born Feb. 8, 1888, London, Eng.
died Oct. 14, 1976, Cranbrook, Kent
British actress.
She made her stage debut as Cressida in William Shakespeare 's Troilus and Cressida (1912) and joined the Old Vic company in 1925. One of the finest actresses of the 20th century, she appeared in London and on Broadway in plays by Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw , and Noë l Coward . She played Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde 's The Importance of Being Earnest on stage and screen (1952). Her other films include Look Back in Anger (1959), Tom Jones (1963), The Chalk Garden (1964), and The Whisperers (1967).
Dame Edith Evans as Mrs. Ross in The Whisperers, 1967.
By courtesy of Seven Pines Productions Ltd.; photograph, Pictorial Parade