Everley Gregg (26 October 1903, in

Bishopstoke Bishopstoke, a village recorded in the Domesday Book, is a civil parish in the borough of Eastleigh in Hampshire, England. Bishopstoke was also mentioned when King Alfred the Great's grandson King Eadred, granted land at "Stohes" to Thegn Aelfr ...

, Hampshire – 9 June 1959, in

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, west-northwest of central London and south-southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High W ...

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-e ...

) was an English actress. Early in her career, she became associated especially with plays of

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 ...

. She began making films in the 1930s and added television roles in her last decade; she acted until her last year.

Life and career

Gregg was the daughter of Richard Russell Gregg and his wife Gertrude Everley, ''née'' Pope. She was educated at Badminton School, Bristol, and 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 ...

.Parker, pp. 710–711 She made her professional stage debut as the maid in

's '' Easy Virtue'' at the

Duke of York's Theatre The Duke of York's Theatre is a West End theatre in St Martin's Lane, in the City of Westminster, London. It was built for Frank Wyatt and his wife, Violet Melnotte, who retained ownership of the theatre until her death in 1935. Designed by th ...

, London. Engagements in minor parts followed in ''The Constant Nymph,'' tours in ''Easy Virtue'' and ''Hit the Deck,'' and a repertory season at the Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham. In the West End in 1929, she succeeded Phyllis Konstam as Val Power in ''The Matriarch''. Her association with the plays of Coward was renewed at the Phoenix Theatre in September 1930 when she played Louise in '' Private Lives''. Her West End roles in the early 1930s were Mrs. Agnew in ''Five Farthings'' (1931), the telephone girl in '' Grand Hotel'' (1931), Georgina in ''Stepdaughters of War,'' Ruth in ''Dance With No Music'' (1932), Mrs. Gilbard in ''

Behold, We Live ''Behold, We Live'' is a 1932 play by the British writer John Van Druten. It had an original West End run of 158 performances at St James's Theatre in London between 18 August and 31 December 1932. It was produced by Gilbert Miller. The cast inclu ...

'' (1933), Susanne in ''Love For Sale'', and Miss Goslett in Coward's '' Conversation Piece'' (1934). In January 1935, Gregg made her first appearance on the New York stage at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre as Hilda James in Coward's '' Point Valaine''. After returning to London, she played seven parts in Coward's ''

Tonight at 8.30 ''Tonight at 8.30'' is a cycle of ten one-act plays by Noël Coward, presented in London in 1936 and in New York in 1936–1937, with the author and Gertrude Lawrence in the leading roles. The plays are mostly comedies, but three, '' The Astoni ...

'' cycle of short plays. Later roles included Miss Prism in ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

,'' Freda Caplan in '' Dangerous Corner'', and Grace Torrence in Coward's ''

Design for Living ''Design for Living'' is a comedy play written by Noël Coward in 1932. It concerns a trio of artistic characters, Gilda, Otto and Leo, and their complicated three-way relationship. Originally written to star Lynn Fontanne, Alfred Lunt and Cowa ...

''. Gregg made her film debut in the 1933 film '' The Private Life of Henry VIII'' as

Catherine Parr Catherine Parr (sometimes alternatively spelled Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn, or Katharine; 1512 – 5 September 1548) was Queen of England and Ireland as the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII from their marriage on 12 July 1543 until ...

, Henry's last wife. A small part as a nurse in

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter and editor. Widely considered one of the most important figures in British cinema, Lean directed the large-scale epics ''The Bridge on the River ...

's 1942 film ''

In Which We Serve ''In Which We Serve'' is a 1942 British patriotic war film directed by Noël Coward and David Lean. It was made during the Second World War with the assistance of the Ministry of Information (United Kingdom), Ministry of Information. The scree ...

'' was followed by a more substantial role in Lean's ''

Brief Encounter ''Brief Encounter'' is a 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean from a screenplay by Noël Coward, based on his 1936 one-act play ''Still Life''. Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, and Joyce Carey, ...

'' (1945) as "Dolly Messiter", the "gossiping acquaintance" of Laura Jesson, played by

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 which Gregg had appeared in the earlier stage version of the piece ''

Still Life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or man-made (drinking glasses, bo ...

'' in ''Tonight at 8.30''. In the 1950s Gregg appeared on BBC television in a range of productions from a dramatisation of '' Tess of the D'Urbervilles'' in 1952 (as Mrs Durbeyfield) to mysteries such as ''My Guess Would be Murder'' (1957), comedies including ''Haul for the Shore'' (1956), historical drama such as ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1955), and contemporary drama including ''Let us be True'' (1953)."Everley Gregg"
BBC Genome. Retrieved 30 January 2019 Gregg's marriage to David Homan was dissolved.

Filmography

In addition to her stage and television roles, Gregg appeared in more than fifty films: *'' The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933) – Katherine Parr *'' The Scoundrel'' (1935) – Mildred Langweiler *'' The Ghost Goes West'' (1935) – Mrs Gladys Martin *'' Thunder in the City'' (1937) – Millie *'' I, Claudius'' (1937; unfinished film) – Domita, Messalina's mother *'' Pygmalion'' (1938) – Mrs Eynsford Hill *'' Blondes for Danger'' (1938) – Hetty Hopper *''

Spies of the Air ''Spies of the Air'' (also known as ''Spies in the Air'' and ''The Fifth Column'') is a 1939 British adventure film directed by David MacDonald and based on the play ''Official Secret'' by Jeffrey Dell. The film stars Barry K. Barnes, Roger Liv ...

