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
The Third Man
The Pickwick Papers
Miss Witherfield
Make Mine Mink
Dame Beatrice Appleby
Night of the Demon
Mrs. Karswell
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
Jeannie Lawson
A Tale of Two Cities
Miss Pross
Yield to the Night
Miss Bligh
Scrooge
Scrooge's Charwoman
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Miss La Creevy
The Queen of Spades
Princess Ivashin
Jassy
The Citadel
Lady Raebank
The Private Life of Don Juan
Theresa, the Innkeeper, a Middle Aged Lady of Young Sentiment
Don't Utter a Note
Nellie Pringle
Treasure Hunt
Consuelo Howard
Campbell's Kingdom
Miss Abigail
Francis of Assisi
Aunt Buona
Happy Is the Bride
Aunt Harriet
Doctor at Large
Lady Hawkins
Visa to Canton
Mao Tai Tai
Satan Never Sleeps
Sister Agness
As Long as They're Happy
Mrs. Arbuthnot
For Better, for Worse
Miss Mainbrace
Secret People
Mrs. Reginald Kellick
Moscow Nights
Madame Anna Sabine
Young Wives' Tale
Nanny Gallop
It's Love Again
Mrs. Durland
A French Mistress
Beatrice Peake
Drake of England
Queen Elizabeth
I Thank a Fool
Aunt Heather Chandler
The Mill on the Floss
Mrs. Pullet
The Weak and the Wicked
Millie Williams
How to Murder a Rich Uncle
Grannie (Victoria Clitterbern)
The First Gentleman
Miss Knight
The Saint in London
Mother Buckley
Jane Steps Out
Grandma
The Beggar's Opera
Mrs. Trapes
Non-Stop New York
Aunt Veronica
Southern Roses
Mrs. Rowland
The Lilac Domino
Madame Alary
Dear Octopus
Aunt Belle
Nurse on Wheels
Miss Farthingale
The Franchise Affair
Aunt Lin
The Perfect Lady
Lady Westhaven
Quiet Wedding
Aunt Mary
Young Man's Fancy
Milliner
The Girl on the Boat
Mrs Adelaide Hignett
Early to Bed
Frau Waiser
Sensation
Madame Henry
Blossom Time
Archduchess Maria Victoria
Made in Heaven
Miss Honeycroft
Letter from Home
Mrs Ashford
The Ware Case
Mrs Pinto
Tell Me Tonight
Mrs. Pategg
The Invasion
Lady Corm
The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick
Rachel Wardle
Two and Two Make Six
Aunt Phoebe Tonks
Sailing Along
Victoria Gulliver
The Sky’s the Limit
Miss Prinny