 4587-4) :Recorded London 4 January 1933 *''Tonight'', duet with Trefor Jones with Geraldo and his Orchestra : Columbia (England) DB 1316 (matrix: CA 14314-1) :Recorded London 30 January 1934 *''Kiss Me Goodnight'' : Decca (England) F 5649 (matrix: TB 1869) :Recorded London 9 August 1935 *''A Little Dash of Dublin'' :Decca (England) F 5649 (matrix: TB 1870) :Recorded London 9 August 1935


Box office popularity

Annual polls of British exhibitors for the ''Motion Picture Herald'' consistently listed Neagle as a leading box office star in her home country. * 1936 – 14th-most popular British star * 1937 – 8th-most popular British star * 1938 – 8th-most popular British star * 1939 – 5th-most popular British star * 1940 – 10th-most popular British star * 1941 – 7th-most popular British star * 1942 – most popular female British star * 1944 – 9th-most popular British star * 1945 – 8th most popular British star *1946 – 5th-most popular British star * 1947 – 3rd-most popular star (2nd most popular British star) * 1948 – most popular British star (2nd overall) * 1949 – most popular star – the first time since the polls started that the most popular star in Britain had been a local * 1950 – 3rd-most popular star – third year in a row as most popular British star * 1951 – 6th-most popular star (2nd most popular British star) * 1952 – 8th-most popular British star – 6th year in a row as most popular female British star


Publications

*''There's Always Tomorrow'' – Autobiography – 1974, .


Footnotes


External links

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Photographs of Anna Neagle
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neagle, Anna 1904 births 1986 deaths English film actresses English musical theatre actresses Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire Actresses awarded British damehoods People from Forest Gate Neurological disease deaths in England Deaths from Parkinson's disease Deaths from kidney failure People educated at St Albans High School for Girls Actresses from Essex Musicians from Essex English people of Scottish descent 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English singers Actresses from London Singers from London British expatriate actresses in the United States 20th-century English women singers People educated at Queen's Park Secondary School