'' (1940) – Mrs Madison *'' Freedom Radio'' (1941) – Maria Tattenheim *'' Uncensored'' (1942) – (uncredited) *''

'' (1942) – nurse *''

The Gentle Sex ''The Gentle Sex'' is a 1943 British black-and-white romantic comedy-drama war film, directed and narrated by Leslie Howard. It was produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities Films, and Derrick de Marney. ''The Gentle Sex'' was Howard's l ...

'' (1943) – Miss Simpson *''

The Demi-Paradise ''The Demi-Paradise'' (also known as ''Adventure for Two'') is a 1943 British comedy film made by Two Cities Films. It stars Laurence Olivier as a Soviet Russian inventor who travels to England to have his revolutionary propeller manufactured, a ...

'' (1943) – Mrs Flannel *''

Two Fathers "Two Fathers" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season and the 128th episode overall of the science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. The episode first aired in the United States and Canada on February 7, 1999, on the Fox Network and ...

'' (1944, Short) – cast member *''

'' (1945) – Dolly Messiter *''

Gaiety George ''Gaiety George'' is a 1946 British historical musical film directed by George King and Leontine Sagan and starring Richard Greene, Ann Todd and Peter Graves.Harper p.179 It is set in the late Victorian music hall, when an Irish impresario arri ...

'' (1946) – Landlady (uncredited) *'' I See a Dark Stranger'' (1946) – first woman in train *''

Great Expectations ''Great Expectations'' is the thirteenth novel by Charles Dickens and his penultimate completed novel. It depicts the education of an orphan nicknamed Pip (Great Expectations), Pip (the book is a ''bildungsroman''; a coming-of-age story). It ...

'' (1946) – Sara Pocket *'' The Woman in the Hall'' (1947) – Lady Cloy *'' The Huggetts Abroad'' (1949) – Miss Phipps *'' Marry Me!'' (1949) – Miss Pilby (uncredited) *'' Madeleine'' (1950) – Madame Paroni *'' The Astonished Heart'' (1950) – Miss Harper *''

Stage Fright Stage fright or performance anxiety is the anxiety, fear, or persistent phobia which may be aroused in an individual by the requirement to perform in front of an audience, real or imagined, whether actually or potentially (for example, when perf ...

'' (1950) – Charlotte's Dressmaker (uncredited) *''

The Woman in Question ''The Woman in Question'' (released in the United States as ''Five Angles on Murder'') is a 1950 British Murder-mystery film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Jean Kent, Dirk Bogarde and John McCallum. After a woman is murdered, the com ...

'' (1950) – first woman customer *'' The Franchise Affair'' (1951) – Mrs Jarrett *''

Worm's Eye View ''Worm's Eye View'' is a 1951 British Technicolor comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Ronald Shiner as Sam Porter and Diana Dors as Thelma. Based on the successful play of the same name by R.F. Delderfield, it was produced by He ...

'' (1951) – Mrs Bounty *''

The Magic Box ''The Magic Box'' is a 1951 British Technicolor biographical drama film directed by John Boulting. The film stars Robert Donat as William Friese-Greene, with numerous cameo appearances by performers such as Peter Ustinov and Laurence Olivier. ...

'' (1951) – bridegroom's mother in wedding group *''

High Treason Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplo ...

'' (1951) – Mrs. Finch-Harvey - Music Club Member (uncredited) *''

Stolen Face ''Stolen Face'' is a 1952 British film noir directed by Terence Fisher and starring Paul Henreid, Lizabeth Scott and André Morell. It was made at Riverside Studios by Hammer Film Productions. Plot Dr. Philip Ritter, a plastic surgeon (Paul He ...

'' (1952) – Lady Harringay *''

Moulin Rouge Moulin Rouge (, ; ) is a cabaret in Paris, on Boulevard de Clichy, at Place Blanche, the intersection of, and terminus of Rue Blanche. In 1889, the Moulin Rouge was co-founded by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Ol ...

'' (1952) – Disgusted Woman at Salon (uncredited) *''The Promise'' (1952) *'' A Spot of Bother'' (1952, Short) *'' Personal Affair'' (1953) – Mrs Welsh (uncredited) *''

Father Brown Father Brown is a fictional Roman Catholic priest and amateur detective who is featured in 53 short stories published between 1910 and 1936 written by English author G. K. Chesterton. Father Brown solves mysteries and crimes using his intui ...

'' (1954) – governess *''The Night of the Full Moon'' (1954) – Mrs Jeans *''

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' (1956) – Viscountess *'' The Man Who Never Was'' (1956) – club matron (uncredited) *'' The Hostage'' (1956) – Mrs Barnes *'' Brothers in Law'' (1957) – Mrs Barber *'' Carry on Admiral'' (1957) – Housekeeper (uncredited) *'' Bachelor of Hearts'' (1958) – Lady Don *'' Room at the Top'' (1959) – mayoress (uncredited) *''

Deadly Record ''Deadly Record'' is a 1959 'B' feature British crime drama directed by Lawrence Huntington, and based on a novel by Nina Warner Hooke. It aired in the US as part of the ''Kraft Mystery Theatre''. ''Plot'': When airline pilot Trevor Hamilton's w ...

'' (1959) – Mrs Mac *'' Danger List'' (1959, Short) – neighbour (final film role) ::Source:

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

."Everley Gregg"
British Film Institute. Retrieved 30 January 2019

References

Sources

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregg, Everley 1903 births 1959 deaths English film actresses People from Beaconsfield 20th-century English actresses People from Bishopstoke