Elsa Sullivan Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986) was a British-American actress with a long career in theatre, film and television.Obituary '' Variety'', 31 December 1986. Lanchester studied dance as a child and after the First World War began performing in theatre and cabaret, where she established her career over the following decade. She met the actor

Charles Laughton Charles Laughton (1 July 1899 – 15 December 1962) was a British actor. He was trained in London at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and first appeared professionally on the stage in 1926. In 1927, he was cast in a play with his future w ...

in 1927, and they were married two years later. She began playing small roles in British films, including the role of Anne of Cleves with Laughton in '' The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933). Her success in American films resulted in the couple moving to Hollywood, where Lanchester played small film roles. Her role as the title character in '' Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935) brought her recognition. She played supporting roles through the 1940s and 1950s. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for '' Come to the Stable'' (1949) and ''

Witness for the Prosecution In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

'' (1957), the last of twelve films in which she appeared with Laughton. Following Laughton's death in 1962, Lanchester resumed her career with appearances in such Disney films as '' Mary Poppins'' (1964), '' That Darn Cat!'' (1965) and '' Blackbeard's Ghost'' (1968). The horror film '' Willard'' (1971) was highly successful, and one of her last roles was in '' Murder by Death'' (1976).

Early life

Elsa Sullivan Lanchester was born in Lewisham, London. Her parents, James " Séamus" Sullivan (1872–1945) and Edith "Biddy" Lanchester (1871–1966), were Bohemians, and refused to marry in a religious or legal way as a rebellion against Edwardian era society. Sullivan and Lanchester were both socialists, according to Lanchester's 1970 interview with

Dick Cavett Richard Alva Cavett (; born November 19, 1936) is an American television personality and former talk show host. He appeared regularly on nationally broadcast television in the United States for five decades, from the 1960s through the 2000s. In ...

. Elsa's older brother, Waldo Sullivan Lanchester, born five years earlier, was a

puppeteer A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...

, with his own marionette company based in Malvern, Worcestershire and later in

Stratford-upon-Avon Stratford-upon-Avon (), commonly known as just Stratford, is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is situated on the River Avon, north-we ...

. Elsa studied dance in Paris under Isadora Duncan, whom she disliked. When the school was discontinued due to outbreak of World War I, she returned to the UK. At that point (she was about twelve years of age) she began teaching dance in the Duncan style and gave classes to children in her

South London South London is the southern part of London, England, south of the River Thames. The region consists of the Districts of England, boroughs, in whole or in part, of London Borough of Bexley, Bexley, London Borough of Bromley, Bromley, London Borou ...

district, through which she earned some welcome extra income for her household.

Career

After World War I, Lanchester started the Children's Theatre, and later the Cave of Harmony, a nightclub at which modern plays and cabaret turns were performed. She revived old Victorian songs and ballads, many of which she retained for her performances in another revue entitled ''Riverside Nights''. Her first film performance came in 1924 in the amateur production ''The Scarlet Woman'', which was written by Evelyn Waugh who also appeared in two roles himself. She became sufficiently famous for Columbia to invite her into the recording studio to make 78 rpm discs of four of the numbers she sang in these revues: "Please Sell No More Drink to My Father" and "He Didn't Oughter" were on one disc (recorded in 1926) and "Don't Tell My Mother I'm Living in Sin" and "The Ladies Bar" were on the other (recorded 1930).Maltin 1994, p. 494. Her cabaret and nightclub appearances led to more serious stage work and it was in a play by Arnold Bennett called ''Mr Prohack'' (1927) that Lanchester first met another member of the cast,

. They were married two years later and continued to act together from time to time, both on stage and screen. She played his daughter in the stage play '' Payment Deferred'' (1931) though not in the subsequent Hollywood film version. Lanchester and Laughton appeared in the Old Vic season of 1933–34, playing Shakespeare, Chekhov and Wilde, and in 1936 she was Peter Pan to Laughton's Captain Hook in J. M. Barrie's play at the London Palladium. Their last stage appearance together was in Jane Arden's '' The Party'' (1958) at the New Theatre, London. Bride gip

Bride of Frankenstein (1935 pictorial snipe)

