Brenda de Banzie

Brenda Doreen Mignon de Banzie[1] (28 July 1909[1] – 5 March 1981)[2] was a British actress of stage and screen (some sources mistakenly quote 1915 as her year of birth).

Brenda de Banzie
De Banzie in a 1956 publicity portrait
Born
Brenda Doreen Mignon de Banzie

(1909-07-28)28 July 1909
Manchester, Lancashire, England
Died5 March 1981(1981-03-05) (aged 71)
Haywards Heath, Sussex, England
Years active1951–1971
Spouse(s)Alexander Marsh (1934–1981; her death)

She was the daughter of Edward Thomas de Banzie, conductor and musical director, and his second wife Dorothy (née Lancaster), whom he married in 1908.[3] In 1911, the family lived in Salford, Lancashire.

She appeared as Maggie Hobson in the David Lean film version of Hobson's Choice (1954) with John Mills and Charles Laughton, set in Salford. Laughton allegedly didn't like de Banzie, because she wasn't getting 'her part right'. De Banzie also upstaged Laughton who was, by all accounts, a notorious upstager himself.[4]

Her most notable film role was as Phoebe Rice, the hapless wife of comedian Archie Rice (played by Laurence Olivier) in the 1960 film version of John Osborne's The Entertainer. She had also appeared on Broadway in the original play, for which she received a Tony Award nomination.

Other memorable film roles included The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and The Pink Panther (1963) directed by Blake Edwards.

De Banzie died at the age of 71 due to complications following brain surgery.[5]

Selected filmography

References
  1. "Birth index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  2. "Brenda de Banzie, 65; Film and Stage Actress". New York Times (10 March 1981). Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  3. "Marriage index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved 11 April 2011.
  4. Phillips, Gene (2006). Beyond the epic; the life and films of David Lean. Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. p. 194. ISBN 978-0-8131-2415-5.
  5. Whitty, Stephen (2016). The Alfred Hitchcock encyclopaedia. Maryland: Rownham & littlefield. p. 89. ISBN 9781442251595.
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