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.

Cast

A Tale of Two Cities

(Miss Pross)

Secret People

(Mrs. Reginald Kellick)

Night of the Demon

(Mrs. Karswell)

Scrooge

(Scrooge's Charwoman)

For Better, for Worse

(Miss Mainbrace)

Make Mine Mink

(Dame Beatrice Appleby)

Early to Bed

(Frau Waiser)

The Saint in London

(Mother Buckley)

The Citadel

(Lady Raebank)

Campbell's Kingdom

(Miss Abigail)

The Queen of Spades

(Princess Ivashin)

I Thank a Fool

(Aunt Heather Chandler)

Francis of Assisi

(Aunt Buona)

It's Love Again

(Mrs. Durland)

Made in Heaven

(Miss Honeycroft)

The Weak and the Wicked

(Millie Williams)

Satan Never Sleeps

(Sister Agness)

How to Murder a Rich Uncle

(Grannie (Victoria Clitterbern))

Jane Steps Out

(Grandma)

Moscow Nights

(Madame Anna Sabine)

Visa to Canton

(Mao Tai Tai)

Sailing Along

(Victoria Gulliver)

Quiet Wedding

(Aunt Mary)

Young Wives' Tale

(Nanny Gallop)

Drake of England

(Queen Elizabeth)

Blossom Time

(Archduchess Maria Victoria)

Happy Is the Bride

(Aunt Harriet)

The Inn of the Sixth Happiness

(Jeannie Lawson)

The Ware Case

(Mrs Pinto)

The Mill on the Floss

(Mrs. Pullet)

Letter from Home

(Mrs Ashford)

The Franchise Affair

(Aunt Lin)

As Long as They're Happy

(Mrs. Arbuthnot)

The First Gentleman

(Miss Knight)

The Invasion

(Lady Corm)

Don't Utter a Note

(Nellie Pringle)

The Sky’s the Limit

(Miss Prinny)

Doctor at Large

(Lady Hawkins)

The Beggar's Opera

(Mrs. Trapes)

Sensation

(Madame Henry)

A French Mistress

(Beatrice Peake)

The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick

(Rachel Wardle)

Dear Octopus

(Aunt Belle)

The Perfect Lady

(Lady Westhaven)

Tell Me Tonight

(Mrs. Pategg)

Treasure Hunt

(Consuelo Howard)

Yield to the Night

(Miss Bligh)

The Lilac Domino

(Madame Alary)

The Private Life of Don Juan

(Theresa, the Innkeeper, a Middle Aged Lady of Young Sentiment)

Nurse on Wheels

(Miss Farthingale)

The Girl on the Boat

(Mrs Adelaide Hignett)

The Pickwick Papers

(Miss Witherfield)

Non-Stop New York

(Aunt Veronica)

Two and Two Make Six

(Aunt Phoebe Tonks)

Young Man's Fancy

(Milliner)

The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby

(Miss La Creevy)

Southern Roses

(Mrs. Rowland)

The Avengers

The Third Man