Irene Lilian Brodrick, Countess of Midleton (née Creese, known as Rene Ray, 22 September 1911 – 28 August 1993) was a British stage and screen actress of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and also a novelist.

Acting career

Ray made her screen début in the 1929 silent film '' High Treason'' and first appeared on the West End stage on 5 December 1930 in the André Charlot production of ''Wonder Bar'' at the Savoy Theatre.> In 1935 she starred with Conrad Veidt in the Gaumont British film '' The Passing of the Third Floor Back''. Other film co-stars included George Arliss ('' His Lordship'', 1936), John Mills ('' The Green Cockatoo'', 1937), Gordon Harker ('' The Return of the Frog'', 1938) and Trevor Howard ('' They Made Me a Fugitive'', 1947). At London's Lyric Theatre in 1936 she appeared with

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier (; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director who, along with his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud, was one of a trio of male actors who dominated the Theatre of the U ...

and

Ralph Richardson Sir Ralph David Richardson (19 December 1902 – 10 October 1983) was an English actor who, with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, was one of the trinity of male actors who dominated the British stage for much of the 20th century. He wo ...

JB Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

's short-lived play ''

Bees on the Boat Deck ''Bees on the Boat Deck'' is a 1936 comedy drama play by the British writer J.B. Priestley. It ran for 37 performances at the Lyric Theatre in London's West End. The cast included Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Rene Ray and Raymond Huntle ...

''. Other West End credits included ''Yes and No'' (1937), ''They Walk Alone'' (1939) and ''Other People's Houses'' (1941). Her single Broadway appearance was in Cedric Hardwicke's production of Priestley's '' An Inspector Calls'', which ran at the Booth Theatre from October 1947 to January 1948. In 1951–52 she starred in the London production of Sylvia Rayman's '' Women of Twilight'', playing the central role nearly 450 times and reprising her performance in the subsequent film version. She made her last screen appearance as an interviewee in the BBC documentary ''Britain's Missing Movie Heritage'', broadcast on 30 September 1992, 11 months before her death.

Books

She turned to writing for much of her later career. Her first novel, ''Wraxton Marne'', appeared in 1946. According to a 1953 magazine profile, "Her second book, ''Emma Conquest'', was an immediate best-seller." (First published in 1950, this was reissued in 2010.) Other books included ''A Man Named Seraphin'' (1952) and ''The Tree Surgeon'' (1958). In 1956 she scripted the seven-part

ATV ATV may refer to: Broadcasting * Amateur television *Analog television Television stations and companies * Ràdio i Televisió d'Andorra * ATV (Armenia) * ATV (Aruba), NBC affiliate * ATV (Australian TV station), Melbourne * ATV (Austria) * AT ...

science fiction serial '' The Strange World of Planet X''; the following year her novelisation was published by

Herbert Jenkins Ltd Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert, ...

and a feature film based on it was made by Artistes Alliance. In the United States the film was renamed ''

Cosmic Monsters ''The Strange World of Planet X'' (a.k.a. ''Cosmic Monsters'' in the United States) is an independently made 1958 British science fiction horror film, produced by George Maynard and John Bash, directed by Gilbert Gunn, that stars Forrest Tuck ...

''.

Personal life

Her father was Alfred Edward Creese, a famous British automotive and aviation inventor.Michael Rhodes, 'The Countess of Midleton' bituary ''The Times'' 3 September 1993 Born as Irene, she signed her name with a grave accent on the first 'e', not an acute accent on the second (Rène not René); her method was followed on all theatre programmes, book jackets and other publicity material. Her first husband was the composer George Posford. In the 1950s she met George St John Brodrick, 2nd Earl of Midleton (1888–1979); she moved with him to Jersey in 1963 and became his third wife in 1975, thus allowing her to style herself the Countess of Midleton. In retirement she became an accomplished amateur painter and a member of the Jersey Film Society, which in 1986 opened its 40th season with a screening of ''The Passing of the Third Floor Back''. She died on 28 August 1993 in Jersey, the Channel Islands.

