Chili Bouchier (born Dorothy Irene Boucher; 12 September 1909 – 9 September 1999) was an English film actress who achieved success during the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progressing to theatre later in her career.

Career

Dorothy Irene Boucher was the daughter of an assessor for a painting and decorating firm. As a child, her initial ambition was to be a dancer and she enrolled at a ballet school. She made her first appearance as a child dancer at a charity performance. She became a typist on leaving school and later a model at

Harrods Harrods is a Listed building, Grade II listed luxury department store on Brompton Road in Knightsbridge, London, England. It was designed by C. W. Stephens for Charles Digby Harrod, and opened in 1905; it replaced the first store on the ground ...

, where her brother worked. Her first appearance was as a bathing belle in '' Shooting Stars''. Bouchier won a contest run by the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

'' in 1927 to become a film star. In 1928, she appeared in a short film made in the DeForest

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. In 1919 and 1920, de Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film process, DeForest Phonofi ...

sound-on-film process, ''Ain't She Sweet'', with Dick Henderson. She was known as Britain's "

It girl An "it girl" is an attractive, well-known young woman who is perceived to have both sex appeal and a personality that is especially engaging. The expression ''it girl'' originated in British upper-class society around the turn of the 20th&nbs ...

", and the answer to

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, who was famous for the tag. She achieved success in the 1930s with the films ''

Carnival Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras. Carnival typi ...

'' (1931), directed by

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...

and ''

Gypsy {{Infobox ethnic group , group = Romani people , image = , image_caption = , flag = Roma flag.svg , flag_caption = Romani flag created in 1933 and accepted at the 1971 World Romani Congress , po ...

'' (1937). The latter was made by the British arm of

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

Teddington Studios Teddington Studios was a large British television studio in Teddington, London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, providing studio facilities for programmes airing on the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, Sky One and others. The complex also prov ...

, but, like a number of her films, is considered to be lost. She also played the supporting role of

Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...

in '' The Ghost Goes West'', starring

Robert Donat Friedrich Robert Donat ( ; 18 March 1905 – 9 June 1958) was an English actor. Making his breakthrough film role in Alexander Korda's ''The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933), today he is best remembered for his roles in ''The Count of Monte C ...

. During this period, she was brought over to Warner Brothers in Hollywood but broke her contract after being kept hanging around. This reportedly caused her to be blackballed and unable to make another film. Hollywood film producer and business magnate

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American Aerospace engineering, aerospace engineer, business magnate, film producer, and investor. He was The World's Billionaires, one of the richest and most influential peo ...

proposed to her, but Bouchier's great love was the bandleader Teddy Joyce, to whom she was engaged before his premature death. Despite this setback, she continued to appear in British films until 1960, albeit often in supporting roles in B-movies. Among her later films were '' Murder in Reverse?'' (1945), a successful thriller starring

William Hartnell William Henry Hartnell (; 8 January 1908 – 23 April 1975) was an English actor, who is best known for portraying the first incarnation of the Doctor, in the long-running British science-fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' from 1963 t ...

, and '' Old Mother Riley's New Venture'' (1949), part of the successful series of Old Mother Riley comedy films. Bouchier combined her film career with a great deal of stage work in the UK. From 1950, onwards most of her appearances were on stage in dramas, comedies and revues, where she continued to work until well into her eighties.

Personal life

In September 1929, she married the actor Harry Milton (1900-1965) whom she had met on set while filming ''Chick''. The marriage was dissolved in 1937.Papers of Chili Bouchier: Women's Library Archives
archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Accessed 20 November 2022. He had been unfaithful to her with the actress Jessie Matthews. Bouchier married another actor, 23 year-old Peter De Greef, in 1946, in

Kensington Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...

