Ashcroft, Dame Peggy

Ashcroft, Dame Peggy
orig. Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft

born Dec. 22, 1907, Croydon, London, Eng.
died June 14, 1991, London

British actress.

She made her debut in 1927 and appeared from 1932 with the Old Vic company, winning acclaim in Romeo and Juliet (1935). She starred in more than 100 stage productions, playing comedy and tragedy with equal success. One of the great actresses of the British stage, she was a founding member of the Royal Shakespeare Co. (1961) and later a director. She acted in films such as The Thirty-nine Steps (1935) and A Passage to India (1984, Academy Award) and in the television series The Jewel in the Crown (1984).

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▪ British actress
original name  Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft  
born Dec. 22, 1907, Croydon, London, Eng.
died June 14, 1991, London
 English stage actress who appeared in both classic and modern plays.

      After graduation from London's Central School of Dramatic Art, Ashcroft made her debut as Margaret in the Birmingham Repertory's production of Dear Brutus (1926). She made her initial London appearance in 1927, but her first important notices were for the role of Naomi in Jew Süss (1929).

      Beginning in 1932 her appearances with the Old Vic Company established her reputation; she portrayed G.B. Shaw's Cleopatra, John Drinkwater's Mary Stuart, and Rosalind in William Shakespeare's As You Like It. Her portrayal of Shakespeare's Juliet in John Gielgud's production of Romeo and Juliet (1935) established Ashcroft as perhaps the outstanding Juliet of the 20th century. Her American debut was as Lise in Maxwell Anderson's High Tor (1937). Ashcroft performed principal roles in more than 100 productions in England and on tour, displaying her versatility in both comic and tragic roles. Her other roles of particular note included Nina in The Seagull (1936), Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest (1939 and 1942), and the title role in The Duchess of Malfi (1945 and 1960).

      Ashcroft first appeared in films in 1933; her infrequent screen work includes the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller The Thirty-nine Steps (1935) and A Passage to India (1984), for which she won an Academy Award for best supporting actress. She also made television appearances, and her performance in The Jewel in the Crown (1984) was widely acclaimed.

      Ashcroft was made Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1951 and Dame Commander in 1956; in 1962 a new theatre in Croydon was named in her honour.

Additional Reading
Michael Billington, Peggy Ashcroft (1988); Garry O'Connor, The Secret Woman: A Life of Peggy Ashcroft (1997).

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Ashcroft,Dame Peggy — Ash·croft (ăshʹkrôft , krŏft ), Dame Peggy. Originally Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft. 1907 1991. British actress who won an Academy Award for A Passage to India (1984). * * * …   Universalium

  • Ashcroft, Dame Peggy — orig. Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft (22 dic. 1907, Croydon, Londres, Inglaterra–14 jun. 1991, Londres). Actriz británica. Debutó en 1927 y a partir de 1932 formó parte de la compañía Old Vic, en la que triunfó en Romeo y Julieta (1935).… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Peggy Ashcroft — Born Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft 22 December 1907(1907 12 22) Croydon, Surrey, England Died 14 June 1991(1991 06 14 …   Wikipedia

  • dame — /daym/, n. 1. (cap.) (in Britain) a. the official title of a female member of the Order of the British Empire, equivalent to that of a knight. b. the official title of the wife of a knight or baronet. 2. (formerly) a form of address to any woman… …   Universalium

  • Dame — (as used in expressions) Andrews, Dame Julie Ashcroft, Dame Peggy Christie, Dame Agatha (Mary Clarissa) Compton Burnett, Dame Ivy Cooper, Dame Gladys De Valois, Dame Ninette Dench, Dame Judi(th Olivia) Evans, Dame Edith (Mary) Fields, Dame Gracie …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Peggy — /peg ee/, n. a female given name, form of Margaret. * * * (as used in expressions) Ashcroft Dame Peggy Fleming Peggy Gale Guggenheim Peggy Lee Peggy * * * …   Universalium

  • Peggy — (as used in expressions) Ashcroft, Dame Peggy Fleming, Peggy (Gale) Guggenheim, Peggy Lee, Peggy …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Peggy Ashcroft — Dame Peggy Ashcroft, DBE (* 22. Dezember 1907 als Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft in Croydon, London; † 14. Juni 1991 in London) war eine britische Schauspielerin. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Leben 2 Familie …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Peggy Ashcroft — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Ashcroft (homonymie). Peggy Ashcroft Données clés Naissance 22 décembre 1907 Croydon, Angleterre Nationalité …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Ashcroft Theatre — Infobox Theatre name = Ashcroft Theatre caption = address = Park Lane, Croydon city = London country = UK designation = latitude = 51.3714 longitude = 0.0969 architect = owner = capacity = 749 type = opened = yearsactive = rebuilt = closed =… …   Wikipedia

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