Merle Oberon

Acting

Merle Oberon

Born February 19, 1911 · Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India [now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India]

Died November 23, 1979 · aged 68

Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 1911 – 23 November 1979) was a British actress of Sri Lankan Burgher origin. Her career spanned the 1920s to the 1970s, and she was a major leading lady during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born and raised in British India, she began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in The Private Life of Hen…

Known For

Wuthering HeightsWuthering Heights · 1939
Wuthering Heights
★ 7.21939
MovieDramaRomance
Young orphan Heathcliff is adopted by the wealthy Earnshaw family and moves into their estate, Wuthering Heights. Soon, the new resident falls for his compassionate foster sister, Cathy. The two share a remarkable bond that seems unbreakable until Cathy, feeling the pressure of social convention, suppresses her feelings and marries Edgar Linton, a man of means who befits her stature. Heathcliff vows to win her back.
Deep in My HeartDeep in My Heart · 1954
Deep in My Heart
★ 6.71954
MovieComedy
Biographic movie about the American composer Sigmund Romberg.
DésiréeDésirée · 1954
Désirée
★ 6.61954
MovieDramaRomance
In Marseilles, France in 1794, Desiree Clary, a young millinery clerk, becomes infatuated with Napoleon Bonaparte, but winds up wedding General Jean-Baptiste Berandotte, an aid to Napoleon who later joins the forces that bring about the Emperor's downfall. Josephine Beauharnais, a worldly courtesan marries Napoleon and becomes Empress of France, but is then cast aside by her spouse when she proves unable to produce an heir to the throne.
The Cowboy and the LadyThe Cowboy and the Lady · 1938
The Cowboy and the Lady
★ 6.31938
MovieComedyRomance
Mary Smith decides after a lifetime of being a shut-in to do something wild while her father is out campaigning for the presidency, so she takes off for the family's home in West Palm Beach and inadvertently becomes romantically entangled with earnest cowboy Stretch Willoughby. Neither the dalliance nor the cowboy fit with the upper class image projected by her esteemed father, forcing her to choose.
The OscarThe Oscar · 1966
The Oscar
★ 5.11966
MovieDrama
An amoral lowlife accidentally stumbles into an acting career that sets him on a trajectory to Hollywood stardom. But everyone on whom he steps on the way to the top remembers when he is nominated for an Oscar and he runs a dirty campaign in an attempt to win.
The Scarlet PimpernelThe Scarlet Pimpernel · 1934
The Scarlet Pimpernel
★ 7.01934
MovieDramaAdventure
18th century English aristocrat Sir Percy Blakeney leads a double life. He appears to be merely the effete aristocrat, but in reality is part of an underground effort to free French nobles from Robespierre's Reign of Terror.
The LodgerThe Lodger · 1944
The Lodger
★ 6.51944
MovieThrillerMystery
In Victorian era London, the inhabitants of a family home with rented rooms upstairs fear the new lodger is Jack the Ripper.
Beloved EnemyBeloved Enemy · 1936
Beloved Enemy
★ 6.31936
MovieDramaRomance
In 1921, British Lord Athleigh arrives in Dublin with his daughter, Helen, to engage in peace talks. As wanted Irish rebel leader Dennis Riordan is not recognized in public, he is able to move about freely and saves the Athleighs from an assassination attempt by a radical faction. Dennis and Helen meet again and, unaware of his position, Helen falls in love with him. Later when Dennis admits his identity, Helen must make a fateful decision.

Filmography

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Four Star PlayhouseFour Star Playhouse · 1952
Four Star Playhouse
★ 6.81952
SeriesDramaComedy
Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953. The original premise was that Charles Boyer, Ida Lupino, David Niven, and Dick Powell would take turns starring in episodes. However, several other performers took the lead from time to time, including Ronald Colman and Joan Fontaine. Blake Edwards was among the writers and directors who contributed to the series. Edwards created the recurring character of illegal gambling house operator Willie Dante for Dick Powell to play on this series. The character was later revamped and spun off in his own series starring Howard Duff, then-husband of Lupino. The pilot for Meet McGraw, starring Frank Lovejoy, aired here, as did another episode in which Lovejoy recreated his role of Chicago newspaper reporter Randy Stone, from the radio drama Nightbeat.

Martha