, London. Prior to their marriage, they acted together in the play ''The Man Who Wrote Murder'' in February 1945, according to a newspaper clipping. They separated a few months later, and the marriage was finally dissolved in 1955. Her last marriage was to the Australian film director Bluey Hill, who she met when they were both residents of

Dolphin Square Dolphin Square is an estate of private flats with some ground floor business units near the River Thames in Pimlico, Westminster, London built between 1935 and 1937. Until the building of Highbury Square, it was the most developed garden squar ...

Pimlico Pimlico () is a district in Central London, in the City of Westminster, built as a southern extension to neighbouring Belgravia. It is known for its garden squares and distinctive Regency architecture. Pimlico is demarcated to the north by Lon ...

. They lived together for 23 years before marrying on 1 April 1977. He predeceased her, dying in 1986.

Later years

In 1996, Bouchier published her autobiography, ''Shooting Star'', and received some media attention: she was a guest on the

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

series ''

Desert Island Discs ''Desert Island Discs'' is a radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4. It was first broadcast on the BBC Forces Programme on 29 January 1942. Each week a guest, called a " castaway" during the programme, is asked to choose eight audio recordin ...

'' in January, and was the subject of '' This Is Your Life'' in February, when she was surprised by

Michael Aspel Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television presenter and newsreader. He hosted programmes such as '' Crackerjack!'', '' Ask Aspel'', ''Aspel & Company'', '' Give Us a Clue'', '' This Is Your Life'', '' Strange ...

at a book signing session at

. Featured guests were Patricia Roc, Sian Phillips, Peggy Mount, Avril Angers,

Lionel Blair Lionel Blair (born Henry Lionel Ogus; 12 December 1928 – 4 November 2021) was a Canadian-born British actor, choreographer, tap dancer, and television presenter. From the late 1960s until the early 1980s, he made regular appearances as a danc ...

, Mary Millar,

Dorothy Tutin Dame Dorothy Tutin (8 April 19306 August 2001) was an English actress of stage, film and television. For her work in the theatre, she won two Olivier Awards and two ''Evening Standard'' Awards for Best Actress. She was made a CBE in 1967 and a ...

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr. (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer, and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best-known for starring in such films as '' The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939), ...

, Leslie Ash and

Petula Clark Sally "Petula" Clark (born 15 November 1932) is a British singer, actress, and songwriter. She started her professional career as a child actor, child performer and has had the longest career of any British entertainer, spanning more than 85 y ...

Death

Bouchier died three days short of her ninetieth birthday in her ground floor flat in

Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also ) is an area in London, England, and is located in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. Oxford Street forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropo ...

, London, following a serious fall. Her agent, Vincent Shaw, said of her after her death, "She was one of the last of the great pre-war beauties - a fabulous trouper and a lovely lady." Author Michael Thornton, a close friend, said: "Her life was a rollercoaster. She had known great wealth and acclaim, but sadly died alone in virtual poverty in a tiny council flat supported financially by theatrical charities. John Paul Getty was marvellous to her, and always had a crate of champagne delivered to her flat on every birthday. He will be sad to hear of her death."

Selected filmography

* '' Mumsie'' (1927) * '' A Woman in Pawn'' (1927) - Elaine * '' Shooting Stars'' (1927) - Winnie - Bathing Beauty * ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the diffuse sky radiation, appearance of indirect sunlight being Rayleigh scattering, scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc ha ...

'' (1928) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Maria Marten'' (1928) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Palais de danse'' (1928) - No. 2 * '' Chick'' (1928) - Minnie Jarvis * '' You Know What Sailors Are'' (1928) - The Spanish Captain's Daughter * '' The Silver King'' (1929) - Olive Skinner * '' Downstream'' (1929) - Lena * '' City of Play'' (1929) - Ariel * '' Warned Off'' (1930) - Florrie Greville * '' Kissing Cup's Race'' (1930) - Gabrielle * '' Enter the Queen'' (1930, Short) - Marjorie Manners * '' Call of the Sea'' (1930) - Poquita * ''

Brown Sugar Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...

