Wendy Hiller

Acting

Wendy Hiller

Born August 15, 1912 · Bramhall, Cheshire, England, UK

Died May 14, 2003 · aged 90

Dame Wendy Margaret Hiller DBE (15 August 1912 – 14 May 2003) was an English actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Separate Tables (1958).

Known For

The Elephant ManThe Elephant Man · 1980
The Elephant Man
8.11980
MovieDramaHistory
A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity. Based on the true story of Joseph Merrick (called John Merrick in the film), a severely deformed man in 19th century London.
Murder on the Orient ExpressMurder on the Orient Express · 1974
Murder on the Orient Express
7.11974
MovieDramaThriller
In 1935, when his train is stopped by deep snow, detective Hercule Poirot is called on to solve a murder that occurred in his car the night before.
A Man for All SeasonsA Man for All Seasons · 1966
A Man for All Seasons
7.31966
MovieDramaHistory
A depiction of the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More, who refuses to swear the Oath of Supremacy declaring Henry Supreme Head of the Church in England.
PygmalionPygmalion · 1938
Pygmalion
7.01938
MovieComedyDrama
When linguistics professor Henry Higgins boasts that he can pass off Cockney flower girl Eliza Doolittle as a princess with only six months' training, Colonel George Pickering takes him up on the bet. Eliza moves into Higgins's home and begins her rigorous training after the professor comes to a financial agreement with her dustman father, Alfred. But the plucky young woman is not the only one undergoing a transformation.
Voyage of the DamnedVoyage of the Damned · 1976
Voyage of the Damned
6.01976
MovieDramaWar
A luxury liner carries Jewish refugees from Hitler's Germany in a desperate fight for survival.
Separate TablesSeparate Tables · 1958
Separate Tables
7.01958
MovieDramaRomance
The lives of a disparate group of unfulfilled people converge at a small, seaside English hotel.
Anne of Green Gables: The SequelAnne of Green Gables: The Sequel · 1987
Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel
7.91987
MovieFamilyDrama
Anne Shirley, now a schoolteacher, has begun writing stories and collecting rejection slips. She acts as Diana's maid of honor, develops a relationship with Gilbert Blythe, and finds herself at Kingsport Ladies' College. But while Anne enjoys the battles and the friends she makes, she finds herself returning to Avonlea.
Witness for the ProsecutionWitness for the Prosecution · 1982
Witness for the Prosecution
6.61982
MovieCrimeDrama
An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.

Filmography

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Matinee TheaterMatinee Theater · 1955
Matinee Theater
5.31955
SeriesDrama
Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.
The BBC Television ShakespeareThe BBC Television Shakespeare · 1978
The BBC Television Shakespeare
6.01978
SeriesDramaComedy
The BBC Television Shakespeare is a series of British television adaptations of the plays of William Shakespeare, created by Cedric Messina and produced by BBC Television. It was transmitted in the UK from 3 December 1978 to 27 April 1985 and spanned seven series. Development of the series began in 1975 when Messina saw that Glamis Castle would make a perfect location for an adaptation of Shakespeare's play As You Like It. On returning to London, he envisioned an entire series devoted exclusively to the dramatic works of Shakespeare. After encountering numerous problems trying to produce the series, Messina eventually pitched the idea to the BBC’s departmental heads and the series was greenlighted. The series as a whole received generally negative reviews from critics.

Duchess of York

The Growing SummerThe Growing Summer · 1968
The Growing Summer
1968
Series
“The Growing Summer,” on the ITV network, tomorrow (8.15) features Wendy Hiller. “The Growing Summer,” a novel for children by Noel Streatfeild, has been dramatised for television by Eric Thompson. The story, in seven episodes, is the second series presented in London Weekend Television's “Heyday Theatre". The series has been filmed in colour on location at Bantry Bay, Southern Ireland, which was Miss Streatfeild’s original setting for her book. “The Growing Summer” is a story about four children who have been sent to stay with eccentric Great Aunt Dymphna, while their parents are abroad. They are joined by the mysterious Stephan (played by Louis Selwyn). The story tells how the children's personalities are developed under the guidance of their Great Aunt, a whimsical, almost magical old lady, played by Wendy Hiller. The children are played by Hoagy Davies (Alex), Zuleika Robson (Penny), Mark Ward (Robin), and Laura Hartong (Naomi).

Great Aunt Dymphna/Great-Aunt Dymphna