Margaret Rawlings, Lady Barlow (5 June 1906 – 19 May 1996) was an English stage actress, born in

Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of ...

, Japan, daughter of the Rev. George William Rawlings and his wife Lilian (née Boddington) Rawlings.

Personal life/affiliations

She was educated at Oxford High School and Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She first married Gabriel Toyne (marriage dissolved) and then Sir Robert Barlow (knighted 1943) who pre-deceased her. Her entries in ''Who's Who in the Theatre'' record her private address as 10 Duke Street, Adelphi, London WC2 (1936), Flat 12, 72 Westbourne Terrace, London W2 (1939), then finally Rocketer Farm,

Wendover Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...

, Buckinghamshire (from 1947 onwards). She was a co-founder of Equity, serving as a Council member for 30 years and was twice appointed Vice-President, in 1973–74 and 1975–76.

Theatre career

While still at Oxford, Rawlings appeared at the Little Theatre with

John Masefield John Edward Masefield (; 1 June 1878 – 12 May 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Among his best known works are the children's novels ''The Midnight Folk'' and ...

's company. She made her professional debut in March 1927 with The Macdona Players as Jennifer in ''The Doctor's Dilemma'' at

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, and subsequently also played in ''The Philanderer'', ''Arms and the Man'', ''You Never Can Tell'' and ''The Dark Lady of the Sonnets''. She made her London stage debut on 22 January 1928 with the Venturers company as Louise in ''Jordan'' at the Strand Theatre, then toured as Gwen in'' The Fanatics'' and as Jill in ''Chance Acquaintance''. In October 1928 at the Embassy Theatre she played Vivian Mason in ''The Seventh Guest'' and Moya in ''The Shadow'', before touring with Maurice Colbourne and Barry Jones in Shaw repertory to Canada and the United States in 1929–30.

1930s

Roles included: *Nora Tanner in ''The Last Chapter'', New Theatre May 1930 *Minn Lee in the

Edgar Wallace Richard Horatio Edgar Wallace (1 April 1875 – 10 February 1932) was a British writer. Born into poverty as an illegitimate London child, Wallace left school at the age of 12. He joined the army at age 21 and was a war correspondent during th ...

thriller ''On the Spot'', Paris 1930 *Title role in Oscar Wilde's ''Salome'',

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochlai ...

May 1931 *Bianco Capello in ''The Venetian'', Masque Theatre, New York debut, 31 October 1931 *Elizabeth in ''

The Barretts of Wimpole Street ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Kat ...

'' (

Rudolph Besier Rudolf Wilhelm Besier (2 July 1878 – 16 June 1942) was a Dutch/English dramatist and translator best known for his play ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1930). He worked with H. G. Wells, Hugh Walpole and May Edginton on dramatisations. Ear ...

), Criterion, Sydney 23 April 1932; subsequently appearing as Lu in ''The Good Fairy'' and She in ''Happy and Glorious'' *Fabienne in ''I Hate Men'' (Peter Godfrey wrote and directed) co-starring with

Hermione Gingold Hermione Ferdinanda Gingold (; 9 December 189724 May 1987) was an English actress known for her sharp-tongued, eccentric character. Her signature drawling, deep voice was a result of nodules on her vocal cords she developed in the 1920s and e ...

and Gabriel Toyne, Gate Theatre February 1933 *Ricciarda in ''Night's Candles'' (''Lorenzaccio'' by Alfred de Musset) co-starring with Ernest Milton, Shilling Theatre, Fulham May 1933 *Mary Fitton in ''This Side Idolatry'' (Talbot Jennings) co-starring 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 ...

as William Shakespeare, Lyric Theatre October 1933 *Liza Kingdom in ''The Old Folks at Home'' ( H M Harwood wrote and co-directed), Queen's Theatre December 1933 *Josephine in ''Napoleon'' (Alfred Sangster) to Edward Chapman as Bonaparte, Embassy Theatre September 1934 *Jean in ''The Greeks Had a Word for It'' (Zoe Akins), co-starring with

Hermione Hermione may refer to: People * Hermione (given name), a female given name * Hermione (mythology), only daughter of Menelaus and Helen in Greek mythology and original bearer of the name Arts and literature * ''Cadmus et Hermione'', an opera by ...

and

Angela Baddeley Madeleine Angela Clinton-Baddeley, CBE (4 July 1904 – 22 February 1976) was an English stage and television actress, best-remembered for her role as household cook Mrs. Bridges in the period drama '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. Her stage career ...

