Athene Seyler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Athene Seyler, CBE (31 May 1889 – 12 September 1990) was an English actress.
Although better known as a stage actress - she first appeared on the stage in 1909 - she made her film debut in 1921, and became known for playing slightly dotty old ladies in many British films from the 1930s to the 1960s.
Her most memorable stage credits included Mrs. Malaprop in The Rivals, Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest, and a double-act, with her good friend Dame Sybil Thorndike, as the murderous spinster sisters in Arsenic and Old Lace.
Her film and television career lasted into the 1960s, and included roles in The Citadel (1938), Night of the Demon (1957), and The Avengers (1964, 1965). She was also a regular cast member in screen adaptations of Charles Dickens' novels.
She virtually retired from acting after 1970, but continued making public appearances until well into the 1980s. In 1990, at the age of 101, she appeared at the National Theatre, talking about her long life and career.
Athene Seyler was President of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) from 1950, and a member of the Theatrical Ladies' Guild. She also wrote The Craft of Comedy.
She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1959.
Acting
Movie
Night of the Demon
as Mrs. Karswell
1957
TV
The Avengers
1961
Movie
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
as Jeannie Lawson
1958
Movie
The Queen of Spades
as Princess Ivashin
1949
Movie
Scrooge
as Scrooge's Charwoman
1935
Movie
Yield to the Night
as Miss Bligh
1956
Movie
The Citadel
as Lady Raebank
1938
Movie
Francis of Assisi
as Aunt Buona
1961
Movie
Doctor at Large
as Lady Hawkins
1957
Movie
Secret People
as Mrs. Reginald Kellick
1952
Movie
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
as Miss La Creevy
1947
Movie
A Tale of Two Cities
as Miss Pross
1958
Movie
The Private Life of Don Juan
as Theresa, the Innkeeper, a Middle Aged Lady of Young Sentiment
1934
Movie
Campbell's Kingdom
as Miss Abigail
1957
Movie
The Saint in London
as Mother Buckley
1939
Movie
Make Mine Mink
as Dame Beatrice Appleby
1960
Movie
Satan Never Sleeps
as Sister Agness
1962
Movie
Nurse on Wheels
as Miss Farthingale
1963
Movie
The Pickwick Papers
as Miss Witherfield
1952
Movie
Visa to Canton
as Mao Tai Tai
1960
Movie
Young Wives' Tale
as Nanny Gallop
1951
Movie
The Weak and the Wicked
as Millie Williams
1954
Movie
Non-Stop New York
as Aunt Veronica
1937
Movie
Jassy
1947