'' (1931) - Ninon de Veaux * ''

'' (1931) - Simonetta Steno * '' The Blue Danube'' (1932) - Yutka * ''

Ebb Tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, 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 ...

'' (1932) - Cassie * '' The King's Cup'' (1933) - Betty Conway * ''

Summer Lightning ''Summer Lightning'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse, first published in the United States on 1 July 1929 by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, Doran, New York, under the title ''Fish Preferred'', and in the United Kingdom on 19 July 1929 by Her ...

'' (1933) - Sue Brown * ''

Purse Strings ''Purse Strings'' is a 1933 British drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified w ...

'' (1933) - Mary Willmore * ''

It's a Cop ''It's a Cop'' is a 1934 Cinema of the United Kingdom, British police-themed comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Sydney Howard, Chili Bouchier and Garry Marsh. It was made at British and Dominions Imperial Studios, British and Do ...

'' (1934) - Babette * '' To Be a Lady'' (1934) - Diana Whitcombe * '' The Office Wife'' (1934, Short) - Linda * '' Death Drives Through'' (1935) - Kay Lord * ''

Royal Cavalcade ''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and M ...

'' (1935) - Landgirl * '' The Mad Hatters'' (1935) - Vicki * '' Honours Easy'' (1935) - Kate * '' Lucky Days'' (1935) - Patsy Cartwright * '' Get Off My Foot'' (1935) - Marie * ''

Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk ''Mr. Cohen Takes a Walk'', also known as ''Father Takes a Walk'', is a 1935 British comedy film directed by William Beaudine, starring Paul Graetz, Violet Farebrother, and Chili Bouchier, and based on a novel by Mary Roberts Rinehart. This ...

'' (1935) - Julia Levine * '' The Ghost Goes West'' (1935) - Cleopatra * ''

Faithful Faithful may refer to: Film and television * ''Faithful'' (1910 film), an American comedy short directed by D. W. Griffith * ''Faithful'' (1936 film), a British musical drama directed by Paul L. Stein * ''Faithful'' (1996 film), an American cr ...

'' (1936) - Pamela Carson * '' Where's Sally?'' (1936) - Sonia * '' Southern Roses'' (1936) - Estrella Estrello * ''

'' (1937) - Hassina * '' Mayfair Melody'' (1937) - Carmen * '' The Minstrel Boy'' (1937) - Dee Dawn * '' Change for a Sovereign'' (1937) - Countess Rita * '' The Singing Cop'' (1938) - Kit Fitzwillow * '' The Dark Stairway'' (1938) - Betty Trimmer * '' Mr. Satan'' (1938) - Jacqueline Manet * '' The Return of Carol Deane'' (1938) - Anne Dempster * '' Everything Happens to Me'' (1938) - Sally Green * '' The Mind of Mr. Reeder'' (1939) - Elsa Weford * '' My Wife's Family'' (1941) - Rosa Latour * '' Facing the Music'' (1941) - Anna Braun * '' Murder in Reverse?'' (1945) - Doris Masterick * '' The Laughing Lady'' (1946) - Louise * '' Mrs. Fitzherbert'' (1947) - Norris * '' The Case of Charles Peace'' (1949) - Katherine Dyson * '' Old Mother Riley's New Venture'' (1949) - Cora * '' Blueprint for Danger'' (1952) - Babs * '' The Counterfeit Plan'' (1957) - Gerta - Housekeeper * '' The Boy and the Bridge'' (1959) - Publican's Wife * '' Dead Lucky'' (1960) - Mrs. Winston (final film role)

References

External links

* * *The archives of Chili Bouchier are held at

The Women's Library The Women's Library is England's main library and museum resource on women and the women's movement, concentrating on Britain in the 19th and 20th centuries. It has an institutional history as a coherent collection dating back to the mid-1920s, ...

at th
Library of the London School of Economics
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bouchier, Chili 1909 births 1999 deaths English film actresses English silent film actresses Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses English stage actresses Actors from the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham People from Fulham People from Marylebone