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.
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Films (60)
Don't Utter a Note
1966 · Nellie Pringle
The Invasion
1963 · Lady Corm
Nurse on Wheels
1963 · Miss Farthingale
I Thank a Fool
1962 · Aunt Heather Chandler
The Girl on the Boat
1962 · Mrs Adelaide Hignett
Two and Two Make Six
1962 · Aunt Phoebe Tonks
Satan Never Sleeps
1962 · Sister Agness
Francis of Assisi
1961 · Aunt Buona
Visa to Canton
1960 · Mao Tai Tai
A French Mistress
1960 · Beatrice Peake
Make Mine Mink
1960 · Dame Beatrice Appleby
A Woman of No Importance
1960 · Lady Hunstanton
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
1958 · Jeannie Lawson
Happy Is the Bride
1958 · Aunt Harriet
A Tale of Two Cities
1958 · Miss Pross
Night of the Demon
1957 · Mrs. Karswell
Campbell's Kingdom
1957 · Miss Abigail
How to Murder a Rich Uncle
1957 · Grannie (Victoria Clitterbern)
Doctor at Large
1957 · Lady Hawkins
Yield to the Night
1956 · Miss Bligh
As Long As They're Happy
1955 · Mrs. Arbuthnot
For Better, for Worse
1954 · Miss Mainbrace
The Weak and the Wicked
1954 · Millie Williams
The Beggar's Opera
1953 · Mrs. Trapes
The Pickwick Papers
1952 · Miss Witherfield
Made in Heaven
1952 · Miss Honeycroft
Treasure Hunt
1952 · Consuelo Howard
Secret People
1952 · Mrs. Reginald Kellick
Young Wives' Tale
1951 · Nanny Gallop
The Franchise Affair
1951 · Aunt Lin
The Queen of Spades
1949 · Princess Ivashin
The First Gentleman
1948 · Miss Knight
Jassy
1947
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
1947 · Miss La Creevy
Dear Octopus
1943 · Aunt Belle
Letter from Home
1941 · Mrs Ashford
Quiet Wedding
1941 · Aunt Mary
Young Man's Fancy
1939 · Milliner
The Saint in London
1939 · Mother Buckley
The Ware Case
1938 · Mrs Pinto
The Citadel
1938 · Lady Raebank
Jane Steps Out
1938 · Grandma
Sailing Along
1938 · Victoria Gulliver
Non-Stop New York
1937 · Aunt Veronica
The Lilac Domino
1937 · Madame Alary
The Mill on the Floss
1937 · Mrs. Pullet
The Sky’s the Limit
1937 · Miss Prinny
Sensation
1936 · Madame Henry
Irish for Luck
1936 · The Duchess
Southern Roses
1936 · Mrs. Rowland
It's Love Again
1936 · Mrs. Durland
Scrooge
1935 · Scrooge's Charwoman
Drake of England
1935 · Queen Elizabeth
Moscow Nights
1934 · Madame Anna Sabine
Blossom Time
1934 · Archduchess Maria Victoria
The Private Life of Don Juan
1934 · Theresa, the Innkeeper, a Middle Aged Lady of Young Sentiment
Early to Bed
1933 · Frau Waiser
Tell Me Tonight
1932 · Mrs. Pategg
The Perfect Lady
1931 · Lady Westhaven
The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick
1921 · Rachel Wardle
