Athene Seyler
Acting • Born 1889-05-31 – Died 1990-09-12
Biography
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.
Filmography
66 credits
Secret People
Movie • 1952
Mrs. Reginald Kellick
A Tale of Two Cities
Movie • 1958
Miss Pross
Night of the Demon
Movie • 1957
Mrs. Karswell
Scrooge
Movie • 1935
Scrooge's Charwoman
For Better, for Worse
Movie • 1954
Miss Mainbrace
Make Mine Mink
Movie • 1960
Dame Beatrice Appleby
Early to Bed
Movie • 1933
Frau Waiser
The Saint in London
Movie • 1939
Mother Buckley
The Citadel
Movie • 1938
Lady Raebank
Campbell's Kingdom
Movie • 1957
Miss Abigail
The Queen of Spades
Movie • 1949
Princess Ivashin
I Thank a Fool
Movie • 1962
Aunt Heather Chandler
Francis of Assisi
Movie • 1961
Aunt Buona
It's Love Again
Movie • 1936
Mrs. Durland
Made in Heaven
Movie • 1952
Miss Honeycroft
The Weak and the Wicked
Movie • 1954
Millie Williams
Satan Never Sleeps
Movie • 1962
Sister Agness
How to Murder a Rich Uncle
Movie • 1957
Grannie (Victoria Clitterbern)
Jane Steps Out
Movie • 1938
Grandma
Moscow Nights
Movie • 1934
Madame Anna Sabine
Visa to Canton
Movie • 1960
Mao Tai Tai
Sailing Along
Movie • 1938
Victoria Gulliver
Quiet Wedding
Movie • 1941
Aunt Mary
Young Wives' Tale
Movie • 1951
Nanny Gallop
Drake of England
Movie • 1935
Queen Elizabeth
Blossom Time
Movie • 1934
Archduchess Maria Victoria
Happy Is the Bride
Movie • 1958
Aunt Harriet
The Inn of the Sixth Happiness
Movie • 1958
Jeannie Lawson
The Ware Case
Movie • 1938
Mrs Pinto
The Mill on the Floss
Movie • 1937
Mrs. Pullet
Letter from Home
Movie • 1941
Mrs Ashford
The Franchise Affair
Movie • 1951
Aunt Lin
As Long as They're Happy
Movie • 1955
Mrs. Arbuthnot
The First Gentleman
Movie • 1948
Miss Knight
The Invasion
Movie • 1963
Lady Corm
Don't Utter a Note
Movie • 1966
Nellie Pringle
The Sky’s the Limit
Movie • 1937
Miss Prinny
Doctor at Large
Movie • 1957
Lady Hawkins
The Beggar's Opera
Movie • 1953
Mrs. Trapes
Sensation
Movie • 1936
Madame Henry
A French Mistress
Movie • 1960
Beatrice Peake
The Adventures of Mr. Pickwick
Movie • 1921
Rachel Wardle
Dear Octopus
Movie • 1943
Aunt Belle
The Perfect Lady
Movie • 1931
Lady Westhaven
Tell Me Tonight
Movie • 1932
Mrs. Pategg
Treasure Hunt
Movie • 1952
Consuelo Howard
Yield to the Night
Movie • 1956
Miss Bligh
The Lilac Domino
Movie • 1937
Madame Alary
The Private Life of Don Juan
Movie • 1934
Theresa, the Innkeeper, a Middle Aged Lady of Young Sentiment
Nurse on Wheels
Movie • 1963
Miss Farthingale
The Girl on the Boat
Movie • 1962
Mrs Adelaide Hignett
The Pickwick Papers
Movie • 1952
Miss Witherfield
Non-Stop New York
Movie • 1937
Aunt Veronica
Two and Two Make Six
Movie • 1962
Aunt Phoebe Tonks
Young Man's Fancy
Movie • 1939
Milliner
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby
Movie • 1947
Miss La Creevy
Southern Roses
Movie • 1936
Mrs. Rowland
Jassy
Movie • 1947
A Woman of No Importance
Movie • 1960
Lady Hunstanton
Irish for Luck
Movie • 1936
The Duchess
The Avengers
TV • 1961
The Third Man
TV • 1959
BBC Play of the Month
TV • 1965
Lucy Amorest
BBC Play of the Month
TV • 1965
Mrs. Whyte
BBC Play of the Month
TV • 1965
Mrs. Boham
The World of Wooster
TV • 1965
Aunt Isbel