Partial filmography

* '' High Treason'' (1929) - (uncredited) * ''Varsity'' (1930) - Iris * '' Young Woodley'' (1930) - Kitty * '' Dance Pretty Lady'' (1931) - Elsie * ''

Tonight's the Night Tonight's the Night may refer to: Films * ''Tonight's the Night'' (1932 film), a 1932 British film starring Leslie Fuller * ''Tonight's the Night'', American title of the 1954 film '' Happy Ever After'', a British comedy starring David Niven * '' ...

'' (1931) - Rose Smithers * '' Keepers of Youth'' (1931) - Kitty Williams * '' Two White Arms'' (1932) - Trixie * '' When London Sleeps'' (1932) - Mary * '' Here's George'' (1932) - Telephonist * '' The King's Cup'' (1933) - Peggy * '' Excess Baggage'' (1933) - Angela Murgatroyd * '' Born Lucky'' (1933) - Mops * ''

Tiger Bay Tiger Bay ( cy, Bae Teigr) was the local name for an area of Cardiff which covered Butetown and Cardiff Docks. Following the building of the Cardiff Barrage, which dams the tidal rivers, Ely and Taff, to create a body of water, it is refe ...

'' (1934) - Letty * ''

Rolling in Money ''Rolling in Money'' is a 1934 British comedy film directed by Albert Parker and starring Isabel Jeans, Leslie Sarony and John Loder. It was made at Ealing Studios by the British subsidiary of Fox Film.Wood p.83 It was not a quota quick ...

'' (1934) - Eliza Dibbs * '' Nine Forty-Five'' (1934) - Mary Doane * ''

Easy Money A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that partic ...

'' (1934) - Typist * '' Once in a New Moon'' (1935) - Stella Drake * ''

Street Song A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

'' (1935) - Lucy * ''

Regal Cavalcade ''Royal Cavalcade'', also known as ''Regal Cavalcade'', is a 1935 British, black-and-white, drama film directed by six separate directors: Thomas Bentley (Supervising Director), Herbert Brenon, Norman Lee, Walter Summers, W. P. Kellino and Marc ...

'' (1935) - Girl * '' Full Circle'' (1935) - Margery Boyd * '' The Passing of the Third Floor Back'' (1935) - Stasia * '' Beloved Imposter'' (1936) - Mary * '' Secret Agent'' (1936) - Maid (uncredited) * '' Crime Over London'' (1936) - Joan * '' His Lordship'' (1936) - Vera * ''

Please Teacher is an anime television series directed by Yasunori Ide, written by Yōsuke Kuroda, and produced by Bandai Visual. It was later adapted into a manga and light novel and centers on a group of friends and the odd things that happen to them a ...

'' (1937) - Ann Trent * '' Farewell Again'' (1937) - Elsie Wainwright * '' Jennifer Hale'' (1937) - Jennifer Hale * '' The Rat'' (1937) - Odile Verdier * '' The Green Cockatoo'' (1937) - Eileen * ''

Bank Holiday A bank holiday is a national public holiday in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Crown Dependencies. The term refers to all public holidays in the United Kingdom, be they set out in statute, declared by royal proclamation or held ...

'' (1938) - Doreen * '' Housemaster'' (1938) - Chris Faringdon * '' Weddings Are Wonderful'' (1938) - Betty Leadbetter * '' The Return of the Frog'' (1938) - Lela Oaks * '' Mountains O'Mourne'' (1938) - Mary Macree * '' Home from Home'' (1939) - Gladys Burton * '' The Call for Arms'' (1940, Short) - Joan * '' Old Bill and Son'' (1941) - Sally * '' They Made Me a Fugitive'' (1947) - Cora * '' If Winter Comes'' (1947) - Sarah 'Low Jinks' * '' The Galloping Major'' (1951) - Pam Riley * '' Women of Twilight'' (1952) - Vivianne * '' The Good Die Young'' (1954) - Angela *'' The Vicious Circle'' (1957) - Mrs. Ambler

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Midleton, Rene Ray, Countess of 1911 births 1993 deaths British countesses English film actresses English stage actresses Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English novelists English women novelists English female screenwriters 20th-century English screenwriters