Lanchester made her film debut in ''The Scarlet Woman'' (1925) and in 1928 appeared in three silent shorts written for her by H. G. Wells and directed by Ivor Montagu: ''Blue Bottles'', ''Daydreams'' and ''The Tonic''. Laughton made brief appearances in all of them. They also appeared together in a 1930 film revue entitled ''Comets'', featuring British stage, musical and variety acts, in which they sang in duet " The Ballad of Frankie and Johnnie". Lanchester appeared in several other early British talkies, including ''

Potiphar's Wife Potiphar's wife is a figure in the Hebrew Bible and the Quran. She was the wife of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard in the time of Jacob and his twelve sons. According to the Book of Genesis, she falsely accused Joseph of attempted ra ...

'' (1931), a film starring

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

. She appeared opposite Laughton again as Anne of Cleves in '' The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933), with Laughton in the title role. Laughton was by now making films in Hollywood, so Lanchester joined him there, making minor appearances in '' David Copperfield'' (1935) and '' Naughty Marietta'' (1935). These and her appearances in British films helped her gain the title role in '' Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935), arguably the role with which she remains most identified. She and Laughton returned to Britain to appear together again in ''

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (, ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), usually simply known as Rembrandt, was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker and draughtsman. An innovative and prolific master in three media, he is generally consid ...

'' (1936) and later in ''

Vessel of Wrath ''Vessel of Wrath'' is a 1938 British film directed by Erich Pommer, produced by Pommer, and starring Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester. It was based on the 1931 Somerset Maugham short story "The Vessel of Wrath". The film is also known as '' ...

'' (US: ''The Beachcomber''. 1938). They both returned to Hollywood, where he made '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' (1939) although Lanchester didn't appear in another film until ''

Ladies in Retirement ''Ladies in Retirement'' is a 1941 American film noir directed by Charles Vidor and starring Ida Lupino and Louis Hayward, who were married at the time. It is based on a 1940 Broadway play of the same title by Reginald Denham and Edward Percy ...

'' (1941). She and Laughton played husband and wife (their characters were named Charles and Elsa Smith) in '' Tales of Manhattan'' (1942) and they both appeared again in the all-star, mostly British cast of '' Forever and a Day'' (1943). She received top billing in '' Passport to Destiny'' (1944) for the only time in her Hollywood career.Jewell and Harbin 1982, p. 193. ELSA-L

Lanchester played supporting roles in '' The Spiral Staircase'' and ''

The Razor's Edge ''The Razor's Edge'' is a 1944 novel by W. Somerset Maugham. It tells the story of Larry Darrell, an American pilot traumatized by his experiences in World War I, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. The story beg ...

'' (both 1946). She appeared as the housekeeper in '' The Bishop's Wife'' (1947) with David Niven playing the bishop, Loretta Young his wife, and Cary Grant an angel. Lanchester played a comical role as an artist in the thriller, '' The Big Clock'' (1948), in which Laughton starred as a megalomaniacal press tycoon. She had a part as a painter specialising in nativity scenes in '' Come to the Stable'' (1949), for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (1949). During the late 1940s and 1950s she appeared in small but highly varied supporting roles in a number of films while simultaneously appearing on stage at the ''

Turnabout Theatre The Turnabout Theatre was a company of marionette puppeteers who performed in Hollywood from 1941 through 1956. The company's shows began with marionette performances, and concluded with a revue. The name of the theater derives in part from the fa ...

'' in Hollywood. Here she performed her solo vaudeville act in conjunction with a marionette show, singing somewhat off-colour songs which she later recorded for a couple of LPs. Onscreen, she appeared alongside

Danny Kaye Danny Kaye (born David Daniel Kaminsky; yi, דוד־דניאל קאַמינסקי; January 18, 1911 – March 3, 1987) was an American actor, comedian, singer and dancer. His performances featured physical comedy, idiosyncratic pantomimes, and ...

in '' The Inspector General'' (1949), played a blackmailing landlady in '' Mystery Street'' (1950), and was Shelley Winters's travelling companion in '' Frenchie'' (1950). More supporting roles followed in the early 1950s, including a 2-minute cameo as the Bearded Lady in ''

3 Ring Circus ''3 Ring Circus'' is a 1954 American comedy film directed by Joseph Pevney and starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The picture was shot from February 17 to March 31, 1954, and released on December 25 by Paramount Pictures. The supporting cast ...

