- Renée Houston
Renée Houston (
24 July 1902 -9 February 1980 ) was a Scottish comedyactor andrevue artist who appeared in television and film roles.Born in
Johnstone ,Renfrewshire , as Katherina Houston Gibbin, she touredmusic halls and revue with her sister Billie Houston as the Houston Sisters.In 1926, the sisters made a short musical film, the script of which Reneé had written. It was produced by
Lee de Forest , whose process,Phonofilm , enabled a soundtrack to be played alongside the film (a year before "The Jazz Singer").Houston married three times, the second was to
Patrick Ahearne , the brother ofBrian Aherne . Her third husband was the actor Donald Stewart.In her later years she specialised in battleaxe roles, notably as
shop steward Vic Spanner's (Kenneth Cope ) formidable mother in "Carry On At Your Convenience " (1971). She published her autobiography in 1974 which was entitled "Don't Fence Me In".Houston was also in the early episodes of radio's "
The Clitheroe Kid ".She died in
London at the age of 77 on 9th February 1980.Appearances
Major Films
* "Blighty" - 1927
* "Happy Days are Here Again" - 1936
* "Old Bill & Son" - 1941
* "Lady Godiva Rides Again" - 1951
* "The Belles of St Trinian's " - 1954
* "A Town Like Alice " - 1956
* "The Adventures of Robin Hood " - 1958
* "No My Darling Daughter" - 1961
* "Phantom of the Opera " - 1962
* "Nurse on Wheels" - 1963
* "Carry On At Your Convenience " - 1971
* "Legend of the Werewolf " - 1975Television
* "Doctor in the House "
* "Watch it Sailor"
* "The Saint"
* "Maigret "
* "Z Cars "
* "Dixon of Dock Green "References
*"Halliwell's Who's Who in the Movies"
HarperCollins ISBN 0-06093507-3External links
*imdb name|id=0396881|name=Renée Houston
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