Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 191123 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

in ''

The Private Life of Henry VIII ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' is a 1933 British film directed and co-produced by Alexander Korda and starring Charles Laughton, Robert Donat, Merle Oberon and Elsa Lanchester. It was written by Lajos Bíró and Arthur Wimperis for London F ...

'' (1933). After her success in ''

The Scarlet Pimpernel ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is the first novel in a series of historical fiction by Baroness Orczy, published in 1905. It was written after her stage play of the same title (co-authored with Montague Barstow) enjoyed a long run in London, having ...

'' (1934), she travelled to the United States to make films for

Samuel Goldwyn Samuel Goldwyn (born Szmuel Gelbfisz; yi, שמואל געלבפֿיש; August 27, 1882 (claimed) January 31, 1974), also known as Samuel Goldfish, was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor an ...

. She was nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

for her performance in '' The Dark Angel'' (1935). A traffic collision in 1937 caused facial injuries that could have ended her career, but she recovered and remained active in film and television until 1973.

Early life

Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson was born in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

, on 19 February 1911. Merle was given "Queenie" as a nickname, in honour of Queen Mary, who visited India along with

King George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

in 1911.Higham and Moseley 1983, p. 25.

Parentage

For most of her life, Merle protected herself by concealing the truth about her parentage, claiming that she had been born in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia, and that her birth records had been destroyed in a fire. She was raised as the daughter of Arthur Terrence O'Brien Thompson, a British mechanical engineer from Darlington who worked in Indian RailwaysHigham and Moseley 1983, p. 21. and his wife, Charlotte Selby, a Eurasian from Ceylon (present-day Sri Lanka). Her mother also had Māori ancestry.Higham and Moseley 1983, 18. However, according to her birth certificate, Merle's biological mother was Charlotte's then-12-year-old daughter, Constance. Charlotte had herself given birth to Constance at the age of 14, the result of rape by Henry Alfred Selby, the Anglo-Irish foreman of a tea plantation. To avoid scandal, Charlotte raised Merle as Constance's half-sister."ABC TV documentary: The Trouble With Merle"
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 19 September 2014. Constance eventually married Alexander Soares and had four other children: Edna, Douglas, Harry, and Stanislaus (Stan). Edna and Douglas moved to the UK at an early age. Stanislaus was the only child to keep his father's surname of Soares and resided in Surrey

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. Harry eventually moved to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, retaining Charlotte’s maiden name, Selby. When Harry tracked down Merle's birth certificate in Indian government records in

, he was surprised to discover that he was in fact Merle's half-brother, not her nephew. He attempted to visit her in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, but she refused to see him. Harry withheld that information from Oberon's biographer Charles Higham and eventually revealed it only to Maree Delofski, the creator of the 2002 documentary ''The Trouble with Merle'', produced by the

Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...

, which investigated the various conflicting versions of Merle's origin. New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera uses Oberon's hidden South Asian and Māori heritage as the inspiration for the novel ''White Lies'', which was turned into the 2013 movie '' White Lies''.

Youth

In 1914, when Merle was 3, Arthur Thompson joined the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and later died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...

on the Western Front during the Battle of the Somme.Higham and 1983, pp. 25–26. Merle and Charlotte led an impoverished existence in shabby flats in Bombay for a few years. Then, in 1917, they moved to better circumstances in Calcutta (present-day

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

).Higham and Moseley 1983, p. 28. Oberon received a foundation scholarship to attend La Martiniere Calcutta for Girls, one of the best private schools in Calcutta. There, she was constantly taunted for her mixed ethnicity, eventually leading her to quit school and receive lessons at home.Higham and Moseley 1983, p. 30. Oberon first performed with the Calcutta Amateur Dramatic Society. She was also completely enamored with films and enjoyed going out to

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

s. Indian journalist Sunanda K. Datta-Ray claimed that Merle worked as a telephone operator in Calcutta under the name Queenie Thomson and won a contest at Firpo's Restaurant there, before the outset of her film career. In Firpo's in 1929, Merle met a former actor, Colonel Ben Finney, and dated him;Higham and Moseley 1983, pp. 33–34. however, when he saw Charlotte one night at her flat, he realized Oberon was of mixed ancestry and ended the relationship. However, Finney promised to introduce her to Rex Ingram of Victorine Studios (whom he had known through his relationship with the late

Barbara La Marr Barbara La Marr (born Reatha Dale Watson; July 28, 1896 – January 30, 1926) was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in twenty-seven films during her career between 1920 and 1926. La Marr was also noted by the medi ...