'' (1954), about to be shaved by

Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

. She had another substantial and memorable part when she appeared again with her husband in ''

'' (1957) a screen version of

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

's 1953 play for which both received Academy Award nominations – she for the second time as Best Supporting Actress, and Laughton for the third time for Best Actor. Neither won. However she did win the

Golden Globe The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Supporting Actress for the film. Lanchester played the role of Aunt Queenie, a witch in '' Bell, Book and Candle'' (1958), and appeared in such films as '' Mary Poppins'' (1964), in which her husband's goddaughter Karen Dotrice also starred, '' That Darn Cat!'' (1965), and '' Blackbeard's Ghost'' (1968). She appeared on 9 April 1959, on NBC's '' The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford''. She performed in two episodes of NBC's '' The Wonderful World of Disney''. Additionally, she had memorable guest roles in an episode of ''

I Love Lucy ''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along with ...

'' in 1956 and in episodes of NBC's '' The Eleventh Hour'' (1964) and '' The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'' (1965).Favell, Jack
"A Fan Tribute to Elsa Lanchester"
Turner Classic Movies; retrieved 19 May 2013. Lanchester continued to make occasional film appearances, singing a duet with Elvis Presley in ''

Easy Come, Easy Go Easy may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Easy'' (film), a 2003 American romantic comedy film *''Easy!'', or ''Scialla!'', a 2011 Italian comedy film * ''Easy'' (TV series), a 2016–2019 American comedy-drama anthology ...

'' (1967), and playing the mother in the original version of '' Willard'' (1971), alongside Bruce Davison and Ernest Borgnine, which scored well at the box office. She was Jessica Marbles, a sleuth based on

's Jane Marple, in the 1976 murder mystery spoof '' Murder by Death'', and she made her last film in 1980 as Sophie in '' Die Laughing''. She released three LP albums in the 1950s. Two (referred to above) were entitled "Songs for a Shuttered Parlour" and "Songs for a Smoke-Filled Room", and were vaguely lewd and danced around their true purpose, such as the song about her husband's "clock" not working. Laughton provided the spoken introductions to each number and even joined Lanchester in the singing of " She Was Poor but She Was Honest". Her third LP was entitled "Cockney London", a selection of old London songs for which Laughton wrote the sleeve-notes.

Personal life

Lanchester married

in 1929. She published a book about her relationship with Laughton, ''Charles Laughton and I''. In March 1983, she released an autobiography, titled ''Elsa Lanchester Herself''. In the book, she alleges that she and Laughton never had children because he was homosexual. However, Laughton's friend and co-star

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural ...

denied this was the reason for the couple's childlessness. She claimed Laughton had told her that the reason he and his wife never had children was because of a botched abortion Lanchester had early in her career when performing

burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.

. Lanchester admitted in her autobiography that she had two abortions in her youth (one being Laughton's), but it is not clear if the second left her incapable of becoming pregnant again. According to her biographer, Charles Higham, the reason she did not have children was that she did not want any. Lanchester was an

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

. She was a Democrat and she and Laughton were supportive of

Adlai Stevenson Adlai Stevenson may refer to: * Adlai Stevenson I (1835–1914), U.S. Vice President (1893–1897) and Congressman (1879–1881) * Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965), Governor of Illinois (1949–1953), U.S. presidential candida ...

's campaign during the 1952 presidential election. Shortly after the release of her autobiography, Lanchester's health took a turn for the worse. Within 30 months, she suffered two strokes, becoming totally incapacitated. She required constant care and was confined to bedrest. In March 1986, the Motion Picture and Television Fund filed to become conservator of Lanchester and her estate which was valued at $900,000. Lanchester died in Woodland Hills, California on 26 December 1986, aged 84, at the

Motion Picture Hospital The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as temp ...

from pneumonia. Her body was cremated on 5 January 1987, at the Chapel of the Pines in Los Angeles and her ashes scattered over the Pacific Ocean.Mank 1999, p. 316.

