Brenda de Banzie

Brenda de Banzie

Brenda Doreen Mignon de Banzie (28 July 1909 – 5 March 1981) was a British actress of stage and screen (some sources mistakenly quote 1915 as her year of birth). She was the daughter of Edward Thomas de Banzie, conductor and musical director and his second wife Dorothy (née Lancaster), whom he married in 1908. In 1911, the family lived in Salford, Lancashire. She appeared as Maggie Hobson in the David Lean film version of Hobson's Choice (1954) with John Mills and Charles Laughton, set in Salford. Laughton allegedly didn't like de Banzie, because she wasn't getting 'her part right'. De Banzie also upstaged Laughton who was, by all accounts, a notorious upstager himself. Her most notable film role was as Phoebe Rice, the hapless wife of comedian Archie Rice (played by Laurence Olivier) in the 1960 film version of John Osborne's The Entertainer. She had also appeared on Broadway in the original play, for which she received a Tony Award nomination. Other memorable film roles included The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and The Pink Panther (1963) directed by Blake Edwards.

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