# Freda Jackson

> Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Freda_Jackson
> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Freda_Jackson.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freda_Jackson
> Source revision: 1350991044
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Short description|English actress (1907–1990)}}
{{distinguish|Freda Freeman-Jackson}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name         = Freda Jackson
| image        = Freda jackson the brides of dracula.jpg
| caption      = Freda Jackson in ''[The Brides of Dracula](/source/The_Brides_of_Dracula)'' (1960)
| birth_name   = Freda Maud Jackson
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1907|12|29|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [Nottingham](/source/Nottingham), Nottinghamshire, England
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1990|10|20|1907|12|29|df=y}}
| death_place  = [Northampton](/source/Northampton), Northamptonshire, England
| years_active = 1934–1981
| spouse       = {{marriage|[Henry Bird](/source/Henry_Bird_(artist))|1937}}
| children     = 1
}}

'''Freda Maud Jackson''' (29 December 1907 – 20 October 1990) was an English stage actress who also worked in film and television.

==Early life and career==
Jackson was born in [Nottingham](/source/Nottingham) in 1907. She made her stage debut on 1 January 1934 at the [Northampton Repertory Theatre](/source/Royal_%26_Derngate) in ''[Sweet Lavender](/source/Sweet_Lavender)''.<ref>John Parker (ed), ''Who's Who in the Theatre'', 15th edition, Pitman Publishing 1972</ref> During this period, she reputedly had a relationship with [Errol Flynn](/source/Errol_Flynn), a fellow company member.<ref name= "Mayes">{{cite news|last=Mayes|first=Ian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/may/11/guardianobituaries.ianmayes|title=Henry Bird|work=The Guardian|date=11 May 2000|access-date=9 April 2016}}</ref> After two years with the Northampton Rep, she first appeared in London on 13 July 1936 in ''[The Sacred Flame](/source/The_Sacred_Flame_(play))'' at the [Q Theatre](/source/Q_Theatre), afterwards touring with [Emlyn Williams](/source/Emlyn_Williams) in Williams' play ''[Night Must Fall](/source/Night_Must_Fall)''. In 1938 she joined the [Old Vic](/source/Old_Vic) company, touring with them the following year in Europe and Egypt, and in 1940 she became part of the [Stratford Memorial Theatre](/source/Royal_Shakespeare_Theatre) company.<ref name="Parker, op cit">Parker, op cit</ref> Her film debut was in ''[Mountains O'Mourne](/source/Mountains_O'Mourne)'' (1938); other early films included [Powell and Pressburger](/source/Powell_and_Pressburger)'s ''[A Canterbury Tale](/source/A_Canterbury_Tale)'', [Laurence Olivier](/source/Laurence_Olivier)'s ''[Henry V](/source/Henry_V_(1944_film))'' (both 1944) and [David Lean](/source/David_Lean)'s ''[Great Expectations](/source/Great_Expectations_(1946_film))'' (1946).<ref>David Quinlan, ''The Illustrated Directory of Film Character Actors'', BT Batsford Ltd 1985</ref>

In July 1945 she scored a personal success at the [Embassy Theatre](/source/Embassy_Theatre_(London)) in London's [Swiss Cottage](/source/Swiss_Cottage), playing the sadistic landlady Mrs Voray in Joan Temple's ''[No Room at the Inn](/source/No_Room_at_the_Inn)''.<ref>Anthony Hawtrey, 'Foreword', ''Embassy Successes II'', Sampson Low, Marston & Co 1946</ref> She also featured in the play's [West End](/source/West_End_theatre) transfer and in the film adaptation released in 1948. A few years later she played a similar role, Mrs Allistair, in the stage and screen versions of Sylvia Rayman's ''[Women of Twilight](/source/Women_of_Twilight)'' (1952).<ref>JP Wearing, ''The London Stage 1950–1959: A Calendar of Plays and Players'', Scarecrow Press 1993</ref> "I wonder," she wrote in 1954, "if [my fellow actors] ever dreamed when we were treading the Shakespearean boards together at Stratford 14 years ago that their light-hearted Nerissa, Maria and Mrs Quickly would, in less years than it takes to say Sweeney Todd, be treading so heavily the darkest paths of crime—her name a horrid by-word, a source of cosy shudders ... Seriously though, dear public, you must please believe that I was not always so depraved a character."<ref>Freda Jackson, 'Saturnalia: Freda Jackson On – and Off – Stage', ''Curtain Up: The Only Repertory Theatre Magazine'' Vol 11 no 2, 26 April 1954</ref>

