Margaret Rutherford

(1892 – 1972)

Dame Margaret Rutherford, a hugely popular character actress who is often remembered for her sharp and witty spinster roles.

Margaret Rutherford was born on May 11th, 1892, before her birth her father had murdered her grandfather by battering him to death, as a result of this tragedy, Margaret took her mother’s maiden name, unfortunately her mother died when she was three years old. She was raised by her aunt; she attended Wimbledon High School and then RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts) which is one of the most renowned drama schools in the world and one of the oldest schools in England.

Margaret worked as an elocution teacher and then went into acting later in life at the age of thirty three, with her slightly fuller shape, she was considered unconventional compared to many female stars of the same era, which caused her to be cast into roles such as spinsters and detectives. Margaret Rutherford along with film roles also enjoyed many theater appearances in London’s West End. She played both Madame Arcati and Miss Prism on stage before she went on to play these roles on the screen in Blithe Spirit (1945) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1952).

Margaret Rutherford was quoted as saying that she ‘never intended to play for laughs and was always surprised that the audience thought her funny at all’.

She married actor Stringer Davis in 1945 who appeared in many of her films, most notably was the Agatha Christie movies where Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple in four films, Murder, she Said(1961) Murder at the Gallop (1963), Murder Most Foul (1964), and Murder Ahoy (1964). Her adaptation of the famous character wasn’t the traditional Miss Marple, Margaret brought spunk, sass and feistiness to the character and made her fun. Her husband, Stringer Davis funnily enough played her accomplice in solving the cases, Mr. Stringer. During the filming of these movies, Margaret Rutherford insisted on wearing her own clothes, some may remember the famous cloak she wore that she would famously sling around her front shoulders just before stomping off or making a point.

Margaret Rutherford won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Golden Globe for her appearance in The V.I.P.s (1963), she played an absent minded Duchess of Brighton, and played opposite Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Her work in Chimes at Midnight in 1966 was so well received that Queen Elizabeth II entitled her a noble lady. She was made Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1961 and then was raised to Dame Commander (DBE) in 1967.

Towards the end of her life she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, which caused her to cancel an engagement at the Haymarket Theater in The Rivals when it became clear that she would not be able to fulfill her contract. She passed away May 22nd, 1972. Margaret Rutherford was buried along with her husband Stringer Davis who died a year later in August 1973. They are buried in the graveyard of St James Church in Gerrads Cross, Buckinghamshire.

Filmography

Talk of the Devil (1936)
Dusty Ermine (1936)
Troubled Waters (1936)
Missing, Believed Married (1937)
Catch As Catch Can (1937)
Big Fella (1937)
Beauty and the Barge (1937)
Spring Meeting (1941)
Quiet Wedding !941)
Yellow Canary (1943)
The Demi-Paradise (1943)
English Without Tears (1944)
Blithe Spirit (1945)
While the Sun Shines (1947)
Meet Me at Dawn (1947)
Miranda (1948)
Passport to Pimlico (1949)
The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
Her Favorite Husband (1950)
The Magic Box (1951)
Curtain Up (1952)
Miss Robin Hood (1952)
The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
Castle in the Air (1952)
Innocents in Paris (1953)
Trouble in Store (1953)
The Runaway Bus (1954)
Mad About Men (1954)
Aunt Clara (1954)
An Alligator Named Daisy (1955)
The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)
Just My Luck (1957)
I'm All Right Jack (1959)
On the Double (1961)
Murder, She Said (1961)
Murder at the Gallop (1963)
The Mouse on the Moon (1963)
The V.I.P.s (1963)
Murder Most Foul (1964)
Murder Ahoy! (1964)
Chimes at Midnight (1965)
The Alphabet Murders (1965)
A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)
Arabella (1967)
The Wacky World of Mother Goose (1967)