{{Short description|British actress (1908–1965)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} [[File:Beryl-Measor-Madame-Arcati.jpg|thumb|As Madame Arcati in ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'', 1944|alt=middle-aged white woman in extravagant costume, posturing]]
'''Beryl Measor''' (22 April 1908 – 8 February 1965) was a British actress. She created roles in plays by [[Noël Coward]] and [[Terence Rattigan]]. In addition to her stage career she broadcast frequently on [[BBC]] radio and television, and appeared in several cinema films.
==Life and career== Measor was born in [[Shanghai]], China, on 22 April 1908, the daughter of Ernest Anthony Measor and his wife, Mary (née Humphreys).<ref name=ww>Parker, Gaye and Herbert, pg. 1669.</ref> She was educated at [[St Margaret's School, Bushey]], before enrolling at the [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] in London.<ref>"Royal Academy of Dramatic Art", ''The Times'', 31 July 1930, p. 12</ref> She was a star pupil, winning the RADA Silver Medal in 1931.<ref>"Royal Academy of Dramatic Art", ''The Times'', 8 August 1931, p. 8</ref>
She made her first professional appearance on the stage at the [[Whitehall Theatre]] on 28 July 1931, walking-on in ''[[Take a Chance (play)|Take a Chance]]''. In 1931–32, she toured as Luella Carmody in ''Late Night Final''. From 1932 to 1934 she was a member of repertory companies in Worthing, Croydon, and Hull. From 1934 she appeared in [[West End theatre|West End]] productions, mostly of new plays, and at the [[Old Vic]] as Margaret in ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]'' (1934).<ref name=ww/> In 1942 she created two roles in [[Noël Coward]] plays: Monica Reed in ''[[Present Laughter]]'' and Edie in ''[[This Happy Breed]]'', first during a long [[Second World War|wartime]] provincial tour and then in the West End. She took over from [[Margaret Rutherford]] as Madame Arcati in the original production of Coward's ''[[Blithe Spirit (play)|Blithe Spirit]]'' during its record-breaking London run,<ref>"Theatres", ''The Times'', 29 June 1942, p. 6</ref> and played the part on tour, with the author as Charles Condomine.<ref>Payn, p. 361</ref> In 1945 she married the actor [[Terence De Marney]].<ref name=ancestry/>
From 1941 to 1961 Measor was a frequent broadcaster on [[BBC]] radio and television. In addition to playing Madame Arcati in the first televised version of ''Blithe Spirit'' (performed live, 1948), her roles included Lady Fallowfield in [[Eric Maschwitz]]'s 13-part series ''Family Affairs'' (1950) and Mrs Proudie in a six-part adaptation of ''[[Barchester Towers]]'' (1959). On radio she was a regular member of the cast of ''Navy Mixture'' (1946–47), with [[Jimmy Jewel]] and [[Ben Warriss]].<ref>[https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/0/20?order=first&q=%22Beryl+Measor%22 "Beryl Measor"], BBC Genome. Retrieved 28 August 2021</ref>
Between 1946 and 1954, Measor played in the West End in eight new plays, mostly box-office successes, though not subsequently revived.<ref name=ww/> Her next role in a notable play was in [[Terence Rattigan]]'s double-bill ''[[Separate Tables]]'' as Miss Cooper, the proprietor of the hotel in which both plays are set. She received the [[Clarence Derwent Award]] for her performance in this production in London and made her first appearance on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] in the same role in October 1956, receiving a [[Tony Awards|Tony nomination]].<ref name=ww/><ref>[http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search "Beryl Measor search"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831204617/http://www.tonyawards.com/p/tonys_search |date=2016-08-31 }}, Tony Awards, retrieved 19 March 2014</ref>
Her final West End roles were Cornelia Scott in ''[[List of one-act plays by Tennessee Williams#Something Unspoken|Something Unspoken]]'' and Mrs Holly in ''[[Suddenly Last Summer]]'' in the [[Tennessee Williams]] double bill ''Garden District'' at the [[Arts Theatre]] in 1958. In 1959 she played Lady Saill in [[Eric Linklater]]'s ''Breakspear in Gascony'' at the [[Edinburgh Festival]].<ref name=ww/>
Measor died in London on 8 February 1965 at the age of 56;<ref name=bfi1>https://web.archive.org/web/20140319221242/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2bac44528c Beryl Measor</ref> her husband survived her. They had no children.<ref name=ancestry>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/family-tree/person/tree/176462055/person/252293904573/facts "Terence Arthur De Marney"], Ancestry UK. Retrieved 28 August 2021 {{subscription required}}</ref>
==Film and television roles== *''[[Almost a Honeymoon (1938 film)|Almost a Honeymoon]]'' – Mabel, the barmaid (1938) *''Richard of Bordeaux'' – Countess of Derby (1938) *''[[English Without Tears]]'' – Miss Faljambe (1944) *''[[Dual Alibi]]'' – Gwen (1947) *''[[Odd Man Out]]'' – Maudie (1947) *''[[The Mark of Cain (1947 film)|The Mark of Cain]]'' – Nurse Brand (1947) *''[[While the Sun Shines (film)|While the Sun Shines]]'' – Woman in train (1947) *''Blithe Spirit '' – Madame Arcati (1948) *''[[Esther Waters (film)|Esther Waters]]'' – Mrs Spires (1948) *''Morning Star'' – Amarilla Arbuthnot (1956) *''Please Murder Me'' – cast member (1958) *''Uncle Harry'' – Hester Quincey (1958) *''Barchester Towers'' – Mrs Proudie (1959) *''No Wreath for the General Episode 3'' – middle-aged woman (1960)<ref name=bfi2>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120712004350/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6a9421fd ''Dual Alibi''], British Film Institute ; retrieved 19 March 2014.</ref>
==Notes== {{reflist}}
==Sources== * {{cite book|last=Parker| first= John|author2=Freda Gaye|author3=Ian Herbert |year= 1978|title=Who Was Who in the Theatre |location= Detroit| publisher=Gale Research |oclc=310466458}} * {{cite book |last = Payn |first = Graham |year = 1994 |title = My Life with Noël Coward |location = New York |publisher = Applause Books |isbn = 978-1-55783-190-3 }}
==External links== * {{IMDb name}} * {{cite book| last= Coward| first= Noël| year= 1994| title= Plays, Four| location= London| publisher= Methuen| isbn= 0413461203| url-access= registration| url= https://archive.org/details/collectedplays00cowa}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Measor, Beryl}} [[Category:English stage actresses]] [[Category:1908 births]] [[Category:1965 deaths]] [[Category:20th-century English actresses]] [[Category:English film actresses]] [[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]