Gladys Cooper

Dame Gladys Constance Cooper, DBE, was an illustrious English actress, theatrical manager, and producer with a remarkable career that enveloped seven decades across stage, films, and television. Starting her journey as a teenager in Edwardian musical comedy and pantomime, she slowly transitioned into starring in dramatic roles and silent films before the First World War. She managed the Playhouse Theatre from 1917 to 1934, where she featured in many roles. During the early 1920s, Cooper gained acclaim for her performances in plays by renowned authors like W. Somerset Maugham. In the 1930s, she starred consistently in productions in both London's West End and on Broadway. Moving to Hollywood in 1940, Cooper’s talent led her to success in a multitude of character roles. She received three Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress for her performances in 'The Song of Bernadette' (1943), 'My Fair Lady' (1964), and most famously, 'Now, Voyager' (1942). She continued her work both on stage and screen throughout the 1950s and 1960s, staging up until her last year.

Cooper was born in London and spent most of her childhood in Chiswick after her family moved there when she was an infant. Despite initial criticisms of being too stiff in her performances, she eventually found major critical success in her mid-thirties, dismissed by Aldous Huxley for being too impassive. She is credited with improving her own performance skills, transitioning from an indifferent actress to an extremely competent one, a feat attributed to her common sense and industriousness. Her contributions to theatre came both on-stage and off-stage - she co-managed the Playhouse Theatre for a span of 17 years starting from 1917 and also produced and played numerous roles there. Her personal life involved three marriages, and she had three children. She lived mostly in England in her later years and died from pneumonia at the age of 82.