Joyce Bland (10 May 1906 – 24 August 1963) was a Welsh film actress.

Early life

Joyce Bland was born in 1906, at

Caerleon Caerleon ( ; ) is a town and Community (Wales), community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable ...

, Wales. She trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Career

Bland made her stage debut on tour in 1927 in '' The Constant Nymph''. She then returned to London and understudied

Tallulah Bankhead Tallulah Brockman Bankhead (January 31, 1902 – December 12, 1968) was an American actress. Primarily an actress of the stage, Bankhead also appeared in several films including an award-winning performance in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Lifeboat (194 ...

. In 1935 she appeared in the historical play '' Mary Tudor''. Her interpretation of the role of Goneril in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' was considered "extraordinary" and "sinister". However, another critic referred to her as "the aptly named Joyce Bland," who "spoke finely" and "looked beautiful" as Desdemona in ''

Othello ''The Tragedy of Othello, the Moor of Venice'', often shortened to ''Othello'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare around 1603. Set in Venice and Cyprus, the play depicts the Moorish military commander Othello as he is manipulat ...

'' at Stratford. Later she went to North America where she appeared in Shakespearean roles."Two Plays End Shakespearean Week at Walker"
''Winnipeg Tribune'' (11 November 1929): 8. via

Newspapers.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. It is owned by The ...

Filmography

Film

References

1906 births 1963 deaths Welsh film actresses People from Caerleon Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Welsh stage actresses 20th-century British actresses {{UK-film-actor-stub