), if she were prepared to travel to France, which she readily did. After packing all their belongings and moving to France, Oberon and her mother found that their supposed benefactor avoided them,Higham and Moseley 1983, p. 37. although he had left a good word for Oberon with Ingram at the studios in

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...

. Ingram liked Oberon's exotic appearance and quickly hired her to be an extra in a party scene in a film named ''The Three Passions''.Higham and Moseley 1983, p. 38.

Acting career

Oberon arrived in England for the first time in 1928, aged 17. She worked as a club hostess under the name Queenie O'Brien and played in minor and unbilled roles in various films. "I couldn't dance or sing or write or paint. The only possible opening seemed to be in some line in which I could use my face. This was, in fact, no better than a hundred other faces, but it did possess a fortunately photogenic quality," she told a journalist at ''Film Weekly'' in 1939. Her film career received a major boost when the director

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

in ''

'' (1933) opposite Charles Laughton. The film became a major success and she was then given leading roles, such as Lady Blakeney in ''

'' (1934) with

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director and producer.Obituary ''Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and ''Vanity Fair'' and was one o ...

, who became her lover for a while. Oberon's career benefited from her relationship with, and later marriage to, Korda. He sold "shares" of her contract to producer

, who gave her good vehicles in Hollywood. Her "mother" stayed behind in England. Oberon earned her sole

nomination for '' The Dark Angel'' (1935) produced by Goldwyn. Around this time she had a serious romance with

David Niven James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...

, and according to one biographer even wanted to marry him, but he was not faithful to her. Laurence Olivier Merle Oberon Wuthering Heights

She was selected to star in Korda's 1937 film, ''

I, Claudius ''I, Claudius'' is a historical novel by English writer Robert Graves, published in 1934. Written in the form of an autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, it tells the history of the Julio-Claudian dynasty and the early years of the Ro ...

'', as Messalina, but her injuries in a car accident resulted in the film being abandoned. She went on to appear as Cathy in the highly acclaimed film ''

Wuthering Heights ''Wuthering Heights'' is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë, initially published under her pen name Ellis Bell. It concerns two families of the landed gentry living on the West Yorkshire moors, the Earnshaws and the Lintons, and their turbulent re ...

'' (opposite Laurence Olivier; 1939), as

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...

in '' A Song to Remember'' (1945) and as the Empress Josephine in '' Désirée'' (1954). According to ''Princess Merle'', the biography written by Charles Higham with Roy Moseley, Oberon suffered damage to her complexion in 1940 from a combination of cosmetic poisoning and an allergic reaction to sulfa drugs. Alexander Korda sent her to a skin specialist in New York City, where she underwent several dermabrasion procedures.Higham and Moseley 1983. The results, however, were only partially successful; without makeup, noticeable pitting and indentation of her skin could be seen.

Personal life

Oberon's mother, Charlotte Selby, who was actually her birth grandmother, died in 1937. (Merle's biological mother was Charlotte's daughter, Constance, who was 12 years old when Merle was born.) In 1949, Oberon commissioned paintings of Charlotte based on an old photograph (but depicting Charlotte with lighter skin),Kahn, Salma
"Hollywood's first Indian actress: Merle Oberon."
''SAPNA Magazine'', Winter 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2016. which hung in all her homes until Oberon's own death in 1979.

Relationships and marriages

Oberon married director

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; hu, Korda Sándor; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)Richard Hillary Flight Lieutenant Richard Hope Hillary (20 April 1919 – 8 January 1943) was an Anglo-Australian Royal Air Force fighter pilot during the Second World War. He wrote the book '' The Last Enemy'' about his experiences during the Battle of Brit ...

, an RAF fighter pilot who had been badly burned in the

Battle of Britain The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...

