Margaret Ann Barton (born 27 May 1926) is a British retired actress. She is best known for her role in the 1945

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 ...

film ''

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, ...

'' in which she played Beryl Walters, a girl who works in the railway station cafe.

Early career

Barton began acting in the theatre at the age of 12. Because she was small for her age, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

she portrayed children and young women. At 17 she appeared in ''

Pink String and Sealing Wax ''Pink String and Sealing Wax'' is a 1945 British drama film directed by Robert Hamer and starring Mervyn Johns. It is based on a play with the same name by Roland Pertwee. It was the first feature film Robert Hamer directed on his own. The ti ...

'' 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 ...

and remembered performing while doodlebugs flew overhead. While on the West End stage she was spotted by David Lean and

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 ...

and cast for the part of Beryl in ''Brief Encounter''. Her scenes were shot at

Denham Film Studios Denham Film Studios was a British film production studio operating from 1936 to 1952, founded by Alexander Korda. Notable films made at Denham include ''Brief Encounter'' and David Lean's ''Great Expectations''. From the 1950s to the 1970s th ...

and for other scenes she was invited by Lean to watch from behind the camera.

Postwar

After the war, Barton continued acting on stage, in film, and for television. She married Raymond James; their son, Michael, died of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

at the age of 30, and his parents set up the Michael James Music Trust in his memory. Raymond James died in 2016, aged 93. Barton lives in

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

, where she runs a tea room, and still receives many letters relating to ''Brief Encounter''. On 30 August 2018, aged 92, she married Rob Cave, aged 91, in Wimborne. Their combined age of 183 was believed to make them Britain's oldest newlyweds.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1926 births Living people English film actresses Actresses from London People from Finsbury Park {{UK-film-actor-stub