Marie Ney


Marie Ney was an English character actress who had an acting career spanning five decades, from 1919 to 1969.

Early life

As a young child, Ney went with her family to live in New Zealand. She began her acting career in that country, and continued it in Australia. After several years of performing in those two countries, she moved back to Britain, where she acted at the Old Vic with many famous actors of the day such as Michael Redgrave and Robert Donat. In 1930, Ney played Lady de Winter in the musical The Three Musketeers at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London.

Career

Ney's first film appearance was in Desert Gold, a silent film made in Australia. She appeared in 11 films during the 1930s, including The Wandering Jew, Scrooge, Brief Ecstasy, Jamaica Inn, and A People Eternal. In 1941, Ney returned to Australia for a six-month season, appearing in the plays No Time for Comedy, Noël Coward's Private Lives, and Ladies in Retirement in Sydney and Melbourne. She appeared in the 1948 play Rain On The Just in London, and in 1959 The Last Word at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh.
In the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in the films Shadow of the Past, Seven Days to Noon, The Lavender Hill Mob, Simba, Yield to the Night, and The Surgeon's Knife, among others. In the 1950s, Ney moved into television, appearing in episodes of ITV's ITV Television Playhouse, ITV Play of the Week, and Armchair Theatre. In 1960, she appeared in the Greek film Eroica, and in an episode of Maigret. Her last credited screen appearance was in the ITV Playhouse episode Remember the Germans.

Personal life

Ney was married to Thomas Menzies, and was active in the British actors' Equity. She was a collector of art and books. Ney died in London in 1981 aged 85.

Partial filmography