Peggy Ashcroft (1907 - 1991)

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Dame Peggy Ashcroft (Female)

Nationality: English

Born: 22 December 1907

Died: 14 June 1991

Actor. Widely regarded as one of the key figures of twentieth-century British theatre, Dame Peggy Ashcroft's career spanned more than half a century. Following her training at Central School for Speech and Drama, Ashcroft made her professional debut at the Birmingham Repertory theatre in J.M. Barrie's Dear Brutus in 1926. She then appeared in a number of stage productions in London at Wyndhams and the Arts Theatre. Her first Shakespearean role was Desdemona in Othello at the Savoy Theatre in 1930, followed by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet in 1932, directed by John Gielgud at the New Theatre (she would later reprise the role in 1935 in a seminal production starring Gielgud and Laurence Olivier who alternated the roles of Romeo and Mercutio). Between 1932-33 she was a member of Lilian Baylis's drama factory at the Old Vic and, later, part of Gielgud's company at the Queen's Theatre where she played a variety of leading roles. In edition to appearing in numerous shows for the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) between 1950 and the late 1980s, Ashcroft also played a key role in the institution's history. An early advocate of Peter Hall's plans to establish a semi-permanent company of actors on three-year contracts, Ashcroft would go on to serve as part of the RSC's artistic directorate. When Hall became Artistic Director of the National Theatre in 1973, she also appeared in three productions there: John Gabriel Borkman and Happy Days both in 1975 and Watch on the Rhine in 1980. Though more frequently on stage, on screen she is known for her appearances in Alfred Hitchcock's The Thirty-Nine Steps (1935) and A Passage to India (1984) for which she won numerous awards including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture. She was made a Dame of the British Empire in 1956 and in 1962 she became the first British actress to have a theater -- the Ashcroft, in her hometown, Croydon -- named after her in her lifetime.

Training and Education

Drama school

The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama   (Training & Education | Est. 1906)

62-64 Eton Ave, London NW3 3HY, England

Other Names

Edith Margaret Emily Ashcroft (Birth name)

Productions

No productions have been added to this person record yet.

Appears In

Landscape (1968)

Beth (Landscape) (Age: late forties, Female)

Performer

Landscape (Aldwych Theatre) (1969)

Beth (Landscape) (Age: late forties, Female)

Performer

Landscape (RSC tour) (1973)

Beth (Landscape) (Age: late forties, Female)

Performer

A Slight Ache (RSC tour) (1973)

Flora (Age: Not specified, Female)

Performer

Landscape (National Theatre) (1980)

Beth (Landscape) (Age: late forties, Female)

Performer

Family Voices (Stage Premiere: National Theatre) (1981)

Voice 2 (Age: Not Specified, Female)

Performer

Family Voices (1981)

Voice 2 (Age: Not Specified, Female)

The Radio Times entry named this character 'The mother'.

Performer

The Heat of the Day (1990)

Nettie (Age: Not Specified, Female)

Performer

Linked People

No Linked People have been added to this person record yet.

Linked Awards

CBE

1951

DBE

1956

Resources

No resources have been added to this person record yet.

Sources

Simon Trowbridge's The Company

Simon Trowbridge, The Company: a Biographical Dictionary of the Royal Shakespeare Company, 3rd ed. (Oxford: Editions Albert Creed, 2013)

Biography

This source provides a comprehensive index and brief biographies for key actors, directors, designers and writers who have worked regularly with the Royal Shakespeare Company. Peggy Ashcroft's entry can be found on pp. 23-26. An entry for Harold Pinter can be found on pp. 375-377.

Garry O'Connor's biography of Peggy Ashcroft

Garry O'Connor, The Secret Woman: A Life of Peggy Ashcroft (London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997)

Biography

The New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/1222.html

URL

Obituary by Peter B. Flint for The New York Times, 15/6/1991

Michael Billington's biography of Peggy Ashcroft

Michael Billington, Peggy Ashcroft (London: Mandarin, 1988)

Biography