Edana Romney
| Edana Romney | |
|---|---|
| Born |
15 March 1919 Johannesburg, South Africa |
| Died |
17 December 2002 Santa Maria, California, United States |
| Other names | Edana Rubenstein |
| Occupation | Actress, Writer |
Edana Romney (15 March 1919 – 17 December 2002) was a South African actress, writer, and television presenter, based in England and later in Southern California.
Early life
Edana Rubenstein was born in Johannesburg to Jewish parents. She trained as a dancer in South Africa, then attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts from 1935 to 1936.[1]
Career
Romney became a noted stage performer after moving to Britain. She also made sporadic film and television appearances. She played the role of Sadie Jones, a murder victim, in the 1941 thriller East of Piccadilly. She played the female lead role, Mifanwy Conway, in the 1948 film Corridor of Mirrors[2] as well as co-authoring the screenplay.[3]
She left unfinished a screenplay about the life of Sir Richard Burton.[1]
On television, she presented Is This Your Problem? (1955-1957),[4] a BBC panel discussion program about "delicate" women's issues, such as unexpected pregnancy, and unhappiness as housewives.[5] She also wrote a weekly newspaper advice column as a tie-in to the television show. She also hosted a radio show, "Edana Romney's World" and gave talks at women's groups based on her role as a "lovelorn counselor".[6]
Personal life
She was the second wife of the film producer John Woolf;[7] they were divorced by 1955, and she eventually moved to California. Later in life, while living in Beverly Hills, she became known for her "Twelfth Night" parties.[8] Edana Romney died in 2002, aged 83 years, in Santa Maria, California. There's a collection of Edana Romney's papers archived at the University of Southern California.[1]
Selected filmography
- East of Piccadilly (1941)
- Alibi (1942)
- Corridor of Mirrors (1949)
References
- 1 2 3 Sue Luftschein, "Finding aid for the Edana Romney papers" USC Libraries Special Collections.
- ↑ Tom Johnson and Mark A. Miller, The Christopher Lee Filmography (McFarland 2004): 5-7. ISBN 9780786446919
- ↑ Michael F. Keaney. British Film Noir Guide(McFarland 2008): 38.
- ↑ "Is This Your Problem?" BBC Television (26 April 1956).
- ↑ Su Holmes, Entertaining Television: The BBC and Popular Television Culture in the 1950s (Oxford University Press 2008): 128. ISBN 9780719077913
- ↑ "Lovelorn Counselor to Address Officers' Wives" San Bernardino County Sun (6 November 1966): 52. via Newspapers.com
- ↑ Tom Vallance, "Obituary: Sir John Woolf" Independent (30 June 1999).
- ↑ "Dorothy Manners' Hollywood" Evening Herald (17 January 1977): 10. via Newspapers.com