Athene Seyler

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.

Nurse on Wheels
1963
Miss Farthingale
I Thank a Fool
1962
Aunt Heather Chandler
Satan Never Sleeps
1962
Sister Agness
The Girl on the Boat
1962
Mrs Adelaide Hignett
Two and Two Make Six
1962
Aunt Phoebe Tonks
Francis of Assisi
1961
Aunt Buona
Make Mine Mink
1960
Dame Beatrice Appleby
Visa to Canton
1960
Mao Tai Tai
A French Mistress
1960
Beatrice Peake
A Tale of Two Cities
1958
Miss Pross
Happy Is the Bride
1958
Aunt Harriet
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
1958
Jeannie Lawson
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
Secret People
1952
Mrs. Reginald Kellick
Made in Heaven
1952
Miss Honeycroft
Treasure Hunt
1952
Consuelo Howard
The Pickwick Papers
1952
Miss Witherfield
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
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
1947
Miss La Creevy
Jassy
1947
Quiet Wedding
1941
Aunt Mary
Letter from Home
1941
Mrs Ashford
The Saint in London
1939
Mother Buckley
Young Man's Fancy
1939
Milliner
The Citadel
1938
Lady Raebank
Jane Steps Out
1938
Grandma
Sailing Along
1938
Victoria Gulliver
The Ware Case
1938
Mrs Pinto
The Mill on the Floss
1937
Mrs. Pullet
The Lilac Domino
1937
Madame Alary
Non-Stop New York
1937
Aunt Veronica
It's Love Again
1936
Mrs. Durland
Sensation
1936
Madame Henry
Southern Roses
1936
Mrs. Rowland
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