Lucile Watson

Lucile Watson
Lucile Watson
	Watson in 1953
Born	May 27, 1879; Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Died	June 24, 1962 (aged 83); New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1902–1954

Lucile Watson (May 27, 1879 – June 24, 1962) was a Canadian actress, long based in the United States. She was "famous for her roles of formidable dowagers."^[1]

Early years

Watson was born in Quebec and raised in Ottawa, the daughter of an officer in the British Army. Despite his wishes, she traveled to New York City and enrolled in a dramatic school.^[2]

Career

Watson as Fanny Farrelly in the original Broadway production of *Watch on the Rhine*, 1941

Watson was primarily a stage actress, appearing in 39 Broadway plays.^[3]

In perhaps her most acclaimed performance, Watson portrayed Fanny Farrelly in playwright Lillian Hellman's anti-fascist dramatic stage play Watch on the Rhine on Broadway in 1941, starring Paul Lukas.^[4] Two years later in Hollywood, she and Lukas reprised their roles in the film adaptation,^[5] for which Watson received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[6]

Death

Watson died on June 24, 1962.^[7]

Broadway roles

No More Ladies (1934) as Mrs. Fanny Townsend
Watch on the Rhine (1941) as Fanny Farrelly^[8]

Partial filmography

The Royal Family of Broadway (1930) as Actress Backstage (uncredited)
What Every Woman Knows (1934) as La Contessa la Brierre
The Bishop Misbehaves (1935) as Lady Emily
The Garden of Allah (1936) as Mother Superior Josephine
A Woman Rebels (1936) as Betty Bumble
Three Smart Girls (1936) as Martha
The Young in Heart (1938) as Mrs. Jennings
Sweethearts (1938) as Mrs. Marlowe
Made for Each Other (1939) as Mrs. Harriet Mason
The Women (1939) as Mrs. Morehead
Waterloo Bridge (1940) as Lady Margaret Cronin
Florian (1940) as Countess
Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) as Mrs. Custer
Rage in Heaven (1941) as Mrs. Monrell
Footsteps in the Dark (1941) as Mrs. Archer
The Great Lie (1941) as Aunt Ada
Model Wife (1941) as J.J. Benson
Watch on the Rhine (1943) as Fanny Farrelly
Uncertain Glory (1944) as Mme. Maret
Till We Meet Again (1944) as Mother Superior
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) as Mrs. Charles
Tomorrow Is Forever (1946) as Aunt Jessica Hamilton
My Reputation (1946) as Mrs. Mary Kimball
Never Say Goodbye (1946) as Mrs. Hamilton
Song of the South (1946) as Grandmother
The Razor's Edge (1946) as Louisa Bradley
Ivy (1947) as Mrs. Gretorex
The Emperor Waltz (1948) as Princess Bitotska
Julia Misbehaves (1948) as Mrs. Packett
That Wonderful Urge (1948) as Aunt Cornelia Farley
Little Women (1949) as Aunt March
Everybody Does It (1949) as Mrs. Blair
Let's Dance (1950) as Serena Everett
Harriet Craig (1950) as Celia Fenwick
My Forbidden Past (1951) as Aunt Eula Beaurevel

Sources

Lucile Watson biography by Film historian T. R. Bourgeois

References

^ "Famed actress dies at 83". California, Redlands. Redlands Daily Facts. June 26, 1962. p. 5. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lucile Watson, Type". D.C, Washington. The Washington Herald. February 9, 1919. p. 15. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Lucile Watson". Playbill. Retrieved March 14, 2016.
^ "Obituaries". Variety. June 27, 1962. p. 63. ProQuest 1032424803. Perhaps her most highly praised performance was as Fanny Farrelly in Lillian Hellman's anti-Nazi play, 'Watch on the Rhine,' which starred Paul Lucas and opened in 1941.
^ "Watch on the Rhine". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.
^ United Press (February 7, 1944). "Three Former Winners Listed in 'Oscar' Race". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 9. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
^ "Lucile Watson, Actress, 83, Dies". Connecticut, Bridgeport. The Bridgeport Post. June 25, 1962. p. 24. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Watch on the Rhine". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 28, 2017.

External links

Lucile Watson at IMDb
Lucile Watson at the Internet Broadway Database
Lucile Watson portraits Broadway 1910s or 20s NYP Library
Lucile Watson at Find a Grave

[1] "Famed actress dies at 83". California, Redlands. Redlands Daily Facts. June 26, 1962. p. 5. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

[wh-2] "Lucile Watson, Type". D.C, Washington. The Washington Herald. February 9, 1919. p. 15. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] "Lucile Watson". Playbill. Retrieved March 14, 2016.

[4] "Obituaries". Variety. June 27, 1962. p. 63. ProQuest 1032424803. Perhaps her most highly praised performance was as Fanny Farrelly in Lillian Hellman's anti-Nazi play, 'Watch on the Rhine,' which starred Paul Lucas and opened in 1941.

[5] "Watch on the Rhine". IBDB.com. Internet Broadway Database.

[6] United Press (February 7, 1944). "Three Former Winners Listed in 'Oscar' Race". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 9. Retrieved June 4, 2023.

[7] "Lucile Watson, Actress, 83, Dies". Connecticut, Bridgeport. The Bridgeport Post. June 25, 1962. p. 24. Retrieved March 14, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.

[8] "Watch on the Rhine". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved February 28, 2017.

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