Filmography

Film roles

* ''The Scarlet Woman: An Ecclesiastical Melodrama'' (1925 short) as Beatrice de Carolle * '' One of the Best'' (1927) as Kitty * '' The Constant Nymph'' (1928) as Lady * ''The Tonic'' (1928, Short) as Elsa * ''Daydreams'' (1928, Short) as Elsa / Heroine in Dream Sequence * ''Blue Bottles'' (1928, Short) as Elsa * ''Mr. Smith Wakes Up'' (1929, Short) * ''Comets'' (1930) as Herself * ''Ashes'' (1930, Short) as Girl * '' The Love Habit'' (1931) as Mathilde * '' The Officers' Mess'' (1931) as Cora Melville * '' The Stronger Sex'' (1931) as Thompson * ''

'' (1931) as Therese * '' The Private Life of Henry VIII'' (1933) as Anne of Cleves, the Fourth Wife * '' David Copperfield'' (1935) as Clickett * '' Naughty Marietta'' (1935) as Madame d'Annard * '' Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935) as Mary Shelley/The Monster's Mate * '' The Ghost Goes West'' (1935) as Miss Shepperton * ''

'' (1936) as Hendrickje Stoffels * ''Miss Bracegirdle Does Her Duty'' (1936 unreleased short) as Millicent Bracegirdle * ''

'' (1938) as Martha Jones * ''

'' (1941) as Emily Creed * '' Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake'' (1942) as Bristol Isabel * '' Tales of Manhattan'' (1942) as Elsa (Mrs Charles) Smith * '' Forever and a Day'' (1943) as Mamie * ''

Thumbs Up A thumb signal, usually described as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, is a common hand gesture achieved by a closed fist held with the thumb extended upward or downward in approval or disapproval, respectively. These gestures have become metaphors i ...

'' (1943) as Emma Finch * '' Lassie Come Home'' (1943) as Mrs. Carraclough * '' Passport to Destiny'' (1944) as Ella Muggins * '' The Spiral Staircase'' (1945) as Mrs. Oates * ''

'' (1946) as Miss Keith * '' Northwest Outpost'' (1947) as Princess "Tanya" Tatiana * '' The Bishop's Wife'' (1947) as Matilda * '' The Big Clock'' (1948) as Louise Patterson * '' The Secret Garden'' (1949) as Martha * '' Come to the Stable'' (1949) as Amelia Potts * '' The Inspector General'' (1949) as Maria * '' Buccaneer's Girl'' (1949) as Mme. Brizar * '' Mystery Street'' (1950) as Mrs. Smerrling * ''

The Petty Girl ''The Petty Girl'' (1950), known in the UK as ''Girl of the Year'', is a musical romantic comedy Technicolor film starring Robert Cummings and Joan Caulfield. Cummings portrays painter George Petty who falls for Victoria Braymore (Caulfield), th ...

'' (1950) as Dr. Crutcher * '' Frenchie'' (1950) as Countess * ''

Dreamboat "Dreamboat" is a popular music song, the words and music to which were written by Jack Hoffman, (sometimes incorrectly attributed to Al Hoffman). A version produced by Walter Ridley, and performed by Alma Cogan, reached number 1 in the UK ...

'' (1952) as Dr. Mathilda Coffey * '' Les Misérables'' (1952) as Madame Magloire * ''

Androcles and the Lion Androcles ( el, Ἀνδροκλῆς, alternatively spelled Androclus in Latin), is the main character of a common folktale about a man befriending a lion. The tale is included in the Aarne–Thompson classification system as type 156. The ...