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 ...

November 1934 *Ann Whitefield in ''Man and Superman'' and Eliza Doolittle in ''Pygmalion'' (Bernard Shaw) for the Macdona Players,

Cambridge Theatre The Cambridge Theatre is a West End theatre, on a corner site in Earlham Street facing Seven Dials, in the London Borough of Camden, built in 1929–30 for Bertie Meyer on an "irregular triangular site". Design and construction It was des ...

August 1935 *Katherine "Kitty" O'Shea in ''Parnell'' (Elsie T Schauffler),

Ethel Barrymore Theatre The Ethel Barrymore Theatre is a Broadway theater at 241 West 47th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1928, it was designed by Herbert J. Krapp in the Elizabethan, Mediterranean, and Adam styles ...

New York November 1935 – 99 performances *Katherine "Kitty" O'Shea in ''Parnell'' (which she had partly rewritten to enable the play to be licensed for London performance), Gate Theatre April 1936 (co-starring with

Wyndham Goldie Frank Wyndham Goldie (5 July 1897 – 26 September 1957) was an English actor. World War I During World War I, Goldie was a lieutenant in the Royal Marine Light Infantry. His elder brother Maurice also held a commission in the same Corps during ...

in the title role); and New Theatre November 1936 *Charmian in ''Antony and Cleopatra'' directed by

Theodore Komisarjevsky Fyodor Fyodorovich Komissarzhevsky (russian: Фёдор Фёдорович Комиссаржевский; 23 May 1882 – 17 April 1954), or Theodore Komisarjevsky, was a Russian, later British, theatrical director and designer. He began his car ...

, New Theatre October 1936 *Lady Macbeth for the OUDS, Oxford February 1937 *Mary Charrington and Lily James in ''Black Limelight'' (Gordon Sherry),

Q Theatre The Q Theatre was a British theatre located near Kew Bridge in Brentford, west London, which operated between 1924 and 1958. It was built on the site of the former Kew Bridge Studios. The theatre, seating 490 in 25 rows with a central aisle, w ...

and

St James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham; it lost money and after three seasons he retired. A succ ...

April 1937 *Helen in ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' ( grc, Τρῳάδες, translit=Trōiades), also translated as ''The Women of Troy'', and also known by its transliterated Greek title ''Troades'', is a tragedy by the Greek playwright Euripides. Produced in 415 BC duri ...

'' (

Euripides Euripides (; grc, Εὐριπίδης, Eurīpídēs, ; ) was a tragedian of classical Athens. Along with Aeschylus and Sophocles, he is one of the three ancient Greek tragedians for whom any plays have survived in full. Some ancient scholars a ...

Gilbert Murray George Gilbert Aimé Murray (2 January 1866 – 20 May 1957) was an Australian-born British classical scholar and public intellectual, with connections in many spheres. He was an outstanding scholar of the language and culture of Ancient Greece ...

) directed by

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson MC (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography ...

Adelphi Theatre The Adelphi Theatre is a West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster, central London. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiv ...

