Rosamund John (19 October 1913 – 27 October 1998), born Nora Rosamund Jones, was an English film and stage actress.

Early life

Nora Jones was born and brought up in

Tottenham Tottenham (, , , ) is a district in north London, England, within the London Borough of Haringey. It is located in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. Tottenham is centred north-northeast of Charing Cross, ...

north London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

, the daughter of Frederick Henry Jones, a wine merchant's clerk, and his wife, Edith Elizabeth (née Elliott). She was educated at Tottenham high school before studying for the theatre at the Embassy School of Acting.

Career

At the age of nineteen, John was introduced to actor–director

Milton Rosmer Milton Rosmer (4 November 1881 – 7 December 1971) was a British actor, film director and screenwriter. He made his screen debut in ''The Mystery of a Hansom Cab'' (1915) and continued to act in theatre, film and television until 1956. In ...

, who cast her in several minor stage roles before casting her in his film ''

The Secret of the Loch ''The Secret of the Loch'' is a 1934 British film about the Loch Ness Monster. It is the first film made about the monster. It was edited by David Lean. Charles Bennett said the film was based on his original idea. He later admitted it was "ter ...

'' (1934). Following several more years of stage work she was cast opposite

Leslie Howard Leslie Howard Steiner (3 April 18931 June 1943) was an English actor, director, producer and writer.Obituary, '' Variety'', 9 June 1943. He wrote many stories and articles for ''The New York Times'', ''The New Yorker'', and '' Vanity Fair'' an ...

in ''

The First of the Few ''The First of the Few'' (US title ''Spitfire'') is a 1942 British black-and-white biographical film produced and directed by Leslie Howard (actor), Leslie Howard, who stars as R. J. Mitchell, the designer of the Supermarine Spitfire fighter air ...

'' (1942).McFarlane, Brian (28 February 2014). ''The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition''. Oxford University Press. p. 399; This led to her being cast in Howard's next film as a director, ''

The Gentle Sex ''The Gentle Sex'' is a 1943 British black-and-white romantic comedy-drama war film, directed by Leslie Howard and Maurice Elvey and narrated by Howard. It was written by Moie Charles and produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities Films, and ...

'' (1943).McFarlane, Brian (1997). ''An Autobiography of British Cinema''. London: Methuen. p. 329; Howard cast John in her next film ''

The Lamp Still Burns ''The Lamp Still Burns'' is a 1943 British drama film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Rosamund John, Stewart Granger and Godfrey Tearle. Its plot concerns a woman architect who changes careers to become a nurse. It was based on the 1942 n ...

'' (1943), which he produced, but he was killed during the film's production when his plane was shot down returning from Lisbon. John became one of Britain's most popular screen stars, second only to

Margaret Lockwood Margaret Mary Day Lockwood, CBE (15 September 1916 – 15 July 1990), was a British actress. One of Britain's most popular film stars of the 1930s and 1940s, her film appearances included ''The Lady Vanishes'' (1938), '' Night Train to Munich ...

as Britain's favourite female star in 1944, and credited her career ascendance to Howard. She next starred in the rural wartime comedy '' Tawny Pipit'' (1944), made by

Two Cities Films Two Cities Films is a British film production company. Formed in 1937, it was originally envisaged as operating both in London and in Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Ita ...

, which, according to John, went on to be popular with American audiences as "it was everything the Americans thought of as being English." John co-starred in

Anthony Asquith Anthony Asquith (; 9 November 1902 – 20 February 1968) was an English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on ''The Winslow Boy'' (1948) and '' The Browning Version'' (1951), among other adaptations ...

's wartime drama ''

The Way to the Stars ''The Way to the Stars'' is a 1945 Anglo-American black-and-white Second World War drama film made by Two Cities Films. The film was produced by Anatole de Grunwald, directed by Anthony Asquith, and stars Michael Redgrave, John Mills, Rosamu ...

'' (1945), following which she appeared in the medical wartime thriller ''

Green for Danger ''Green for Danger'' is a popular 1944 detective fiction, detective novel by British writer Christianna Brand, praised for its clever plot, interesting characters, and wartime hospital setting. It was made into a Green for Danger (film), 1946 ...

'' (1946). 1947 saw her star with

James Mason James Neville Mason (; 15 May 190927 July 1984) was an English actor. He achieved considerable success in British cinema before becoming a star in Hollywood. He was nominated for three Academy Awards, three Golden Globes (winning once) and two ...

in ''

The Upturned Glass ''The Upturned Glass'' is a 1947 British film noir psychological thriller directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring James Mason, Rosamund John and Pamela Kellino. The screenplay concerns a leading brain surgeon who murders a woman he believ ...

'' (1947), with ''

Michael Redgrave Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English actor and filmmaker. Beginning his career in theatre, he first appeared in the West End in 1937. He made his film debut in Alfred Hitchcock's ''The Lady Vanishes'' ...

'' in the

Boulting Brothers John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...

' political drama '' Fame is the Spur'' (1947) and with

Patricia Roc Patricia Roc (born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold; 7 June 1915 – 30 December 2003) was an English film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as '' Madonna of the Seven Moons'' (1945) and ''The Wicked Lady'' (1945), though she on ...

in the drama '' When the Bough Breaks'' (1947).

Personal life

John was twice married, first to film editor Russell Lloyd, from 1943 to 1949, with whom she had a son named John, and then to politician

John Silkin John Ernest Silkin (18 March 1923 – 26 April 1987) was a British left-wing Labour politician and solicitor. Early life Silkin was born in London. He was the third son of Lewis Silkin, 1st Baron Silkin, and a younger brother of Samuel Sil ...

from 1950 to 1987, with whom she had her second son, Rory."Rosamund John (Silkin): Transcript"
'' The History Project''. Retrieved 31 July 2021. She died at a nursing home in Clapham, London in 1998, aged 85.

Filmography

Sources

*Halliwell, Leslie and John Walker. ''Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies''. Harper Resource, 2001. .

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:John, Rosamund 1913 births 1998 deaths English film actresses English stage actresses 20th-century English actresses Actors from the London Borough of Haringey People from Tottenham