==Later career==

In July 1955, back at Northampton, she played the role she later listed as her favourite in ''[Who's Who in the Theatre](/source/Who's_Who_in_the_Theatre)'' – Marguerite Gautier in ''[The Lady of the Camellias](/source/The_Lady_of_the_Camellias)''. Later stage appearances included the Gypsy in ''[Camino Real](/source/Camino_Real_(play))'' (Phoenix Theatre 1957), ''[Duel of Angels](/source/Duel_of_Angels)'' (Apollo Theatre 1958), Mrs Hitchcock in ''[Sergeant Musgrave's Dance](/source/Sergeant_Musgrave's_Dance)'' (Royal Court Theatre 1959), Gunhild in ''[John Gabriel Borkman](/source/John_Gabriel_Borkman)'' (Mermaid Theatre 1961), the title role in ''[Mother Courage](/source/Mother_Courage_and_Her_Children)'' (Bristol Old Vic 1961), ''Naked'' (Royal Court Theatre 1963), a 1967 tour of ''[Arsenic and Old Lace](/source/Arsenic_and_Old_Lace_(play))'', and Maria Helliwell in ''[When We Are Married](/source/When_We_Are_Married)'' (Strand Theatre 1970).<ref name="Parker, op cit"/>

Her later films included [Lewis Gilbert](/source/Lewis_Gilbert)'s ''[The Good Die Young](/source/The_Good_Die_Young)'' (1954) as [Joan Collins](/source/Joan_Collins)' mother, [George Cukor](/source/George_Cukor)'s ''[Bhowani Junction](/source/Bhowani_Junction)'' (1956), [Ralph Thomas](/source/Ralph_Thomas)' ''[A Tale of Two Cities](/source/A_Tale_of_Two_Cities_(1958_film))'' (1958), [Terence Fisher](/source/Terence_Fisher)'s ''[The Brides of Dracula](/source/The_Brides_of_Dracula)'' (1960), [Tony Richardson](/source/Tony_Richardson)'s ''[Tom Jones](/source/Tom_Jones_(1963_film))'' (1963), two directed by [Michael Winner](/source/Michael_Winner) (''[West 11](/source/West_11)'', 1963, and ''[The Jokers](/source/The_Jokers)'', 1967), [Daniel Haller](/source/Daniel_Haller)'s ''[Die, Monster, Die!](/source/Die%2C_Monster%2C_Die!)'' (1965) as [Boris Karloff](/source/Boris_Karloff)'s wife, and two featuring [Ray Harryhausen](/source/Ray_Harryhausen) creature effects: ''[The Valley of Gwangi](/source/The_Valley_of_Gwangi)'' (1969) and ''[Clash of the Titans](/source/Clash_of_the_Titans_(1981_film))'' (1981). Summarising her film career, [David Quinlan](/source/David_Quinlan_(film_critic)) wrote that she "created some memorably grim portraits ... fewer than one would have liked, but she was really too ferocious for supporting roles."<ref>Quinlan, op cit</ref>

==Personal life==

Jackson married artist [Henry Bird](/source/Henry_Bird_(artist)) in 1937;  according to Bird's obituary in ''The Times'', "His first sight of her was her face, suspended halfway up the stage curtain, painted green as a witch in a production of ''Macbeth'' at the Royal Theatre, Northampton. With typical decisiveness he said: 'That's the woman for me.'"<ref name="Times">Anon (29 April 2000), Henry Bird, Obituary ''[The Times](/source/The_Times)''.</ref> They lived at Hardingstone House, Northampton. Their son, Julian, initially a psychiatrist, became an actor in his 60s.<ref name="Mayes"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/jan/10/a-new-start-after-60-i-almost-died-of-cancer-then-i-became-an-actor-at-63|title=A new start after 60: 'I almost died of cancer. Then I became an actor – at 63!'|website=[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)|date=10 January 2022}}</ref>

Jackson died in 1990 at the age of 82. She was cremated at the Counties Crematorium, Northampton.

