Maureen St John Pook (23 May 1922 – 5 May 1977), known professionally as Maureen Pryor, was an Irish-born English character actress who made stage, film, and television appearances. ''The Encyclopaedia of British Film'' noted, "she never played leads, but, with long rep and TV experience (from 1949), she was noticeable in all she did."

Early life

Pryor was born in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, Ireland, to a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

father and an Irish mother. She began acting with

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Repertory in 1938, and studied with Michel Saint-Denis at the London Theatre Studio in 1939.

Career

She appeared in the West End in Michael Clayton Hutton's '' Power Without Glory'', Seán O'Casey's '' Red Roses for Me'',

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's '' Peace in Our Time'', John Griffith Bowen's '' After the Rain'' (also on Broadway),

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's ''Play with a Tiger'' and plays such as ''Little Boxes'' and ''Where's Tedd''. She was a member of the Stables Theatre Company. She also appeared on Broadway in the premiere season of '' Boeing-Boeing'' (1965). In Manchester, she appeared in

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's one-act play ''Before Breakfast'', directed by Bill Gilmour. She also directed the play herself, for the RSC at the Old Red Lion, Stratford, in 1975. She played Mistress Quickly in Terry Hand's 1975/76 production of '' Henry IV, Part 2'' and '' Henry V'' also for the Royal Shakespeare Company. She made over 500 television appearances, including a ''

Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...

'', "O Fat White Woman" (1971), adapted by William Trevor from his own short story, and

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's television film '' Song of Summer'' (1968), in which she played Jelka Delius, the long-suffering wife of the composer

Frederick Delius file:Fritz Delius (1907).jpg, Delius, photographed in 1907 Frederick Theodore Albert Delius (born Fritz Theodor Albert Delius; ; 29 January 1862 – 10 June 1934) was an English composer. Born in Bradford in the north of England to a prospero ...

. Russell cast her again in his cinema film '' The Music Lovers'' (1970) as

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's mother-in-law. In the 1974 BBC television film '' Shoulder to Shoulder'', she played the composer Dame Ethel Smyth. In the 1970s British police drama '' The Sweeney,'' episode ''Big Spender,'' she appeared as Edith Wardle the wife of a dishonest employee of a car park company who becomes involved in an elaborate fraud.

Personal life

Her first marriage ended in divorce, her second in separation. She had one son, Mark. She died in 1977 from a heart ailment.

Selected filmography

* '' Room for Two'' (1940) * '' The Lady with a Lamp'' (1951) – Sister Wheeler * '' The Weak and the Wicked'' (1954) – Prison Matron * ''

Doctor in the House Doctor in the House may refer to: * Doctor in the House (novel), ''Doctor in the House'' (novel), a 1952 novel by Richard Gordon ** Doctor in the House (film), ''Doctor in the House'' (film), a 1954 British film adaptation of the novel *** Doctor i ...

'' (1954) – Mrs. Cooper * '' Orders Are Orders'' (1954) – Miss Marigold * ''

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'' (1957–1958, TV series) – Mrs. Smeeth * '' The Secret Place'' (1957) – Mrs. Haywood * '' Doctor at Large'' (1957) – Mrs. Dalton * '' Heart of a Child'' (1958) – Frau Spiel * '' Conspiracy of Hearts'' (1960) – Sister Consuela * '' The Secret Kingdom'' (1960, TV series) – Paula Byron * '' No Love for Johnnie'' (1961) – Labour Party Member * '' Life for Ruth'' (1962) – Teddy's mother * '' Madhouse on Castle Street'' (TV, 1963; Mrs Griggs; this was

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

's acting debut) * ''

Modesty Blaise ''Modesty Blaise'' is a British comic strip featuring a fictional character of the same name, created by author Peter O'Donnell and illustrator Jim Holdaway in 1963. The strip follows Modesty Blaise, an exceptional young woman with many talen ...

'' (1966) – (scenes deleted) * '' The Sandwich Man'' (1966) * '' Three Bites of the Apple'' (1967) – Birdie Guffy * '' Omnibus: Song of Summer'' (TV, 1968) * '' The Music Lovers'' (1970) – Nina's Mother * '' Lady Caroline Lamb'' (1972) – Mrs. Buller * '' The National Health'' (1973) – The Matron * '' Shoulder to Shoulder'' (1974, BBC TV; as ) – Dame Ethel Smyth * '' The Black Windmill'' (1974) – Jane Harper * '' The Sweeney'' (1975) – Enid Wardle

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pryor, Maureen 1922 births 1977 deaths Alumni of the London Theatre Studio English film actresses English television actresses English stage actresses Irish film actresses Irish stage actresses Irish television actresses Actresses from Limerick (city) 20th-century Irish actresses 20th-century English actresses Irish people of English descent Irish emigrants to the United Kingdom