Mary Casson (22 May 1914 – 22 September 2009) was an English theatre actress who made her name in portraying characters in the plays of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and

Wendy Darling Wendy Moira Angela Darling is a fictional character and one of the main protagonists of the 1904 play and 1911 novel ''Peter and Wendy'' by J. M. Barrie, as well as in most adaptations in other media. Her exact age is not specified in the origina ...

in ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

''. Born into a theatrical family, she was in the theatre until the late 1930s before she switched to a career in music touring the United Kingdom.

Biography

Mary Casson was born on 22 May 1914 in the British capital of London. She was the daughter of the actor and director

Lewis Casson Sir Lewis Thomas Casson (26 October 187516 May 1969) was an English actor and theatre director, and the husband of actress Dame Sybil Thorndike.Devlin, DianaCasson, Sir Lewis Thomas (1875–1969) ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' ...

and the actress

Sybil Thorndike Dame Agnes Sybil Thorndike, Lady Casson (24 October 18829 June 1976) was an English actress whose stage career lasted from 1904 to 1969. Trained in her youth as a concert pianist, Thorndike turned to the stage when a medical problem with her h ...

. Casson was part of a theatrical family that included her brothers

Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...

, John and a sister

Ann Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in ...

. She was educated at home until she was seven years old when she was sent to the

Francis Holland School Francis Holland School is the name of three separate private day schools for girls in central London, England, governed by the Francis Holland (Church of England) Schools Trust. The schools are located at Clarence Gate (near Regent's Park ...

Sloane Square Sloane Square is a small hard-landscaped square on the boundaries of the central London districts of Belgravia and Chelsea, London, Chelsea, located southwest of Charing Cross, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The area forms a ...

. Casson made her debut in the theatre at the age of six when she appeared as Belinda Cratchit in a 1921 production of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

' ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' at the Lyric Theatre''.'' She appeared alongside her mother as Astyanax in ''

The Trojan Women ''The Trojan Women'' (, lit. "The Female Trojans") is a tragedy by the Ancient Greece, Greek playwright Euripides, produced in 415 BCE. Also translated as ''The Women of Troy,'' or as its transliterated Greek title ''Troades, The Trojan Women'' ...

'' in 1922 and was Warwick's page in ''Saint Joan'' in Paris in 1924. Three years later, Casson made the first of six successive appearances as

at the Christmas performance of ''Peter Pan'' in the Gaiety Theatre and returned there in 1928. That year, she also toured South Africa with her parents, playing in ''Medea'', '' Jane Clegg'', ''The Lie'', and '' Saint Joan''. In 1929, she appeared opposite

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and Actor-manager, manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies ...

J. M. Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

's ''Dear Brutus,'' and made another appearances as Wendy Darling in ''Peter Pan'' at the

St. James's Theatre The St James's Theatre was in King Street, St James's, King Street, St James's, London. It opened in 1835 and was demolished in 1957. The theatre was conceived by and built for a popular singer, John Braham (tenor), John Braham; it lost mone ...

from 1929 to 1931. Casson played the same character twice more in the same play at the Palladium Theatre between 1931 and 1933. She played the Second Witch in ''

Macbeth ''The Tragedy of Macbeth'', often shortened to ''Macbeth'' (), is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, estimated to have been first performed in 1606. It dramatises the physically violent and damaging psychological effects of political ambiti ...

'' in April 1932 at the Kingsway Theatre, and went on to portray more of

's characters, such as Juliet, Ophelia, 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 ...

,'' Nerissa in ''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

and'' Bianca in ''

The Taming of the Shrew ''The Taming of the Shrew'' is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1590 and 1592. The play begins with a framing device, often referred to as the induction, in which a mischievous nobleman tricks a drunke ...

'' for which her performances were praised for "their sincerity and freshness." From their wedding at the Reedmer Church in London on 7 March 1936 to 1948, Casson was married to the actor William Devlin and the couple had a daughter; Casson and Deviln had become engaged in December 1932. Afterwards, she began a second career as a musician touring the United Kingdom and accompanied herself on the

virginals The virginals is a keyboard instrument of the harpsichord family. It was popular in Europe during the Renaissance music, late Renaissance and early Baroque music, Baroque periods. Description A virginals is a smaller and simpler, rectangular o ...

. In 1952, Casson married her daughter's primary school teacher, Ian Haines, and worked as an accompanist in schools in

Barking Barking may refer to: Places * Barking, London, a town in East London, England ** London Borough of Barking, 1965–1980 ** Municipal Borough of Barking, 1931–1965 ** Barking (UK Parliament constituency) ** Barking (electoral division), Greater ...

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

until she retired in the mid-1970s. She began to play the organ at the age of 70 and continued to play the instrument at the St Andrews Church in

Wickhambreaux Wickhambreaux ( ) is a village and civil parish in the City of Canterbury, Canterbury district, in the county of Kent, England. The village is just off the A257 road, A257 Sandwich Road, four miles east of the city of Canterbury. Since Roman ti ...

near

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

a few weeks before her death. Casson died on 22 September 2009.

Personality

The journalist Jonathan Croall described Casson as "a lively, intelligent woman, full of the zest for life that characterised her mother" and had "a clear-sighted view of her parents".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Casson, Mary 1914 births 2009 deaths Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses English stage actresses English Shakespearean actresses