Madge Winifred Ryan (8 January 1919 – 9 January 1994) was an Australian actress, known for her stage and film roles in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, including London stage productions of ''

Entertaining Mr Sloane ''Entertaining Mr Sloane'' is a three-act play written in 1963 by the English playwright Joe Orton. It was first produced in London at the New Arts Theatre on 6 May 1964 and transferred to the West End's Wyndham's Theatre on 29 June 1964. Pl ...

'' (1964), '' Philadelphia, Here I Come'' (1967), and ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

'' (1993). She also starred in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

production of ''

Summer of the Seventeenth Doll ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll'' is an Australian play written by Ray Lawler and first performed at the Union Theatre in Melbourne on 28 November 1955. The play is considered to be the most significant in Australian theatre history, and a " ...

'' (1958). In 1966 Ryan appeared in '' The Saint (S5, E9 'The Better Mousetrap')'' as Bertha Noversham, a French Riviera jewel thief. Her film appearances included ''

Summer Holiday Summer holiday may refer to: * Summer vacation The term summer vacation or summer break refers to a school break in the summer between school years and the break in the school academic year. Students are off anywhere between two weeks to thre ...

'' (1963), ''

A Clockwork Orange ''A Clockwork Orange'' may refer to: * ''A Clockwork Orange'' (novel), a 1962 novel by Anthony Burgess ** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (film), a 1971 film directed by Stanley Kubrick based on the novel *** ''A Clockwork Orange'' (soundtrack), the film ...

'' (1971), ''

Frenzy ''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer is based on the 1966 novel '' Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square ...

'' (1972), and ''

Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? ''Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?'' (released in the UK as ''Too Many Chefs'') is a 1978 black comedy mystery film directed by Ted Kotcheff and starring George Segal, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Morley. It is based on the 1976 novel '' ...

'' (1978). Between 1969 and 1975,

Eric Idle Eric Idle (born 29 March 1943) is an English actor, comedian, songwriter, musician, screenwriter and playwright. He was a member of the British comedy group Monty Python and the parody rock band the Rutles. Idle studied English at Pembroke Co ...

was married to Ryan's daughter,

Lyn Ashley Lyn Ashley (born Lynette Ashley Rumble; 18 March 1940) is an Australian actress who worked in the United Kingdom on television during the 1960s. Early life Ashley was born Lynette Ashley Rumble in Townsville, Queensland, on 18 March 1940. She i ...

Early life

Ryan was born in

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

, Australia. Her daughter

is also an actress.

Career

Ryan established herself as a theatre actor and member of the Independent Co. in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

, Australia, playing the role of Birdie Hubbard in ''

The Little Foxes ''The Little Foxes'' is a 1939 play by Lillian Hellman, considered a classic of 20th century drama. Its title comes from Chapter 2, Verse 15, of the Song of Solomon in the King James version of the Bible, which reads, "Take us the foxes, the li ...

'' at the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

and the Princess Theatres in 1948, while living in Epping, then a rural setting on Sydney’s outer fringe. She toured with

John Nugent-Hayward Harold Thomas Newton, (14 May 1895 – January 22 1957) known professionally as John Nugent-Hayward, billed also as John Hayward, was an Irish-born Australian actor and musician who founded the Perth Symphony Orchestra, he had extensive experie ...

in ''The Patsy'', ''Fresh Fields'' and '' Claudia''. She was also known during the forties and fifties for her radio work. Ryan emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957 and starred in many British stage shows. She made over sixty appearances in films and on television. In 1958, Ryan appeared in a Broadway-theatre production of ''Summer of the Seventeenth Doll''. In 1964, she played Kath in the original London production of

Joe Orton John Kingsley Orton (1 January 1933 – 9 August 1967), known by the pen name of Joe Orton, was an English playwright, author, and diarist. His public career, from 1964 until his murder in 1967 committed by his partner, was short but highly i ...

's ''Entertaining Mr Sloane''. ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' wrote, "as the dreadful Kath, ageing seductress and murderous landlady...Madge Ryan's cruel, cool but undeniably comic acting provoked one critic to describe her work...as 'something very close to perfection'."

