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