December 1937 *Karen Selby in ''The Flashing Stream'' ( Charles Morgan), Lyric Theatre September 1938; and appeared in the same role at the Biltmore Theatre New York, April 1939 *Eliza Doolittle in ''Pygmalion'' co-starring with

Basil Sydney Basil Sydney (23 April 1894 – 10 January 1968) was an English stage and screen actor. Career Sydney made his name in 1915 in the London stage hit ''Romance'' by Edward Sheldon, with Broadway star Doris Keane, and he costarred with Keane in t ...

as Higgins, Embassy Theatre May 1939; Theatre Royal Haymarket June 1939 *Stephanie Easton in ''You, Of All People'' (Peter Rosser) co-starring with

Leslie Banks Leslie James Banks CBE (9 June 1890 – 21 April 1952) was an English stage and screen actor, director and producer, now best remembered for playing gruff, menacing characters in black-and-white films of the 1930s and 1940s, but also the Chor ...

and

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

, Apollo Theatre, December 1939

1940s

*Verna Mountstephan in ''A House in the Square'' (Diana Morgan), St Martin's Theatre April 1940 *Mrs Dearth in ''Dear Brutus'' (

J M Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

directed by

John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Brit ...

, Globe Theatre January 1941 *Gwendolen in ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' (Wilde), Theatre Royal Haymarket April 1946 *Titania in ''The Fairy Queen'', Covent Garden December 1946 *Vittoria Corombona in ''The White Devil'' (

John Webster John Webster (c. 1580 – c. 1632) was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies '' The White Devil'' and '' The Duchess of Malfi'', which are often seen as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. His life and c ...

Duchess Theatre The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street near Aldwych. The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 sea ...

March 1947 *Marceline in ''The Unquiet Spirit'' (Jean-Jacques Bernard),

Arts Theatre The Arts Theatre is a theatre in Great Newport Street, in Westminster, Central London. History It opened on 20 April 1927 as a members-only club for the performance of unlicensed plays, thus avoiding theatre censorship by the Lord Chamber ...

February 1949 *Germaine in ''A Woman in Love'' (adapted and directed by

Michael Redgrave Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Mourning Becomes Elec ...

), Embassy Theatre April 1949

1950s

*The Countess in ''The Purple Fig Tree'' (George Ralli),

Piccadilly Theatre The Piccadilly Theatre is a West End theatre located at 16 Denman Street, behind Piccadilly Circus and adjacent to the Regent Palace Hotel, in the City of Westminster, London, England. Early years Built by Bertie Crewe and Edward A. Stone ...

February 1950 *Lady Macbeth to the Macbeth of Alec Clunes, who also directed, Arts Theatre June 1950 *Anna Sergievna in ''Spring at Marino'' (Constance Cox) directed by John Fernald, Arts Theatre February 1951 *Zabrina in ''Tamburlaine the Great'' (Christopher Marlowe) co-starring with

Donald Wolfit Sir Donald Wolfit, KBE (born Donald Woolfitt; Harwood, Ronald"Wolfit, Sir Donald (1902–1968)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, September 2004; online edn, January 2008; accessed 14 July 2009 20 April 1902 ...

in the title role and directed by

Tyrone Guthrie Sir William Tyrone Guthrie (2 July 1900 – 15 May 1971) was an English theatrical director instrumental in the founding of the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre at h ...

, Old Vic September 1951 *Lysistrata in ''The Apple Cart'' (Bernard Shaw) co-starring with Noël Coward as King Magnus, Theatre Royal Haymarket, May 1953 *The Countess in ''The Dark is Light Enough'' (

Christopher Fry Christopher Fry (18 December 1907 – 30 June 2005) was an English poet and playwright. He is best known for his verse dramas, especially ''The Lady's Not for Burning'', which made him a major force in theatre in the 1940s and 1950s. Biograph ...

directed by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Sha ...

, touring Arts Theatre, Salisbury and Windsor 1955 *Mistress Ford in ''The Merry Wives of Windsor'' and Paulina in ''The Winter's Tale'' (to Paul Rogers' Falstaff and Leontes), Old Vic 1955–56 season *Title role in ''Phedre'' (Jean Racine), Theatre-in-the-Round November 1957 and tour

1960s

*Title role in ''Sappho'',

Edinburgh Festival __NOTOC__ This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...