. They met while he was on a goodwill tour of the United States. He later wrote the best-selling autobiography, '' The Last Enemy''. Oberon had an on-again, off-again affair with actor John Wayne from 1938 to 1947. Oberon became Lady Korda when her husband was knighted in 1942 by

George VI George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of I ...

for his contribution to the war effort. At the time, the couple was based at Hills House in Denham, England. She divorced him in 1945 to marry cinematographer

Lucien Ballard Lucien Ballard, A.S.C. (May 6, 1908 – October 1, 1988) was an American cinematographer. He worked on more than 130 films during his 50-year career, collaborating multiple times with directors including Josef von Sternberg, John Brahm, Henry H ...

. Ballard devised a special camera light for her, to obscure on film her facial scars suffered in the 1937 accident. The light became known as the "Obie".Higham and Moseley 1983, p. 161. She and Ballard divorced in 1949. Oberon married Italian-born industrialist Bruno Pagliai in 1957, adopted two children with him and lived in

Cuernavaca Cuernavaca (; nci-IPA, Cuauhnāhuac, kʷawˈnaːwak "near the woods", ) is the capital and largest city of the state of Morelos in Mexico. The city is located around a 90-minute drive south of Mexico City using the Federal Highway 95D. The na ...

, Morelos, Mexico. In 1973, Oberon met then 36-year-old Dutch actor Robert Wolders while they filmed '' Interval''. Oberon divorced Pagliai and married Wolders, who was 25 years her junior, in 1975.

Disputed birthplace

To avoid prejudice over her mixed background, Oberon created a "cover story" of being born and raised in

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, Australia, and her birth records being destroyed in a fire. The story eventually unravelled after her death. Oberon is known to have been to Australia only twice.Pybu
1998, p. 161.
/ref> Her first visit was in 1965, on a film promotion. Another visit, to Hobart, was scheduled, but after journalists in Sydney pressed her for details of her early life, she became ill and shortly afterwards left for Mexico. In 1978, the year before her death, she agreed to visit Hobart for a Lord Mayoral reception. The Lord Mayor of Hobart became aware shortly before the reception that there was no proof she had been born in Tasmania, but to save face went ahead with the celebration. Shortly after arriving at the reception, Oberon, to the disappointment of many, denied she had been born in Tasmania. She then excused herself claiming illness, and was unavailable to answer questions about her background. On the way to the reception, she had told her driver that as a child she was on a ship with her father, who became ill when it was passing Hobart. They were taken ashore so he could be treated, thereby spending some of her early years on the island. During her Hobart stay, she remained in her hotel, gave no other interviews, and did not visit the theatre named in her honour.

Death

Oberon retired after ''Interval'' and moved with Wolders to

Malibu, California Malibu ( ; es, Malibú; Chumash: ) is a beach city in the Santa Monica Mountains region of Los Angeles County, California, situated about west of Downtown Los Angeles. It is known for its Mediterranean climate and its strip of the Malib ...

, where she died in 1979, aged 68, after suffering a stroke. Her body was interred at

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...

in Glendale, California.

Tributes

Oberon has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (at 6250 Hollywood Boulevard) for her contributions to Motion Pictures.

Michael Korda Michael Korda (born 8 October 1933) is an English-born writer and novelist who was editor-in-chief of Simon & Schuster in New York City. Early years Born in London, Michael Korda is the son of English actress Gertrude Musgrove and the Hungaria ...

, nephew of Alexander Korda, wrote a

roman à clef ''Roman à clef'' (, anglicised as ), French for ''novel with a key'', is a novel about real-life events that is overlaid with a façade of fiction. The fictitious names in the novel represent real people, and the "key" is the relationship be ...

about Oberon after her death titled '' Queenie''. This was adapted into a television miniseries starring Mia Sara.

F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is best known for his novels depicting the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age—a term he popularize ...

's unfinished novel ''

The Last Tycoon ''The Last Tycoon'' is an unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. In 1941, it was published posthumously under this title, as prepared by his friend Edmund Wilson, a critic and writer. According to ''Publishers Weekly,'' the novel is "generally ...

'' was made into a

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

, with

Jennifer Beals Jennifer Beals (born December 19, 1963) is an American actress and former teen model. She made her film debut in '' My Bodyguard'' (1980), before receiving critical acclaim for her role in ''Flashdance'' (1983), for which she won NAACP Image A ...

playing Margo Taft, a character created for the TV series and based on Oberon.

