Anna Neagle
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Dame Anna Neagle DBE |
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Anna Neagle with Ray Bolger (right) in Sunny (1941)
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| Born |
Florence Marjorie Robertson 20 October 1904 Forest Gate, then in Essex, now London, England |
| Died | 3 June 1986 (aged 81) West Byfleet, Surrey, England |
| Cause of death | Complications of renal disease and cancer |
| Resting place | City of London Cemetery, Ilford, London, England |
| Occupation | Actress, singer |
| Years active | 1917–1986 |
| Spouse(s) | Herbert Wilcox (1943–1977) |
Dame Anna Neagle, DBE (20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), born Florence Marjorie Robertson, was a popular English stage and film actress and singer and dancer.
Neagle was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema for 20 years and was voted the most popular star in Britain in 1949. She was known for providing glamour and sophistication to war-torn London audiences with her lightweight musicals, comedies and historical dramas. Almost all of her films were produced and directed by Herbert Wilcox, whom she married in 1943.
In her historical dramas, Anna Neagle was renowned for her portrayals of British historical figures, including Nell Gwynn (Nell Gwynn, 1934), Queen Victoria (Victoria the Great, 1937, and Sixty Glorious Years, 1938) and Edith Cavell (Nurse Edith Cavell, 1939).
Neagle was born in Forest Gate, then in Essex, now part of the London Borough of Newham, daughter to Herbert Robertson, a Merchant Navy captain, and his wife, the former Florence Neagle. Her older brother was the bass-baritone and actor Stuart Robertson (1901-1958). Robertson attended primary school in Glasgow and then St Albans High School for Girls. She made her stage debut as a dancer in 1917, and later appeared in the chorus of C.B. Cochran's revues and also André Charlot's revue Bubbly. While with Cochran she understudied Jessie Matthews.
In 1931 she starred in the West End musical Stand Up and Sing (1931), with actor Jack Buchanan, who encouraged her to take a featured role. For this play she began using the professional name of Anna Neagle (the surname being her mother's maiden name). The play was a success with a total run of 604 performances.Stand Up and Sing provided her big break when film producer and director Herbert Wilcox, who had caught the show purposely to consider Buchanan for an upcoming film, but also took note of her cinematic potential.
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