Geraldine McEwan

Infobox Actor
name = Geraldine McEwan

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imagesize = 200px
birthname = Geraldine McKeown
birthdate = birth date and age|1932|5|9|df=yes
birthplace = Old Windsor, Berkshire, England
occupation = Actress
yearsactive = 1946-present
spouse = Hugh Cruttwell (1953-2002)
website = http://www.geraldinemcewan.com
baftaawards = BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress
1991 "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit"

Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown on 9 May 1932) is a BAFTA award-winning English actress, with a diverse and successful history in theatre, film and television. From 2004-2007 she appeared as Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series "Marple" shown on PBS in the U.S..

Background

She was born Geraldine McKeown on 9 May 1932, in Old Windsor, Berkshire, England, daughter of Donald McKeown and his wife Nora (Burns). She was married to the former Principal of RADA, Hugh Cruttwell, who died in 2002.

Life and work

McEwan attended Windsor County Girls' School and her extensive theatrical career began at 14 as assistant stage manager at the Theatre Royal, Windsor. She made her first appearance on the Windsor stage in October 1946, as an attendant of Hippolyta, in "A Midsummer Night's Dream", and played many parts with the Windsor Repertory Company from March 1949 to March 1951 including a role in the Ruth Gordon bio play "Years Ago" opposite guest player John Clark. She made her first West End appearance at the Vaudeville Theatre on 4 April 1951 as Christina Deed in "Who Goes There!" in which she made a marked success. [Who's Who in the Theatre, 17th edition, Gale (1982)]

Her career blossomed, with memorable performances in such award-winning productions as "The Rivals", "The Way of the World", and "The Chairs". she also appeared, with Kenneth Williams in the largely disastrous original 1965 production of "Loot" by Joe Orton, which closed at the Wimbledon Theatre before reaching London. ["Prick Up Your Ears" by John Lahr, Knopf (1978)] She spent several seasons with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the late 1950s and early 1960s, where she played in many of the Shakespeare comedies; her roles included an innovative rendition of Olivia in "Twelfth Night" in 1958.

McEwan worked more than once with Sir Laurence Olivier on both stage and screen, most notably in The Dance of Death staged by Glen Byam Shaw for the National Theatre at the Old Vic in February 1967, one of Olivier's most unsparing and greatest performances. ["The National: The Theatre and Its Work 1963-1997" by Simon Callow, Nick Hern Books (1997)]

She made her directing debut in 1988 with the Renaissance Theatre Company's touring season, "Renaissance Shakespeare on the Road", co-produced with the Birmingham Rep, and ending with a three month repertory programme at the Phoenix Theatre in London. McEwan's contribution was a light romantic staging of "As You Like It", with Kenneth Branagh playing Touchstone as an Edwardian music hall comedian. In the same season Judi Dench and Derek Jacobi also made their debuts as directors. ["London Theatre in the 20th Century" by Robert Tanitch, Haus (2007)]

Her numerous television credits include the highly acclaimed "The Barchester Chronicles" with Alan Rickman, "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit", "Mulberry", and the immensely popular "Mapp and Lucia". She was also in an episode of "Red Dwarf", playing a computer that can predict the future. In 2002, she starred in Peter Mullan's "The Magdalene Sisters", giving an unforgettable performance as Sister Bridget.

In 2004, McEwan was selected by Granada Television as the new face of Miss Marple, the Agatha Christie sleuth, for the series "Marple". An impressive critical response and high ratings worldwide for the four episodes transmitted in the UK, Canada and the U.S., secured a second series. McEwan retired from the role after filming the third series, and was replaced by Julia McKenzie. [cite news
last = Conlan
first = Tara
title = McEwan retires from Marple role
work = Guardian Unlimited
publisher = Guardian News and Media
date = 2008-01-23
url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/jan/23/itv.television
accessdate = 2008-01-23]

In 2005, she provided the voice of Miss Thripp in the film "".

Honours

Geraldine McEwan has declined creation as Officer of the British Empire, and then a Damehood later on.

Awards

1983: London Evening Standard Award for Best Actress, for "The Rivals"

1991: BAFTA for Best Actress, for "Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit"

1995: Evening Standard Best Actress Award for "The Way of the World"

1998: "nominated": Tony Award -Best Actress "The Chairs"

elected filmography

=Playing "Miss Marple" in "Marple" ITV 2004-2007=

References

External links

* [http://geraldinemcewan.com Official website]
*