Death

Ryan died in London in 1994, one day after her 75th birthday. In their obituary, ''

'' wrote, "what set her apart from the others was a certain, often powerful, independence of spirit and humour...It was a fulfilled career."

Selected filmography

* ''

Upstairs and Downstairs ''Upstairs and Downstairs'' is a 1959 British comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Michael Craig, Anne Heywood, Mylène Demongeot, Claudia Cardinale, James Robertson Justice, Joan Sims, Joan Hickson and Sid James. It features t ...

'' (1959) - Policewoman * ''

Witness in the Dark ''Witness in the Dark'' is a 1959 British second feature crime drama film directed by Wolf Rilla, and starring Patricia Dainton, Conrad Phillips, Madge Ryan and Nigel Green. It was written by Leigh Vance and John Lemont and produced by Norman ...

'' (1959) - Mrs. Finch * '' Hand in Hand'' (1960) - George's Wife * '' Tiara Tahiti'' (1962) - Millie Brooks *''

The Shifting Heart ''The Shifting Heart'' is a play written in 1957 in Australia by Richard Beynon, it is an insight to the psychology of racism and its victims. In the background of 1950s Collingwood, Melbourne. It has been called "the second most famous Austr ...

'' (1962) * ''

'' (1963) - Stella Winters * '' Doctor in Distress'' (1963) - Mrs. Clapper * ''

This Is My Street ''This Is My Street'' is a 1964 British black and white kitchen sink drama film directed by Sidney Hayers and starring Ian Hendry, June Ritchie, Avice Landone, John Hurt and Meredith Edwards. The screenplay was by Bill MacIlwraith based on th ...

'' (1964) - Kitty *''The Shifting Heart'' (1968) * '' The Strange Affair'' (1968) - Aunt Mary * ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a Detective fiction, fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a "Private investigator, consulting detective" in his stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with obser ...

'' Episode: ''The Blue Carbuncle'' (1968) - Lady Morcar * '' I Start Counting'' (1969) - Mother * ''

'' (1971) - Dr. Branom * '' Public Eye'' (Come In To The Garden, Rose) (1971) - Rose Mason * ''

'' (1972) - Mrs. Davison * '' Endless Night'' (1972) - Michael's Mother * ''

Anne of Avonlea ''Anne of Avonlea'' is a 1909 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery, who published as L. M. Montgomery. The first sequel to Montgomery's ''Anne of Green Gables'' (1908), the book covers the second chapter in the life of Anne Shirley, fro ...

'' (1975) - Rachel Lynde * ''

A Horseman Riding By ''A Horseman Riding By'' is a trilogy of historical novels written by R. F. Delderfield, first published between 1966 and 1968. Set in rural Devon, England, the novels span the years from the late 19th century through World War I, the interwar ...

'' (1978) - Arabella Codsall * '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1978) - Miss Harbottle * ''

'' (1978) - Beecham * ''

The Lady Vanishes ''The Lady Vanishes'' is a 1938 British Mystery film, mystery Thriller (genre), thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, starring Margaret Lockwood and Michael Redgrave. Written by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, based on the 1936 novel '' ...

'' (1979) - Rose Flood Porter * '' S.O.S. Titanic'' (1979) - Stewards: Violet Jessop * '' Kokoda Crescent'' (1989) - Margaret * ''

Splitting Heirs ''Splitting Heirs'' is a 1993 British black comedy film directed by Robert Young and starring Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese and Sadie Frost. It features music by Michael Kamen. It was entered ...

'' (1993) - Woman with Dog * ''

The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries ''The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries'' is a British detective television series, broadcast on BBC1, which was adapted from nine of the novels by Dame Ngaio Marsh, featuring the character Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn. The pilot episode was shown ...

'', Death in a White Tie (1993) - Lucy Lorrimer

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Madge 1919 births 1994 deaths 20th-century Australian actresses Australian film actresses Australian emigrants to England Australian stage actresses Australian television actresses Actresses from Queensland People from Townsville