Gertrude Lawrence

Gertrude Lawrence as Anna in The King and I.

Gertrude Alexandria Dagmar Lawrence-Klasen (born July 4, 1898 in London , England - † September 6, 1952 in New York City , New York ) was a British - Danish film and Broadway actress who worked in the 1930s and 1940s was popular. She played the female lead in many comedies , often at the side of Noël Coward (1899–1973). In 1968 the film biography Star! .

Life

Earlier life

Gertrude was born in London as the daughter of an Englishman and a Danish woman and was already on stage at the age of ten. She attended a Catholic convent school and received acting lessons at the Italia Conti Academy . Lawrence was the understudy of Beatrice Lillie (1894-1989) in the London revue Andre Charlot in the early 1920s. Her first leading role alongside Jack Buchanan (1891–1957) she got in 1921 in the play A to Z at the Limehouse Blues theater in London . In 1924 and 1926 she received a number of guest appearances on Broadway, where her special versatility was admired. She also made the song Limehouse Blues known.

Marriages and romances

Gertrude Lawrence was married twice. Her first marriage to the Englishman Francis Gordon-Howley was divorced in 1928. A daughter, Pamela (1918–2005) emerged from the joint connection. In 1928 he was engaged to the New York stockbroker Bertrand L. Taylor, but they separated shortly afterwards. On her 42nd birthday, Gertrude Lawrence gave the US theater director Richard Aldrich the yes word, the marriage lasted until her death.

In previous years she had several romances, including with the film actor Douglas Fairbanks junior (1909-2000). In addition, Lawrence is said to have had lesbian relationships with Daphne du Maurier (1907-1989) and Beatrice Lillie. Beatrice Lillie is said to have said in an interview about her: "I knew her better than her husband". The passionate love letters between Lawrence and du Maurier were published in their biography in 1993. It also describes a previous love affair with Daphne's father, Sir Gerald du Maurier (1873–1934), with the words "the last of Daddy's actress loves".

Career

Lawrence's personality and charm inspired composers and writers. The brothers George Gershwin (1898–1937) and Ira Gershwin (1896–1983) wrote the musical Oh, Kay! For Lawrence in 1926 . ; the play was performed 256 times at the Imperial Theater in Manhattan . Gertrude Lawrence was the first British actress to star in Broadway theaters. With the role of Liza Elliott in the musical Lady in the Dark , alongside Danny Kaye (1911-1987), she was one of the most popular troop supervisors during World War II .

In 1946 Lawrence saw the film Anna and the King of Siam about the life of Anna Leonowens based on Margaret Landon 's novel of the same name. She convinced Richard Rodgers (1902-1979) and Oscar Hammerstein (1895-1960) that the story would make a perfect musical - out came The King and I . It premiered on March 29, 1951 at the St. James Theater in New York. In the main roles were Lawrence as Anna Leonowens and the still unknown Yul Brynner (1920–1985) as King of Siam on stage. Brynner had a bald head shaved for the title role; even in the film adaptation of the play from 1956, for which he received an Oscar , he appeared without head of hair. Baldness became his trademark. The musical became a huge hit, and in 1952 Gertrude Lawrence won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical .

death

Gertrude Lawrence died on September 6, 1952 of liver cancer as a result of jaundice . She was buried in the costume of her greatest role in the cemetery in Upton, Massachusetts .

Filmography

1929: Early Mourning
1929: Battle of Paris
1932: Aren't We All?
1932: Lord Camber's Ladies
1933: No Funny Business
1935: Mimi
1936: Rembrandt
1936: Men Are Not Gods
1943: Stage Door Canteen
1948: Great Catherine (TV)
1950: The Glass Menagerie (The Glass Menagerie)
1950–1951: The Prudential Family Playhouse (TV series, two episodes)

literature

Richard Stoddard Aldrich: Gertrude Lawrence as Mrs. A: An Intimate Biography of the Great Star , Pickering Press, New York (1954)
Margaret Forster: Daphne Du Maurier. Ein Leben , Fischer Verlag (1997) ISBN 3-5961-2891-9
Tim Hill: Movie Stars , Parragon (2006) ISBN 1-40547-888-8

Web links

Commons : Gertrude Lawrence - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

personal data
SURNAME	Lawrence, Gertrude
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Lawrence-Klasen, Gertrude Alexandria Dagmar (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	British-Danish film and Broadway actress
DATE OF BIRTH	4th July 1898
PLACE OF BIRTH	London , England , UK
DATE OF DEATH	September 6, 1952
Place of death	New York City , New York , United States