'' (1952) as Megaera * '' The Girls of Pleasure Island'' (1953) as Thelma * '' Hell's Half Acre'' (1954) as Lida O'Reilly * ''

'' (1954) as the Bearded Lady * '' The Glass Slipper'' (1955) as Widow Sonder * ''Alice in Wonderland'' (1955 TV movie) as the Red Queen * ''

'' (1957) as Miss Plimsoll * '' Bell, Book and Candle'' (1958) as Aunt Queenie Holroyd * ''The Flood'' (1962 TV movie) as Noah's Wife (voice) * '' Honeymoon Hotel'' (1964) as Chambermaid * '' Mary Poppins'' (1964) as Katie Nanna * '' Pajama Party'' (1964) as Aunt Wendy * '' That Darn Cat!'' (1965) as Mrs. MacDougall * ''

'' (1967) as Madame Neherina * '' Blackbeard's Ghost'' (1968) as Emily Stowecroft * ''

Rascal Rascal or rascals may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Rascal'' (book), a 1963 children's book by Sterling North ** ''Rascal'' (film), a 1969 Walt Disney adaptation of Sterling North's book * ''Rascals'' (1938 film), an American comedy-dra ...

'' (1969) as Mrs. Satterfield * '' Me, Natalie'' (1969) as Miss Dennison * ''In Name Only'' (1969, TV Movie) as Gertrude Caruso * '' Willard'' (1971) as Henrietta Stiles * '' Terror in the Wax Museum'' (1973) as Julia Hawthorn * ''

Arnold Arnold may refer to: People * Arnold (given name), a masculine given name * Arnold (surname), a German and English surname Places Australia * Arnold, Victoria, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria Canada * Arnold, Nova Scotia Uni ...

'' (1973) as Hester * '' Murder by Death'' (1976) as Jessica Marbles * ''Where's Poppa?'' (1979, TV Movie) as Momma Hocheiser * '' Die Laughing'' (1980) as Sophie (final film role)

Partial television credits

* ''

'' (1956) as Mrs Edna Grundy, episode "Off to Florida" * ''Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' (1964) "The McGregor Affair" * '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1965) as Dr. Agnes Dabree, episode "The Brain-Killer Affair" * '' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' (1969) as Mrs. Formby, episodes "My Dog, the Thief", parts 1 and 2 * '' The Bill Cosby Show'' (1970) as Mrs. Wochuk, episode "The Elevator Doesn't Stop Here Anymore" * '' Nanny and the Professor'' (1971) as Aunt Henrietta (3 episodes) * '' Night Gallery'' (1972) as Lydia Bowen, episode " Green Fingers" * ''

Here's Lucy ''Here's Lucy'' is an American sitcom starring Lucille Ball. The series co-starred her long-time comedy partner Gale Gordon and her real-life children Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. It was broadcast on CBS from 1968 to 1974. It was Ball's thir ...

'' (1973) as Mumsie Westcott, episode "Lucy Goes to Prison" * ''

Mannix ''Mannix'' is an American detective television series that ran from 1967 to 1975 on CBS. It was created by Richard Levinson and William Link, and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller. The title character, Joe Mannix, is a private inves ...

'' (1973) as Portia Penhaven, episode "A Matter of Principle"

References

Bibliography

* Callow, Simon. ''Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor''. Mt Prospect, Illinois: Fromm International, 1987. . * Higham, Charles. ''Charles Laughton: An Intimate Biography'' New York: Doubleday, 1976. . * Jewell, Richard and Vernon Harbin. ''The RKO Story''. New Rochelle, New York: Arlington House, 1982. . * Lanchester, Elsa. ''Charles Laughton and I''. San Diego, California: Harcourt, Brace Jovanovich, 1938. . * Lanchester, Elsa. ''Elsa Lanchester Herself.'' New York: St. Martin's Press, 1984. . * Maltin, Leonard. "Elsa Lanchester". ''Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia.'' New York: Dutton, 1994. . * Mank, Gregory William. ''Women in Horror Films, 1930s''. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1999. . * Singer, Kurt. ''The Charles Laughton Story''. London: R. Hale, 1952. * Singer, Kurt. ''The Laughton story; An Intimate Story of Charles Laughton.'' Philadelphia: Winston, 1954.

External links

* * * * *
Cult Sirens: Elsa Lanchester

Elsa Lanchester
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Lanchester, Elsa 1902 births 1986 deaths 20th-century English actresses Actresses from London American film actresses American television actresses American atheists English atheists English emigrants to the United States English film actresses English silent film actresses Best Supporting Actress Golden Globe (film) winners Deaths from pneumonia in California People from Lewisham Actresses from Kent People with acquired American citizenship California Democrats 20th-century American actresses