Jenny Laird

Phyllis Edith Mary Blythe, known professionally as Jenny Laird, was a versatile British actress whose career spanned over five decades, encompassing stage, film, and television. Born on 13 February 1912 in Chorlton, Manchester, Lancashire, she moved south with her parents and received her education at Maidstone Grammar School before attending London University. While briefly working as an advertising copywriter, she pursued acting under the tutelage of the legendary Elsie Fogerty at the Central School, making her repertory debut in 1937 at the Brixton Theatre with A Bill of Divorcement. Laird’s early stage work quickly garnered attention, leading her to the Arts Theatre Club in London where, during the 1940s and 1950s, she performed in a range of demanding roles from Farquhar to Ibsen, Chekhov and Shaw. Notable performances included Rose in The Recruiting Officer (1943), Nora in A Doll’s House (1945), and the striking portrayal of Ellie in Shaw’s Heartbreak House (1950), where critics praised her “enchanting combination of youth and firmness”. Her striking green eyes and shapely legs made her a memorable presence in West End productions by Ivor Novello, N. C. Hunter and Robert Morley, cementing her reputation as a leading lady of the era. In film, Laird appeared in over thirty titles, from early uncredited roles such as the Maid in The Morals of Marcus (1935) to more prominent parts like Sister Honey in Black Narcissus (1947) and Matron in Life in Her Hands (1951). She transitioned smoothly to television, featuring in beloved series such as Doctor Who (1974), The Onedin Line (1972), and Inspector Morse (1991), her final screen appearance. Beyond acting, Laird demonstrated a talent for writing; together with her husband, actor John Fernald, she co‑wrote the West End comedy And No Birds Sing and adapted several French plays. In 1977 she penned Mixed Economy for the King’s Head Theatre, starring Margaret Rawlings and her own daughter, Karen Fernald. Her collaborative spirit and creative versatility left a lasting imprint on mid‑century British theatre and screen, and she continued to work almost up until her death on 31 October 2001 in London, aged 89.