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Penelope Dudley-Ward

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Penelope Dudley-Ward
Born
Penelope Anne Rachel Dudley Ward

(1914-08-04)4 August 1914
London, England
Died22 January 1982(1982-01-22) (aged 67)
London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1935–1944
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1939; div. 1944)​
​
​
(m. 1948; died 1976)​
Children2, including Tracy Reed
Parents

Penelope Ann Rachel, Lady Reed (born Penelope Anne Rachel Dudley Ward; 4 August 1914 – 22 January 1982),[1] known as Penelope Dudley-Ward, was an English film actress.

Biography

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Dudley-Ward was born in London in 1914. She was the elder of the two daughters of William Dudley Ward, the Liberal Member of Parliament for Southampton,[2] and the leading socialite Freda Dudley Ward (née Birkin).[3] Her mother was a member of the wealthy Birkin family and is best remembered for being the long-time mistress of the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII, from 1918 to 1934.[4]

Film career

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Dudley-Ward was a leading lady who typically played strong yet feminine characters, in several British films during the 1930s and 1940s.[5] She was a contract player at Korda's London Films and collaborator of director Anthony Asquith.[6]

Her notable roles include as Natasha Kovrin opposite Laurence Olivier in Asquith's Moscow Nights (1935),[6] as Maureen Fenwick in Noël Coward's In Which We Serve (1942),[7] and Ann Tisdall in Asquith's The Demi-Paradise (1943).[8][9] She retired from the screen following her second marriage, with her last film role playing as Joan Heseltine opposite Michael Wilding in Harold French's romantic comedy film English without Tears (1944).[10]

Personal life

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Dudley-Ward was courted by Brendan Bracken, who "liked it to be thought that he was single because she turned him down."[11]

Dudley-Ward's first marriage, to Anthony Pelissier, lasted from 29 December 1939, until their divorce in 1944.[12] The couple had one daughter, the actress Tracy Reed, most known for starring in Dr. Strangelove (1964).[13]

Dudley-Ward married film director Carol Reed on 24 January 1948.[12][14][15] They had one son, Max Reed, born 14 September 1948.[16] Dudley-Ward and Reed remained married until he died in 1976.[17]

Death

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Dudley-Ward died from a brain tumour on 22 January 1982 at the age of 67,[18] fourteen months before her mother also passed away.[19]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1935 Escape Me Never Fenella McClean
1935 Moscow Nights Natasha Kovrin
1938 The Citadel Toppy LeRoy
1939 Hell's Cargo Annette Lestailleur
1940 Dangerous Comment Mrs. Conway Short
1940 Convoy Mabel
1940 The Case of the Frightened Lady Isla Crane
1941 Major Barbara Sarah Undershaft
1942 We Serve ATS Driver Short
1942 In Which We Serve Maureen
1943 The Demi-Paradise Ann Tisdall
1944 The Way Ahead Mrs. Perry
1944 English Without Tears Joan Heseltine (final film role)

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Benjamin, Ruth; Arthur, Rosenblatt (2006). Who sang what on Broadway, 1866-1996. Vol. 2 (M-Z ed.). McFarland & Company. p. 775. ISBN 0786415061.
  2. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "S." 9 May 2015. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  3. ^ Who was who in the theatre, 1912-1976. Vol. 4 (Q-Z ed.). Gale Research Company. 1978. p. 2498. ISBN 0810304066.
  4. ^ Douglas-Home, Jamie (9 July 2012). Stately Passions: The Scandals of Britain's Great Houses. Michael O'Mara Books. ISBN 978-1-84317-955-9.
  5. ^ Harper, Sue (1 June 2000). Women in British Cinema: Mad, Bad and Dangerous to Know. A&C Black. p. 49. ISBN 978-1-4411-3498-1.
  6. ^ a b Ryall, Tom (19 July 2013). Anthony Asquith. Manchester University Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-1-84779-569-4.
  7. ^ Slide, Anthony (1 January 1985). Fifty Classic British Films, 1932-1982: A Pictorial Record. Courier Corporation. ISBN 978-0-486-24860-8.
  8. ^ Monk, Claire; Sargeant, Amy (28 January 2015). British Historical Cinema. Routledge. p. 245. ISBN 978-1-136-36649-9.
  9. ^ Hayes, Visiting Senior Fellow Department of Psychology Nicky (1 January 1999). Millions Like Us'?: British Culture in the Second World War. Liverpool University Press. p. 50. ISBN 978-0-85323-763-1.
  10. ^ Murphy, Robert (15 August 2005). British Cinema and the Second World War. A&C Black. p. 177. ISBN 978-0-8264-7897-9.
  11. ^ "Brendan Bracken: The Fantasist Whose Dreams Came True". International Churchill Society. 27 June 2009. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  12. ^ a b Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage. Burke's Peerage. 1956. p. 688.
  13. ^ Bergman, Anne (10 July 1994). "'Dr. Strangelove' and the Single Woman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
  14. ^ Wapshott, Nicholas (1994). Carol Reed: A Biography. Alfred A. Knopf. p. 181. ISBN 0679402888.
  15. ^ Evans, Peter William (4 January 2019). Carol Reed. Manchester University Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-1-5261-4120-0.
  16. ^ Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Peerage, Baronetage, and Knightage, Privy Council, and Order of Preference. Burke's Peerage. 1963. p. 10.
  17. ^ Wapshott, p. 332.
  18. ^ Wapshott, p. 334.
  19. ^ "Marquesa, 'First True Love' Of Edward VIII, Is Dead at 88". The New York Times. 18 March 1983. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 13 April 2025.
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