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 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 perpetu ...

'' and Elizabeth Bennet in the 1935

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

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 Anna Raymond Massey (11 August 19373 July 2011) was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel ''Hotel du Lac'', a role that one of her co-stars, Julia McKenzie, h ...

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 Salford to the west. The ...

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 Senat ...

, 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 Repertory Company in 1911 and in the First World War, after organising unof ...

, 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 called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

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 ''The Rat Trap'' (1918) is a four-act drama by Noël Coward, written when he was 18, but not staged until he was 26, by which time he was well known as a rising playwright, after the success of ''The Vortex''. The play depicts the clash of egos ...

''. Her first West End 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 Anna may refer to: People Surname and given name * Anna (name) Mononym * Anna the Prophetess, in the Gospel of Luke * Anna (wife of Artabasdos) (fl. 715–773) * Anna (daughter of Boris I) (9th–10th century) * Anna (Anisia) (fl. 1218 to 1221) ...

, 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 ''The Shining Hour'' is a 1938 American romantic drama film directed by Frank Borzage, based on the 1934 play '' The Shining Hour'' by Keith Winter, and starring Joan Crawford and Margaret Sullavan. The supporting cast of the MGM film features ...

'', and in several films, most notably ''

Merrily We Go to Hell ''Merrily We Go to Hell'' is a 1932 pre-Code film directed by Dorothy Arzner, and starring Fredric March and Sylvia Sidney. Its title is an example of the sensationalistic titles that were common in the pre-Code era. Many newspapers refused to pu ...

''. 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 Wan ...

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

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

, 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 approxima ...

, 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 * ''

'' (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 circu ...

* '' Flare Path'' (1942) as Doris, Countess Skriczevinsky * ''Love for Love'' (1947) as Mrs. Frail * '' Edward, My Son'' (1948) as Evelyn Holt * '' Someone Waiting'' (1953) as Vera * '' The Reluctant Debutante'' (1956) as Sheila Broadbent

Filmography

* '' Loose Ends'' (1930) * ''

The Stronger Sex ''The Stronger Sex'' is a 1931 British drama film directed by Gareth Gundrey and starring Colin Clive, Adrianne Allen and Gordon Harker. It was made by Gainsborough Pictures and shot at the company's Islington Studios in London.Wood p.70 Synop ...

'' (1931) *'' The Woman Between'' (1931) * '' Black Coffee'' (1931) * ''

'' (1932) * ''

The Night of June 13 ''The Night of June 13'' is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Stephen Roberts. The film stars Clive Brook, Frances Dee, Charlie Ruggles, Gene Raymond, Lila Lee, Mary Boland and Adrianne Allen. The film was released on September 23 ...

'' (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 earlier ...

'' (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 ...

'' (1948) * '' Vote for Huggett'' (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 Compto ...

'' (1953) * ''

Meet Mr. Malcolm ''Meet Mr. Malcolm'' is a 1954 British crime film directed by Daniel Birt and starring Adrianne Allen, Sarah Lawson (actress), Sarah Lawson and Meredith Edwards (actor), Meredith Edwards. It was made at Kensington Studios as a second feature. Sy ...

'' (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