Ivy Lilian Close (15 June 1890 – 4 December 1968) was a British actress. She acted in 44 films between 1912 and 1929."Ivy Close"
. bfi.org.uk

Life

Ivy Lilian Close was born 15 June 1890 in

Stockton-on-Tees Stockton-on-Tees is a market town in County Durham, England, with a population of 84,815 at the 2021 UK census. It gives its name to and is the largest settlement in the wider Borough of Stockton-on-Tees. It is part of Teesside and the Tees Val ...

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

, the daughter of Emma ( Blackburn) and John Robert Close. She had a younger brother, Raymond, and a sister, Dorothy. Her first husband was photographer and filmmaker Elwin Neame (1885–1923), who she married in 1910. Together they established Ivy Close Films in 1914, one of the first movie production companies founded by a film star. This marriage produced two sons: the director, cinematographer, producer and screenwriter

Ronald Neame Ronald Neame CBE, BSC (23 April 1911 – 16 June 2010) was an English film producer, director, cinematographer, and screenwriter. Beginning his career as a cinematographer, for his work on the British war film '' One of Our Aircraft Is Missin ...

, and author and screenwriter Derek Neame (1915–1979). Her grandson, by Ronald, was producer and screenwriter

Christopher Neame Christopher Neame (born 12 September 1947) is an English actor who resides in the United States. UK career Neame's UK film credits include appearances in two Hammer Film Productions, Hammer Horror films: ''Lust for a Vampire'' (1971) and ''D ...

and her great grandson, by Christopher, is producer Gareth Neame. In 1938 she married Australian stuntman and make-up artist Curly Batson; this marriage lasted until his death in 1957. In 1908, Ivy Close was named the World's Most Beautiful Woman by the British tabloid

Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily Tabloid journalism, tabloid newspaper. Founded in 1903, it is part of Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN), which is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the tit ...

, beating over 1,500 contestants, so becoming generally recognized as Britain's first beauty queen. Her victory won her not only a new Rover motorcar but also the exhibition of a portrait, by Sir Arthur Hacker, at the

Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House in Piccadilly London, England. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its ...

in London; the portrait was subsequently used on 4 May 1908 to fill the front page of the newspaper which had organised the contest. The painting was subsequently discovered to be in the collection of the Ferens Art Gallery in Hull but not on display because it required restoration; the necessary work was paid for by her great-grandson Gareth Neame. Neame has argued, "And there was then a competition between the winner in Britain and the winner in the US, and she ended up winning that one. So I often say she was effectively the first ever

Miss World Miss World is the oldest existing international beauty pageant. It was created in the United Kingdom by Eric Morley in 1951. Since his death in 2000, Morley's widow, Julia Morley, has co-chaired the pageant. Along with Miss Universe, Mi ...

." Besides acting, her other pursuits were motorcycling and golf. She also worked as a model in advertising campaigns and sang in English music halls. Close's film career ended with the advent of talkies, as her English accent was deemed unsuitable for American audiences.Ivy Close
. stockton.gov.uk Her great-grandson incorporated a passing reference to her career in an episode of ''

Downton Abbey ''Downton Abbey'' is a British historical drama television series set in the early 20th century, created and co-written by Julian Fellowes. It first aired in the United Kingdom on ITV (TV network), ITV on 26 September 2010 and in the United St ...

''. Ivy Close died 4 December 1968 in Goring,

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

, aged 78.

Selected filmography

* '' The Lure of London'' (1914) * '' The Ware Case'' (1917) * '' The House Opposite'' (1917) * ''

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

'' (1918) * '' Missing the Tide'' (1918) * '' A Peep Behind the Scenes'' (1918) * '' Adam Bede'' (1918) *'' The Irresistible Flapper'' (1919) * '' The Flag Lieutenant'' (1919) * '' Darby and Joan'' (1920) * ''The Worldlings'' (1920) * ''

Was She Justified? ''Was She Justified?'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by Walter West and starring Florence Turner, Ivy Close and Lewis Gilbert.Low p.474 Cast * Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was ...

'' (1922) * '' Expiation'' (1922) * '' La Roue'' (1923) * '' The Merry Farmer'' (1927)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Close, Ivy 1890 births 1968 deaths British film actresses English film actresses English silent film actresses Actors from Stockton-on-Tees 20th-century English actresses Neame family Actresses from County Durham