Margaret Rutherford Overview:

Character actress, Margaret Rutherford, was born Margaret Taylor Rutherford on May 11, 1892 in Balham, London. Rutherford died at the age of 80 on May 22, 1972 in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire and was laid to rest in St James Churchyard Cemetery in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England.

MINI BIO:

There couldn't have been an actor who didn't tremble in his boots at the thought of having plump, querulous, owl-eyed, round-mouthed, Margaret Rutherford in the same film, knowing that her breathlessly-relaxed delivery and inimitable booming tones would steal every scene. British films used this most British of actresses mostly in comedy as endearing eccentrics; over the years only Alastair Sim and Dame Edith Evans even gave her a run for her money, and she finally won an Academy Award for The VIPs. A glorious Miss Marple, she was created Dame in 1967. Married to actor Stringer Davis (1896-1973) from 1954. Died after breaking a hip in a fall.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Character Actors: an Illustrated Directory).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Margaret Rutherford was nominated for one Academy Award, winning for Best Supporting Actress for The V.I.P.s (as Duchess of Brighton) in 1963.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1963Best Supporting ActressThe V.I.P.s (1963)Duchess of BrightonWon
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BlogHub Articles:

Goes for a Ride at the Gallop Hotel

By Rick29 on Oct 4, 2019 From Classic Film & TV Cafe

. The best way to approach 's four "Miss Marple" films is to forget that she's playing Jane Marple. Rutherford's films are comedies with a little mystery and her character bears only a slight resemblance to Agatha Christie's spinster sleuth. The best of Rutherf... Read full article


Silver Screen Standards:

By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 10, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Silver Screen Standards: Rutherford?s Miss Marple is a quirky character, seen here sticking out her tongue while riding a train in Murder, She Said. The 2018 documentary, Truly Miss Marple ? The Curious Case of , is currently available for streaming on Am... Read full article


Silver Screen Standards:

By Jennifer Garlen on Sep 10, 2019 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

Silver Screen Standards: The 2018 documentary, Truly Miss Marple ? The Curious Case of , is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime, so this is a perfect time to learn more about the iconic character actor and revisit some of her most memorable rol... Read full article


as Miss Marple

By Amanda Garrett on Sep 17, 2016 From Old Hollywood Films

Today, I'm writing about the four movies actress made as amateur sleuth Miss Marple. This article is part of The Queen of Crime: Agatha Christie Blogathon hosted by Little Bits of Classics and Christina Wehner. There are few pleasures in life as rewarding as a good mystery... Read full article


The Miss Marple Mysteries with

By The Metzinger Sisters on Mar 17, 2014 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

Miss Jane Marple, the wiry framed spinster from St. Mary Mead, whose hobbies include knitting and solving crimes, is one of Agatha Christie's most endearing creations. Quiet and sedate, she was the complete opposite of Hercule Poirot, Christie's very own Sherlock Holmes, but went on to become the st... Read full article


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Margaret Rutherford Quotes:

Miss Marple: I'm afraid I never can resist my own pie, Inspector. Anybody else's, of course.


Mr. Stringer: What a frightful looking man.
Miss Marple: What a frightful looking dog.


Hector Enderby: [the Inspector trips over a saddle on the floor of the foyer] Do you see that?
Inspector Craddock: Can't really miss it, can you?
Hector Enderby: It's a Broadbeech side saddle. Broadbeech, Northampton. Vintage too. Well, have a look. Have a look at the date, behind the stirrup iron.
Inspector Craddock: It says, er...
Hector Enderby: No don't tell me, I'll tell you. 1882. No, I'm lying to you. 1885.
Inspector Craddock: Right.
Hector Enderby: I can tell you who it belongs to, too. I've only glimpsed one of these once in the whole country. Lady Kirk-Brackwell.
Inspector Craddock: No, it belongs to...
[rolls his eyes and sighs in exasperation]
Miss Jane Marple: Me, Mr. Enderby. Good morning, Inspector.


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Best Supporting Actress Oscar 1963






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Margaret Rutherford Facts
She was interred at Saint James Churchyard in Gerrards Cross, Buckinhamshire, England with her husband, Stringer Davis. Her epitaph reads "A Blithe Spirit.".

She developed an interest in the theatre while at school. Her guardian aunt paid for her to have private acting lessons.

Agatha Christie dedicated her 1963 novel, The Mirror Crack'd From Side To Side, to Rutherford in admiration.

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