Filmography

Features

*''

The Three Passions ''The Three Passions'' is a 1928 British silent drama film directed by Rex Ingram and starring Alice Terry, Iván Petrovich and Shayle Gardner. It was made as a quota film for Allied ArtistsLow p.160 and was based on a novel by Cosmo Hamil ...

'' (1928) as Bit Part (uncredited) *''

The W Plan ''The W Plan'' is a 1930 British spy film produced and directed by Victor Saville and starring Brian Aherne, Madeleine Carroll, Gibb McLaughlin, and Gordon Harker. The screenplay was written by Saville with Miles Malleson and Frank Launder, ...

'' (1930) as Woman at Cafe Table (uncredited) *'' Alf's Button'' (1930) as Bit Part (uncredited) *''

A Warm Corner ''A Warm Corner'' is a 1930 British comedy film directed by Victor Saville and starring Leslie Henson, Heather Thatcher and Austin Melford. The film's sets were designed by Walter Murton. It was based on a successful play by Franz Arnold and E ...

'' (1930) as Bit Part (uncredited) *'' Never Trouble Trouble'' (1931) as Bit Part (uncredited) *'' Fascination'' (1931) as Flower Seller (uncredited) *'' Service for Ladies'' (1932) as Minor Role (uncredited) *''

Ebb Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tabl ...

'' (1932) as Girl (uncredited) *''

Aren't We All? ''Aren't We All?'' is a comic play by Frederick Lonsdale. At the core of the drawing room comedy's slim plot is the Hon. William Tatham who, having been consigned to the proverbial doghouse for a romantic indiscretion, is determined to catch hi ...

'' (1932) as Bit Part (uncredited) *''

Wedding Rehearsal ''Wedding Rehearsal'' is a 1932 British romantic comedy film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Roland Young as a bachelor forced to seek a wife. Plot "Reggie", the carefree Marquis of Buckminster, is happy to serve as best man at his ...

'' (1932) as Miss Hutchinson *'' Men of Tomorrow'' (1932) as Ysobel d'Aunay *'' For the Love of Mike'' (1932) as Bit Part (uncredited) *'' Strange Evidence'' (1933) as Bit Part (uncredited) *''

'' (1933) as Anne Boleyn - The Second Wife *'' The Battle'' (1934) as Marquise Yorisaka *'' The Broken Melody'' (1934) as Germaine Brissard *''

The Private Life of Don Juan ''The Private Life of Don Juan'' is a 1934 British comedy-drama film directed by Alexander Korda and starring Douglas Fairbanks, Merle Oberon and Benita Hume. At the age of 51, it was the final role of Fairbanks, who died five years later. Th ...

'' (1934) as Antonita, a Dancer of Passionate Temperament *''

'' (1934) as Lady Blakeney *''

Folies Bergère de Paris ''Folies Bergère de Paris'' is a 1935 American musical comedy film produced by Darryl Zanuck for 20th Century Films, directed by Roy Del Ruth and starring Maurice Chevalier, Merle Oberon and Ann Southern. At the 8th Academy Awards, the “Str ...

'' (1935) as Baroness Genevieve Cassini *'' The Dark Angel'' (1935) as Kitty Vane (Academy Award nomination for Best Actress) *'' These Three'' (1936) as Karen Wright *''

Beloved Enemy ''Beloved Enemy'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Merle Oberon, Brian Aherne, and David Niven. It was loosely based on the life of Michael Collins. Plot During the Irish War of Independence in 1921, Irish ...

'' (1936) as Lady Helen Drummond *''

'' (1937, unfinished) as Messalina *''

The Divorce of Lady X ''The Divorce of Lady X'' is a 1938 British Technicolor romantic comedy film produced by London Films; it stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes. It was directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alexander Kord ...

'' (1938) as Leslie *'' The Cowboy and the Lady'' (1938) as Mary Smith *'' Over the Moon'' (1939) as Jane Benson *''

'' (1939) as Cathy *''

The Lion Has Wings ''The Lion Has Wings'' is a 1939 British, black-and-white, documentary-style, propaganda war film that was directed by Adrian Brunel, Brian Desmond Hurst, Alexander Korda and Michael Powell. The film was produced by London Film Productions and ...

