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Ethel Griffies

Ethel Griffies (born Ethel Woods; 26 April 1878 – 9 September 1975) was a British actress. She is remembered for portraying the ornithologist Mrs. Bundy in Alfred Hitchcock's classic The Birds (1963). She appeared in stage roles in her native England and in the United States, and had featured roles in around 100 motion pictures. Griffies was one of the oldest working actors in the English-speaking theatre at the time of her death at 97 years old. She acted alongside such stars as May Whitty, Ellen Terry, and Anna Neagle.

Ethel Griffies
Griffies in Jane Eyre (1943)
Born
Ethel Woods

(1878-04-26)26 April 1878
Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died9 September 1975(1975-09-09) (aged 97)
London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1881–1967
Spouses
Walter Beaumont
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(m. 1900; died 1910)​
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(m. 1917; died 1956)​

Biography

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Griffies was born in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, the daughter of actor and manager Samuel Rupert Woods and actress Lillie Roberts. Taken onstage at the age of three, she continued to act for the next 86 years.[1]

Griffies married actor Walter Beaumont in 1900; he died in 1910. In 1917, she married actor Edward Cooper, who predeceased her by almost two decades.[1]

On 9 September 1975, Griffies died of a stroke in London.[2]

Career

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Griffies appeared in numerous plays, making her theatre debut in London in 1899. After making brief cameos in films since 1917, she began a full career in the industry by 1930 with the film version of the play Old English. She went on to appear in more than 90 film and television roles, with her career lasting until her retirement in 1967.

She played Grace Poole in two versions of Jane Eyre: the 1934 Monogram version and the better-known 1943 version. One of her last well-known roles was the elderly ornithologist Mrs. Bundy in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). She also performed in Billy Liar the same year as The Birds.

 
Griffies in Jane Eyre in 1934
 
Griffies in Stranger on the Third Floor

Filmography (selected)

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References

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  1. ^ a b Nissen, Axel (2016). Accustomed to Her Face: Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. McFarland. pp. 71–75. ISBN 9781476626062. Retrieved 21 May 2018.
  2. ^ Calta, Louis (12 September 1975). "Ethel Griffies, Who at 97 Was Oldest Working Actress, Dies". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
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