August 1961 *Alex Bliss in ''Ask Me No More'', Theatre Royal Windsor May 1962 *Title role in '' Phedre'' (also translated) Arts Cambridge May 1963 *Ella Rentheim in ''

John Gabriel Borkman ''John Gabriel Borkman'' is a 1896 play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It was his penultimate work. Plot The Borkman family fortunes have been brought low by the imprisonment of John Gabriel who used his position as a bank manager to ...

'' ( Ibsen), Duchess Theatre, December 1963 *Jocasta in ''

Oedipus the King ''Oedipus Rex'', also known by its Greek title, ''Oedipus Tyrannus'' ( grc, Οἰδίπους Τύραννος, ), or ''Oedipus the King'', is an Athenian tragedy by Sophocles that was first performed around 429 BC. Originally, to the ancient Gr ...

'', Nottingham Playhouse November 1964 *Gertrude in ''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

'',

Ludlow Ludlow () is a market town in Shropshire, England. The town is significant in the history of the Welsh Marches and in relation to Wales. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road which bypasses the town. The ...

Festival July 1965 *Usula Maria Torpe in ''Torpe's Hotel'',

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, it presents a series of locally produced and national touring productions, including opera, ballet and pantomime. The theatre ...

Guildford October 1965 *Mrs Bridgenorth in '' Getting Married'' (Bernard Shaw) directed by Frank Dunlop, Strand Theatre April 1967 *Carlotta in '' A Song at Twilight'' (Noël Coward) ? 1968

1970s

*Giza in ''Catsplay'', Greenwich Theatre October 1973 *Appeared in ''Mixed Economy'', King's Head 1977 *''Empress Eugenie'' in a solo touring performance,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...

Festival July 1978; May Fair Theatre and

Vaudeville Theatre The Vaudeville Theatre is a West End theatre on the Strand in the City of Westminster. As the name suggests, the theatre held mostly vaudeville shows and musical revues in its early days. It opened in 1870 and was rebuilt twice, although each ...

February 1979; Yvonne Arnaud Theatre July 1979; and the Dublin Festival, October 1979

Films/television

Films

*''

The Way of Lost Souls ''The Way of Lost Souls'' is a 1929 British drama film directed by Paul Czinner and starring Pola Negri, Warwick Ward and Hans Rehmann. It is also known by the alternative title ''The Woman He Scorned''. Location shooting was done in the far ...

'' (1929) – Woman *''

Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...

'' (1953) – Countess Vereberg *''

Beautiful Stranger "Beautiful Stranger" is a song by American singer and songwriter Madonna. It was released on May 19, 1999, by Maverick and Warner Bros. Records as a single from the soundtrack of the film, '' Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me''. Madonna ...

'' (1954) – Marie Galt *'' No Road Back'' (1957) – Mrs. Railton *''

Hands of the Ripper ''Hands of the Ripper'' is a 1971 British horror film, directed by Peter Sasdy for Hammer Film Productions. It was written by L. W. Davidson from a story by Edward Spencer Shew, and produced by Aida Young. The film was released in the U.S. as a ...

'' (1971) – Madame Bullard *'' Follow Me!'' (1972) – Mrs. Sidley *''Jekyll & Hyde'' (1990) – Jekyll's Mother (final film role)

Television

* ''

The Plane Makers ''The Plane Makers'' is a British television series created by Wilfred Greatorex and produced by Rex Firkin. ATV made three series for ITV between 1963 and 1965. It was succeeded by ''The Power Game'', which ran for an additional three s ...

'' (1964) – Marion Brown * ''

Wives and Daughters ''Wives and Daughters, An Every-Day Story'' is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the ''Cornhill Magazine'' as a serial from August 1864 to January 1866. It was partly written whilst Gaskell was staying with the salon hostess M ...

'' (1971) – Mrs. Hamley

References

*''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 8th to 17th edition (1933 to 1981)

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rawlings, Margaret 1906 births 1996 deaths English film actresses English radio actresses English stage actresses English television actresses People educated at Oxford High School, England Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford 20th-century English actresses British expatriates in Japan