'' (1939) as Mrs. Richardson *'' 'Til We Meet Again'' (1940) as Joan Ames *'' That Uncertain Feeling'' (1941) as Jill Baker *''

Affectionately Yours ''Affectionately Yours'' is a 1941 American romantic comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Merle Oberon, Dennis Morgan, and Rita Hayworth. Plot Foreign correspondent Rickey Mayberry (Dennis Morgan) hurriedly flies back from Portu ...

'' (1941) as Sue Mayberry *'' Lydia'' (1941) as Lydia MacMillan *'' Forever and a Day'' (1943) as Marjorie Ismay *''

Stage Door Canteen The Stage Door Canteen was an entertainment venue for American and Allied servicemen that operated in the Broadway theatre district of New York City throughout World War II. Founded by the American Theatre Wing (ATW) in 1942, the entertainers we ...

'' (1943) as Merle Oberon *'' First Comes Courage'' (1943) as Nicole Larsen *'' The Lodger'' (1944) as Kitty Langley *'' Dark Waters'' (1944) as Leslie Calvin *'' A Song to Remember'' (1945) as George Sand *''

This Love of Ours ''This Love of Ours'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by William Dieterle and starring Merle Oberon, Claude Rains, Charles Korvin and Carl Esmond. The film's composer, Hans J. Salter, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original ...

'' (1945) as Karin Touzac *'' Night in Paradise'' (1946) as Delarai *'' Temptation'' (1946) as Ruby *'' Night Song'' (1947) as Cathy *'' Berlin Express'' (1948) as Lucienne *'' Pardon My French'' (1951) as Elizabeth Rockwell *'' Dans la vie tout s'arrange'' (1952, a French version of ''The Lady from Boston'') as Elizabeth Rockwell *'' 24 Hours of a Woman's Life'' (1952) as Linda Venning *'' All Is Possible in Granada'' (1954) as Margaret Faulson *'' Désirée'' (1954) as Empress Josephine *'' Deep in My Heart'' (1954) as Dorothy Donnelly * '' The Price of Fear'' (1956) as Jessica Warren *'' Of Love and Desire'' (1963) as Katherine Beckmann *'' The Oscar'' (1966) as herself *''

Hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

'' (1967) as The Duchess Caroline *'' Interval'' (1973) as Serena Moore (final film role)

Short subjects

* "Screen Snapshots Series 16, No. 4" (1936) * "Hollywood Goes to Town" (1938) * "Assignment: Foreign Legion" (1956/7 TV episodes)

Radio appearances

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* Bowden, Tim. ''The Devil in Tim: Penelope's Travels in Tasmania''. London: Allen & Unwin, 2008. . * Casey, Bob. ''Merle Oberon: Face of Mystery''. Hobart, Tasmania, Australia: Masterpiece@IXL, 2008. . * Higham, Charles and Roy Moseley. ''Princess Merle: The Romantic Life of Merle Oberon''. New York: Coward-McCann Inc., 1983. . * Korda, Michael. ''Another Life: A Memoir of Other People''. New York: Random House, 1999. . * Munn, Michael. ''David Niven: The Man Behind the Balloon''. London: JR Books, 2010. . * Pybus, Cassandra. ''Till Apples Grow on an Orange Tree''. St Lucia, Australia: University of Queensland Press, 1998. .

External links

* * *
Classic Movie Favorites website

Photographs of Merle Oberon and bibliography
* – Note 1917 birthyear on headstone
Merle Oberon in pose for ''The Dark Angel''
in Vanity Fair portrait by

Cecil Beaton Sir Cecil Walter Hardy Beaton, (14 January 1904 – 18 January 1980) was a British fashion, portrait and war photographer, diarist, painter, and interior designer, as well as an Oscar–winning stage and costume designer for films and the t ...

*
''The Trouble With Merle''
(Australian documentary) – investigation of her origins {{DEFAULTSORT:Oberon, Merle Anglo-Indian people British people of Māori descent Indian people of New Zealand descent Sri Lankan people of New Zealand descent English film actresses English people of Sri Lankan descent Actresses from Mumbai Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 1911 births 1979 deaths 20th-century English actresses British people in colonial India Wives of knights