Frieda Inescort

Frieda Inescort
Born Frieda Wrightman
(1901-06-29)29 June 1901
Edinburgh, Scotland
Died 26 February 1976(1976-02-26) (aged 74)
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1935–1961
Spouse(s) Ben Ray Redman (1926–1961; his death)

Frieda Inescort (29 June 1901 in Edinburgh, Scotland – 26 February 1976 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California) was a Scottish-born actress best known for creating the role of Sorel Bliss in Noël Coward's play Hay Fever. She played the shingled lady in John Galsworthy's 1927 Broadway production Escape.[1]

Early years

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, as Frieda Wrightman, she was the daughter of Scots-born journalist John "Jock" Wrightman and actress Elaine Inescourt,[2] who was of German and Polish descent. They married in 1899 but parted ways when their daughter was still a young child.

While she lived in England, Inescort wrote for a newspaper in London[3] and worked as secretary to Lord Astor.[4] (Another source says that she was secretary to Lady Astor.)[5] After coming to the United States, she not only acted but also worked as associate editor of The Exporter's Encyclopedia.[4]

Stage

Inescort's acting debut came in The Truth About Blayds (1922), which was presented at the Booth Theatre on Broadway.[2] Her other Broadway credits include You and I (1923), The Woman on the Jury (1923), Windows (1923), The Fake (1924), Ariadne (1925), Hay Fever (1925), Love in a Mist (1926), Mozart (1926), Trelawny of the "Wells" (1927), Escape (1927-1928), Napi (1931), Company's Coming (1931), Springtime for Henry (1931-1932), When Ladies Meet (1933), False Dreams, Farewell (1934), Lady Jane (1934), Soldier's Wife (1944-1945), The Mermaids Singing (1945-1946), and You Never Can Tell (1948).[6]

Film

Frieda Wrightman adopted her mother's surname as her professional name and moved to Hollywood and made her film debut in The Dark Angel (1935). Her other films include Mary of Scotland (1936), The Letter (1940), The Trial of Mary Dugan (1941), You'll Never Get Rich (1941) and A Place in the Sun (1951).[1]

She appeared with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson as the conniving Caroline Bingley in the 1940 film version of Pride and Prejudice. She had a leading role in Call It A Day, a 1937 film in which she appeared with Olivia de Havilland, Bonita Granville, Roland Young, and Ian Hunter. She appeared in at least one episode of Perry Mason, as Hope Quentin in "The Case of the Jealous Journalist" (season 5, 1961).[1]

Personal life

On 2 August 1961, she and her husband since 1926, Ben Ray Redman, dined out. Redman had been despondent for some time. Returning home, he went upstairs to bed. He then called Frieda, informing her that he was depressed over the state of the world and had taken 12 sedative pills. By the time the paramedics arrived, he had died, a suicide at the age of 65.[7] He had been working as a writer for the Saturday Review and was also involved in the translation of European classics into English.

Inescort had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the 1930s. Her disease accelerated after her husband's death, and she was using a wheelchair by the mid 1960s. On 7 July 1964, her estranged mother, British actress Elaine Inescourt, died in Brighton, England, aged 87. Frieda Inescort worked as much as possible for the multiple sclerosis association. Often seen in the Hollywood area seated in her wheelchair, she collected donations outside supermarkets and in malls.

Death

Inescort died at the Motion Picture Country Home at Woodland Hills, California, from the disease she had battled since 1932, aged 74.[1]

Partial filmography

External links

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Frieda Inescort at the Internet Movie Database
  2. 1 2 "Frieda Inescort Coming to City; a Varied Career". Pennsylvania, Wilkes-Barre. The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader, the Evening News. April 9, 1924. p. 4. Retrieved January 31, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ↑ Hale, Marian (May 26, 1922). "Could You Fill Two Jobs? This Girl Can -- She Acts Nights, Writes by Day". New York, Olean. Times Herald. p. 22. Retrieved January 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 Maurel, Mabel (April 30, 1922). "Viscount Astor's Former Secretary Now Actress in "Truth About Bladys"". New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. p. 47. Retrieved January 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "An Unaffected Movie Actress". Kansas, Hutchinson. The Hutchinson News. August 14, 1936. p. 5. Retrieved January 31, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Frieda Inescort". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  7. ↑ "Writer Redman Takes Own Life". Wisconsin, Oshkosh. Oshkosh Daily Northwestern. August 3, 1961. p. 9. Retrieved January 31, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
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