Henrietta Watson (11 March 1873 – 29 September 1964) was a Scottish actress.[1] She was born in Dundee, Scotland, on 11 March 1873, into a theatrical family. Her maternal grandfather was actor J.B. Johnston, whom Edmund Yates considered to be “the most sterling actor on the English stage.”[2] After the death of her father she went onto the stage, as did most of her four brothers and two sisters.

Henrietta Watson

Career

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She first appeared on stage was at the age of seven as the "son" of Lady Isabel Carlyle in East Lynne, a play adapted from the 1861 novel by Ellen Wood of the same name. By the time she turned 16 she was experienced enough to take "second lead" in comedies and modern dramas. As she grew older she given larger parts and was sometimes the understudy of the leading lady.

She toured Britain for a year as the ingénue in the comedy farce Our Flat. One of her more emotionally demanding roles was playing Nellie Denver in The Silver King. She was playing the part of Stephanie in A Royal Divorce at the new Olympic Theatre, London, when she was offered a six-month engagement in Australia.

She toured Australia in 1892, with the Mrs. Bernard Beere Company, appearing in, “As in a Looking Glass.” When the company returned to Britain she was offered a three-month extension during which she appeared in The Lost Paradise. She also appeared as "Kate" in The Churchwarden, a three-act farce, at the Princess Theatre (Melbourne), in 1893.

She visited Australia again, in 1899, when she appeared as Countess de Winter in “The King’s Musketeers.”

Selected filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Ref.
1916 Driven Lady Crichton [3]
1918 The Divine Gift The Hostess [3]
1924 Miriam Rozella Lady Laverock [3]
Reveille Mother [3]
1931 Creeping Shadows Lady Paget [3]
Jealousy Mrs Delahunt [3]
1932 Collision Mrs Carruthers [3]
1933 A Shot in the Dark Angela Browne [3]
The Pointing Finger Lady Anne Rollestone [3]
1935 Things Are Looking Up Miss McTavish [3]
Barnacle Bill Aunt Julia [3]
The Guv'nor Mrs Granville [3]
1936 The Cardinal Donna Claricia de' Medici [3]
The Brown Wallet Aunt Mary [3]
1939 The Four Just Men Mrs Truscott [3]

References

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  1. ^ "Henrietta Watson". BFI. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 11 February 2016.
  2. ^ ”Miss Henrietta Watson,” Table Talk (Melbourne) 14 October 1892, p.4
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Henrietta Watson". BFI.org.uk. BFI. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
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