Joan Henley (2 September 1904 – 10 February 1986) was an Irish actress and radio presenter. She was active on the

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

stage since at least 1927 in ingenue roles, and appeared there throughout the 1930s. Her first film role was a supporting part in ''

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 ...

'' in 1933. She had a career of over 50 years in film and television, but her appearances were seldom and mostly small because she concentrated on the stage and her private life. She is probably best known for her role as the friendly spinster Teresa Alan in the Oscar-winning romance film ''

A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian-era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society ...

'', which was released less than a year before her death. Joan Henley married

Bruce Belfrage Bruce Belfrage (30 October 1900 – August 1974) was an English actor and BBC radio newsreader.Obituary in ''The Times'', ''Mr Bruce Belfrage'', 17 August 1974, p.14 He was casting director at the BBC between 1936 and 1939, and founded th ...

in 1930 and they had a son, Julian Belfrage, who became an actor's agent. After her divorce from Belfrage, she was married to author

Laurence Meynell Laurence Walter Meynell (9 August 1899 – 14 April 1989) was the English author of over 150 books, who wrote also as Valerie Baxter, Robert Eton, Geoffrey Ludlow and A. Stephen Tring. Life Meynell was born in Wolverhampton, the youngest son of ...

from 1956 until her death.

Filmography

* ''

'' (1933) as Ida Bentley * ''Charley's Aunt'' (1938, TV Movie) as Donna Lucia * ''

School for Randle ''School for Randle'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by John E. Blakeley and starring Frank Randle, Dan Young and Alec Pleon. It was written by Randle, Harry Jackson and John E. Blakeley. It was made at the Manchester Studios, and was on ...

'' (1949) * ''

Reluctant Heroes ''Reluctant Heroes'' is a 1952 British comedy film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Ronald Shiner, Derek Farr and Christine Norden. It is based on the popular farce of the same title by Colin Morris. The play, which had its West En ...

'' (1951) (uncredited) * ''The Common Room'' (1959, TV Series) as Miss Grenville * ''Peridot Flight'' (1960, TV Series) as Lady Stilton * '' The Reckoning'' (1970) as Mrs. Reynolds * '' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'' (1971, TV Series) as Mrs. Wycherly * '' Follow Me!'' (1972) as Dinner Guest (uncredited) * '' Hadleigh'' (1973, TV Series) as Enid Broughton * ''Dial M for Murder'' (1974, TV Series) as Dowager * ''

Days of Hope ''Days of Hope'' is a BBC television drama serial produced in 1975. The series dealt with the lives of a working-class family from the turmoils of the First World War in 1916 to the General Strike in 1926. It was written by Jim Allen, produced ...

'' (1975, TV Mini-Series) as Lady Wimborne * ''

Armchair Thriller ''Armchair Thriller'' is a British television drama series broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980 in two seasons. Taking the form of a sequence of unconnected serials, scripts for ''Armchair Thriller'' were adaptations of published novels and storie ...

'' (1978, TV Series) as Lady at Garden Party * ''

The Thirty Nine Steps ''The Thirty-Nine Steps'' is a 1915 adventure novel by the Scottish author John Buchan, first published by William Blackwood and Sons, Edinburgh. It was serialized in ''All-Story Weekly'' issues of 5 and 12 June 1915, and in ''Blackwood's Mag ...

'' (1978) as Lady Nettleship * ''

'' (1985) as Miss Teresa Alan * ''The Good Doctor Bodkin-Adams'' (1986, TV Movie) as Mrs. Morrell * '' Shades of Love: Sincerely, Violet'' (1987) as Maggie (final film role)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henley, Joan 1904 births 1986 deaths Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses Irish film actresses 20th-century Irish actresses Actresses from County Dublin