Hazel M. Neilson-Terry (23 January 1918 – 12 October 1974) was an English actress. A member of the theatrical dynasty the

Terry family The Terry family was a British theatrical dynasty of the late 19th century and beyond. The family includes not only those members with the surname Terry, but also Neilsons, Craigs and Gielguds, to whom the Terrys were linked by marriage or blood ...

she had a successful stage career, and also made some cinema films. Among her roles was Ophelia in ''

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

'' opposite her cousin

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 Britis ...

Life and career

Terry was born in London, the daughter of the actor

Dennis Neilson-Terry Dennis Neilson-Terry (21 October 1895 – 14 July 1932) was a British actor, theatre manager and producer, who starred in a number of films between 1917 and 1932. He was the son of the actor Fred Terry and his wife, the actress Julia Neilson. ...

and his wife, actress Mary Glynne. Her only sibling was her sister Monica Julia Glassborow née Neilson-Terry (died 1984). Hazel's first role was at the age of 17 as the page in ''

Henry IV, Part I ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'' with

George Robey Sir George Edward Wade, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (20 September 1869 – 29 November 1954),James Harding (music writer), Harding, James"Robey, George" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University P ...

Falstaff Sir John Falstaff is a fictional character who appears in three plays by William Shakespeare and is eulogised in a fourth. His significance as a fully developed character is primarily formed in the plays ''Henry IV, Part 1'' and '' Part 2'', w ...

at His Majesty's in 1936. Later in that year she played Beauty in ''

Everyman The everyman is a stock character of fiction. An ordinary and humble character, the everyman is generally a protagonist whose benign conduct fosters the audience's identification with them. Origin and history The term ''everyman'' was used ...

''.Gaye, p. 1237 As her cousin

had done early in his career, she joined the

Oxford Repertory company The Oxford Playhouse is a theatre designed by Edward Maufe and F. G. M. Chancellor. It is situated in Beaumont Street, Oxford, opposite the Ashmolean Museum. History The Playhouse was founded as ''The Red Barn'' at 12 Woodstock Road, North Ox ...

; her roles included Olivia in ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...

''. In 1938 she made her New York debut playing Hazel in J B Priestley's ''

Time and the Conways ''Time and the Conways'' is a British play written by J. B. Priestley in 1937 illustrating J. W. Dunne's Theory of Time through the experience of a moneyed Yorkshire family, the Conways, over a period of nineteen years from 1919 to 1937. It ...

'', later repeating the role on tour in Britain. She made her film debut in 1935 in ''

The Marriage of Corbal ''The Prisoner of Corbal'' is a 1936 British historical drama film directed by Karl Grune and starring Nils Asther, Hugh Sinclair and Hazel Terry. It is also known by the alternative title ''The Marriage of Corbal''. It is set against the back ...

''. In the 1938 Malvern Festival season she appeared in ''The Last Trump'', which transferred to the West End. Following what ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' called "various unremarkable engagements" she starred in a year-long

ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

tour as Amanda in

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), Time'' called "a sense of personal style, a combination of c ...

's ''

Private Lives ''Private Lives'' is a 1930 comedy of manners in three acts by Noël Coward. It concerns a divorced couple who, while honeymooning with their new spouses, discover that they are staying in adjacent rooms at the same hotel. Despite a perpetuall ...

''."Obituary", ''The Times'', 17 October 1974, p. 18 In 1944 she understudied

Peggy Ashcroft Dame Edith Margaret Emily "Peggy" Ashcroft (22 December 1907 – 14 June 1991) was an English actress whose career spanned more than 60 years. Born to a comfortable middle-class family, Ashcroft was determined from an early age to become ...

as Ophelia in Gielgud's last London ''

'', and had the chance to play the role in Manchester and London. After World War II, her roles included Lydia in Coward's '' Peace in Our Time'' (1947), the Queen in

Terence Rattigan Sir Terence Mervyn Rattigan (10 June 191130 November 1977) was a British dramatist and screenwriter. He was one of England's most popular mid-20th-century dramatists. His plays are typically set in an upper-middle-class background.Geoffrey Wan ...

's ''Adventure Story'' (1949), and Mesita in ''

The Seagull ''The Seagull'' () is a play by Russian dramatist Anton Chekhov, written in 1895 in literature, 1895 and first produced in 1896 in literature#Drama, 1896. ''The Seagull'' is generally considered to be the first of his four major plays. It dramati ...

'' (1949). The obituarist in ''The Times'' wrote, "After absence from the theatre during much of the fifties, she was uncommonly good as the housekeeper, an exacting part, in the fine cast (John Gielgud and

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

among it) that brought

Enid Bagnold Enid Algerine Bagnold, Lady Jones, (27 October 1889 – 31 March 1981) was a British writer and playwright best known for the 1935 story '' National Velvet''. Early life Enid Algerine Bagnold was born on 27 October 1889 in Rochester, Kent, ...

's ''The Last Joke'' to the Phoenix in September, 1960." In 1961 she played Rachel in ''The Irregular Verb To Love'' in the West End.

Personal life

Terry was married, first to the actor

Geoffrey Keen Geoffrey Keen (21 August 1916 – 3 November 2005) was an English actor who appeared in supporting roles in many films. He is well known for playing British Defence Minister Sir Frederick Gray in the ''James Bond'' films. Biography Early li ...

and then to David Evans. Her daughter, Jemma Hyde (1941–2017), became an actress. Hazel Terry died in London, aged 56, from undisclosed causes.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1935) * ''

Our Fighting Navy ''Our Fighting Navy'' (also known as ''Torpedoed'') is a 1937 British action film directed by Norman Walker and starring Robert Douglas, Richard Cromwell and Hazel Terry. The Royal Navy, viewing the film as a recruitment opportunity, provided ...

'' (1937) * '' Missing, Believed Married'' (1937) * ''

Sweet Devil ''Sweet Devil'' is a 1938 British musical comedy film directed by René Guissart and starring Bobby Howes, Jean Gillie and William Kendall. It was made at Pinewood Studios.Wood p.97 Cast * Bobby Howes as Tony Brent * Jean Gillie as Jill Turne ...

'' (1938) * '' Kill or Cure'' (1962) * '' The Servant'' (1963)

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:terry, Hazel 1918 births 1974 deaths Actresses from London English film actresses 20th-century English actresses Terry family