==Partial filmography==
{{div col}}
* ''[A Canterbury Tale](/source/A_Canterbury_Tale)'' (1944) – Prudence Honeywood
* ''[Henry V](/source/Henry_V_(1944_film))'' (1944) – Mistress Quickly
* ''[Beware of Pity](/source/Beware_of_Pity)'' (1946) – Gypsy
* ''[Great Expectations](/source/Great_Expectations_(1946_film))'' (1946) – Mrs.Joe
* ''[No Room at the Inn](/source/No_Room_at_the_Inn)'' (1948) – Mrs. Voray
* ''[Flesh and Blood](/source/Flesh_and_Blood_(1951_film))'' (1951) – Mrs. Hannah
* ''[Mr. Denning Drives North](/source/Mr._Denning_Drives_North)'' (1951) – Ma Smith
* ''[Women of Twilight](/source/Women_of_Twilight_(film))'' (1952) – Mrs. Helen 'Nelly' Alistair
* ''[The Good Die Young](/source/The_Good_Die_Young)'' (1954) – Mrs. Freeman
* ''[The Crowded Day](/source/The_Crowded_Day)'' (1954) – Mrs. Morgan
* ''[Bhowani Junction](/source/Bhowani_Junction_(film))'' (1956) – The Sandani
* ''[The Last Man to Hang](/source/The_Last_Man_to_Hang)'' (1956) – Mrs. Tucker
* ''[The Flesh Is Weak](/source/The_Flesh_Is_Weak)'' (1957) – Trixie
* ''[A Tale of Two Cities](/source/A_Tale_of_Two_Cities_(1958_film))'' (1958) – The Vengeance
* ''[The Brides of Dracula](/source/The_Brides_of_Dracula)'' (1960) – Greta
* ''[Shadow of the Cat](/source/Shadow_of_the_Cat)'' (1961) – Clara, the Maid
* ''[Greyfriars Bobby](/source/Greyfriars_Bobby_(film))'' (1961) – Old woman caretaker
* ''Boy with a Flute'' (1964, short) – Ann Winters
* ''[Tom Jones](/source/Tom_Jones_(1963_film))'' (1963) – Mrs. Seagrim
* ''[West 11](/source/West_11)'' (1963) – Mrs. Hartley
* ''[The Third Secret](/source/The_Third_Secret_(film))'' (1964) – Mrs. Bales
* ''[Die, Monster, Die!](/source/Die%2C_Monster%2C_Die!)'' (1965) – Letitia Witley
* ''[The Jokers](/source/The_Jokers)'' (1967) – Mrs. Pervis
* ''[The Valley of Gwangi](/source/The_Valley_of_Gwangi)'' (1969) – Tia Zorina
* ''[Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)](/source/Randall_and_Hopkirk_(Deceased))'' (1970) – Mrs. Evans (Episode 26 – [The Smile Behind the Veil](/source/The_Smile_Behind_the_Veil))
* ''[Clash of the Titans](/source/Clash_of_the_Titans_(1981_film))'' (1981) – Stygian Witch #3 (final film role)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0413528}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Freda}}
Category:1907 births
Category:1990 deaths
Category:People educated at Nottingham High Pavement Grammar School
Category:Actresses from Nottingham
Category:English stage actresses
Category:English film actresses
Category:20th-century English actresses

---
Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Freda Jackson](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freda_Jackson) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freda_Jackson?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.