Who was Hermione Baddeley? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

British Celebrities Born In November

Also Known As: Hermione Youlanda Ruby Clinton-Baddeley

Died At Age: 79

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: David Pax Tennant (m. 1928 – div. 1937), J. H. Willis (m. 1940 – div. 1946)

children: Pauline Tennant

Born Country: England

Actresses American Women

Height: 5'3" (160 cm), 5'3" Females

Died on: August 19, 1986

place of death: Los Angeles, California, United States

Cause of Death: Stroke

City: Shropshire, England

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Childhood & Early Life

Hermione Baddeley was born on 13 November 1906 in Broseley, Shropshire, England, to W.H. Clinton-Baddeley and Louise Bourdin. Her older sister, Angela, was also an actress. They had a half-brother named William Baddeley, who was a Church of England priest.

Baddeley was a descendent of Sir Henry Clinton, an English-American Revolutionary War General.

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Career

Hermione Baddeley made her acting debut on stage in 1918 and eventually became famous in London stage revues and comedies prior to the World War II. During this time, she performed numerous times with Hermione Gingold.

She made her big screen debut in 1927 when she appeared in the silent comedy ‘A Daughter in Revolt’. This was followed by her roles in the drama films ‘Caste’ and ‘Royal Cavalcade’.

After appearing in the anthology flick ‘Quartet’ in 1948, the actress starred as Edie Randall in ‘Passport to Pimlico’, a British comedy also featuring Stanley Holloway and Margaret Rutherford. The film was successful and earned the British Academy Film Award nomination for Best British Film.

Baddeley featured in the mystery film ‘The Woman in Question’ in 1950. Directed by Anthony Asquith, it was loosely adapted into the 1954 Bollywood film ‘Andha Naal.’

She was cast in Michael Anderson's 'Hell Is Sold Out', Lewis Gilbert’s ‘There Is Another Sun’ and Gordon Parry's ‘Tom Brown's Schooldays’, all of which were released in 1951.

She acted in ‘The Belles of St Trinian's’, a comedy film starring Alastair Sim in a double role, as the headmistress Miss Fritton and her identical twin brother Clarence.

In the year 1959, Baddeley earned an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Simone Signoret's friend in the flick ‘Room at the Top’. With just less than three minutes of screen time, hers was the shortest role to earn an Academy Award nomination.

The actress played the role of Mrs. O'Grady in the comedy drama ‘Let's Get Married’ in 1960. Starring Anne Aubrey and Anthony Newley, the film follows a medical student, who after been expelled from college, rebuilds his confidence through his relationship with a fashion model.

In 1964, she appeared in the musical film ‘The Unsinkable Molly Brown’ as well as in the musical fantasy ‘Mary Poppins,’ which earned a total of thirteen Academy Awards nominations.

In 1965, Baddeley had a role in the romantic comedy ‘Do Not Disturb’. Directed by Ralph Levy, the story follows a married couple who move to English after the husband gets transferred there by his company.

She lent her voice to the character of Madame Adelaide Bonfamille in the animated romantic adventure comedy ‘The Aristocats’ in 1970.

The actress then featured in the television adaption of Winifred Holtby’s novel ‘South Riding’ as Mrs. Beddows. The show premiered in 1974. After this, she had a voice role in ‘The Secret of NIMH’ in 1982.

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Major Works

One of Hermione Baddeley’s significant movie roles was in the 1947 gangster film ‘Brighton Rock’ in which she portrayed the character of Ida, whose private investigation into the departure of an acquaintance threatens the anti-hero Pinkie.

Family & Personal Life

In 1928, Hermione Baddeley married socialite and aristocrat David Tennant, the son of Edward Tennant, 1st Baron Glenconner. The couple had two children, daughter Pauline Laetitia Tennant and son David Edward Wyndham Tennant, before divorcing in 1937.

Baddeley married J. H. "Dozey" Willis in 1940 and divorced him six years later. She then had a brief relationship with British actor Laurence Harvey, who was 22 years her junior. Although he proposed marriage to her, she thought their age difference was too much.

An avid animal lover, the English actress dedicated her autobiography titled ‘The Unsinkable Hermione Baddeley’ to her dog.

On 19 August 1986, she died after a series of strokes in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 79.

Hermione Baddeley Biography