British actress. Born Imelda Crawford in what was then Palestine to Scottish parents, when her father was working as a paymaster for the Palestine Railway. The family returned to Britain when she was 7 years old. Raised in Edinburgh, she went to school at St. Margrets convent in Marchmont. Afterwards she studied drama in Edinburgh and at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Her professional career started at repertory in Manchester where she soon was playing juvenile leads. After two small uncredited walk-ons her big break in the movies came with "The Peterville Diamond" in 1943. Other credits include "Millions Like Us" (1943), "Caravan" (1946), "The Blind Goddess" (1948), "Thunder on the Hill" (1951), "Knights of the Round Table" (1953/as Morgan LeFay), "Mad About Men" (1954) and TV series "The Mulberry Accelerator" (1955) and "Opportunity Murder" (1956). She made her first appearance on the West End Stage in 1949 in "Western Wind" at the Piccadilly Theatre, followed by a not very succesful stint on Broadway in January 1951 in "The Green Bay Tree". In September 1953 she married stage and television producer/director Wallace Douglas. It was her first and only marriage. The same year she won a newspaper award as the "most outstanding actress" on British TV. In December 1955 she topped a viewers poll for her performance in the BBC teleplay "The Leader of the House". Shortly before her death she was playing the femme lead in Agatha Christie`s "The Spider`s Web" at the Savoy Theatre in London when she became ill, was diagnosed with leukemia, and left the cast on September 10. Her burial on October 20 was attended by fellow colleagues Margaret Lockwood, Patrick Barr and Ronald Howard.
British actress. Born Imelda Crawford in what was then Palestine to Scottish parents, when her father was working as a paymaster for the Palestine Railway. The family returned to Britain when she was 7 years old. Raised in Edinburgh, she went to school at St. Margrets convent in Marchmont. Afterwards she studied drama in Edinburgh and at Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. Her professional career started at repertory in Manchester where she soon was playing juvenile leads. After two small uncredited walk-ons her big break in the movies came with "The Peterville Diamond" in 1943. Other credits include "Millions Like Us" (1943), "Caravan" (1946), "The Blind Goddess" (1948), "Thunder on the Hill" (1951), "Knights of the Round Table" (1953/as Morgan LeFay), "Mad About Men" (1954) and TV series "The Mulberry Accelerator" (1955) and "Opportunity Murder" (1956). She made her first appearance on the West End Stage in 1949 in "Western Wind" at the Piccadilly Theatre, followed by a not very succesful stint on Broadway in January 1951 in "The Green Bay Tree". In September 1953 she married stage and television producer/director Wallace Douglas. It was her first and only marriage. The same year she won a newspaper award as the "most outstanding actress" on British TV. In December 1955 she topped a viewers poll for her performance in the BBC teleplay "The Leader of the House". Shortly before her death she was playing the femme lead in Agatha Christie`s "The Spider`s Web" at the Savoy Theatre in London when she became ill, was diagnosed with leukemia, and left the cast on September 10. Her burial on October 20 was attended by fellow colleagues Margaret Lockwood, Patrick Barr and Ronald Howard.
Bio by: Fritz Tauber
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