Wendy Hiller
A no-nonsense actress who took command of the screen.
Wendy Hiller, born in Bramhall, Cheshire, started her acting career at 18 by joining the Manchester Repertory Company.[1] For her performance as a lonely hotel manager in the 1958 film Separate Tables, Hiller received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 1959.[2] After 1945, Hiller returned to stage work full-time and only occasionally accepted film roles.[2]
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Wendy Margaret Hiller
- Born
- 15 August 1912
- Birthplace
- Bramhall, Cheshire, England
- Died
- 14 May 2003
- Place of death
- Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England
- Resting place
- St Mary Churchyard, Radnage, Buckinghamshire, England
- Years active
- 1935–1993
- Occupation
- Actress
Facts from the source article.
Life and work
Hiller was educated at Winceby House School for Girls and Oriel Bank High School before joining the Manchester Repertory Company.[1] After 1945 she returned to full-time stage work and only occasionally accepted film roles.[2] In the 1950s she portrayed an abused colonial wife in Outcast of the Islands and a Mau Mau victim in Something of Value.[2] She received a BAFTA nomination for her role in Sons and Lovers and a Golden Globe nomination for Toys in the Attic.[2]
In 1965 she played Anne Hutchinson in an episode of Profiles in Courage.[3] Because of chronic ill health, Hiller retired from acting in 1992, and she died at age 90 in Beaconsfield.[4]
What the cited sources add
Sheridan Morley described Hiller as remarkable for her "extreme untheatricality until the house lights went down"[5] The New York Times reported that she spent her last decade in quiet retirement at her Beaconsfield home.[4] A 1959 report quoted Hiller's reaction to her Oscar win as: "Never mind the honour, cold hard cash is what it means to me."[2] In a 1964 episode of the police drama Z-Cars, Hiller made a guest appearance that earned critical acclaim.[3]
The University of Manchester granted Hiller an honorary doctorate in 1984.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Wendy Hiller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Hiller, Dame Wendy Margaret (1912–2003)" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wendy Hiller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "That Honor, That Cash", 20 April 1959; "BAFTA Awards", BAFTA; "Wendy Hiller", Golden Globes.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wendy Hiller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Webber, "Brian Blessed and Wendy Hiller Can Take Top Marks", Bristol Evening Post, 21 November 1964 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wendy Hiller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Wendy Hiller Spirited Actress, Dies at 90", The New York Times, 17 May 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Wendy Hiller" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Dame Wendy Hiller", The Daily Telegraph, 16 May 2003 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Wendy Hiller (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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