Alison Skipworth

Alison Skipworth
Alison Skipworth
	Trailer for Satan Met a Lady (1936)
Born	Alison Mary Elliott Margaret Groom; 25 July 1863; London, England
Died	5 July 1952 (aged 88); New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1894–1938
Spouse	Frank Markham Skipworth (m. 1882; div. 1929)

Alison Skipworth (born Alison Mary Elliott Margaret Groom; 25 July 1863–5 July 1952) was an English stage and screen actress.

Early years

Skipworth was born in London. She was the daughter of Dr. Richard Ebenezer Groom and Elizabeth Rodgers, and she had a private education.^[1]

Stage

Alison Skipworth made her first stage appearance at Daly's Theatre in London in 1894, in A Gaiety Girl. Her first American performance came the following year at the Broadway Theatre in New York City. She sang in light opera in An Artist's Model.^[1] In this production she served as understudy to Marie Tempest. After performing in two London plays, Skipworth returned to the United States, and made it her home. She joined the company of Daniel Frohman at the Lyceum. There she made her debut as Mrs. Ware in The Princess and the Butterfly in 1897.

In 1905 and 1906 Skipworth toured with Viola Allen in three productions of Shakespeare, Cymbeline, Twelfth Night, and As You Like It. In the following years she played with James K. Hackett and John Drew, Jr., among other theatre celebrities. Productions in which she was featured are The Torch-Bearers, The Swan, The Enchanted April, The Grand Duchess and the Waiter, Mrs. Dane's Defence and Marseilles.

Film

Skipworth appeared in her first film in 1912, A Mardi Gras Mix-Up. The same year she performed in The Pilgrimage, Into the Jungle, and A Political Kidnapping. In 1930 she made her first talkie, Strictly Unconventional. Skipworth appeared opposite W. C. Fields as his foil in four films: If I Had a Million (1932), Tillie and Gus (1933), Alice in Wonderland (1933), and Six of a Kind (1934). Her film career continued until 1938 with many major supporting roles. Her later screen credits include The Casino Murder Case, The Girl from 10th Avenue, King of the Newsboys, Wide Open Faces, and Ladies in Distress.

Personal life

In 1882, Skipworth married Frank Markham Skipworth, an artist for whom she modeled;^[2] they later divorced.^[1]

Filmography

A Mardi Gras Mix-Up (1912, Short) - The Doctor's Wife
The Pilgrimage (1912, Short) - William's Mother
Into the Jungle (1912, Short)
A Political Kidnapping (1912, Short)
39 East (1920) - Mrs. de Mailly
Handcuffs or Kisses (1921) - Miss Strodd
Big Pal (1925) - Agatha Briggs, truant officer (*uncredited)
Strictly Unconventional (1930) - Lady Catherine Champion-Chene
Raffles (1930) - Lady Kitty Melrose
Outward Bound (1930) - Mrs. Cliveden-Banks
Du Barry, Woman of Passion (1930) - La Gourdan
Oh, For a Man! (1930) - Laura
The Virtuous Husband (1931) - Mrs. Olwell
The Night Angel (1931) - Countess von Martini
Devotion (1931) - Mrs.Matilda Coggins
The Road to Singapore (1931) - Mrs. Wey-Smith
Tonight or Never (1931) - Marchesa Bianca San Giovanni
The Unexpected Father (1932) - Mrs. Hawkins
High Pressure (1932) - Mrs. Miller (uncredited)
Sinners in the Sun (1932) - Mrs. Blake
Madame Racketeer (1932) - Countess von Claudwig / Martha Hicks
Night After Night (1932) - Miss Mabel Jellyman
If I Had a Million (1932) - Emily La Rue
Tonight Is Ours (1933) - Grand Duchess Emilie
He Learned About Women (1933) - Mme. Vivienne Pompadour
A Lady's Profession (1933) - Beulah Bonnell
The Song of Songs (1933) - Mrs. Rasmussen
Midnight Club (1933) - Lady Barrett-Smythe
Tillie and Gus (1933) - Tillie Winterbottom
Alice in Wonderland (1933) - Duchess
Six of a Kind (1934) - Mrs. K. Rumford
Coming Out Party (1934) - Miss Gertrude Vanderdoe
Wharf Angel (1934) - Mother Bright
Shoot the Works (1934) - The Countess
The Notorious Sophie Lang (1934) - Aunt Nellie
The Captain Hates the Sea (1934) - Mrs. Yolanda Magruder
Here is My Heart (1934) - Countess Rostova
The Casino Murder Case (1935) - Priscilla Kinkaid Llewellyn
The Devil Is a Woman (1935) - Senora Perez
The Girl from 10th Avenue (1935) - Mrs. Martin
Becky Sharp (1935) - Miss Crawley
Doubting Thomas (1935) - Mrs. Pampinelli
Shanghai (1935) - Aunt Jane
Dangerous (1935) - Mrs. Williams
Hitch Hike Lady (1935) - Mrs. Amelia Blake
The Princess Comes Across (1936) - Lady Gertrude
Satan Met a Lady (1936) - Madame Barabbas
The Gorgeous Hussy (1936) - Mrs. Beall
Two in a Crowd (1936) - Lillie Eckleberger aka Lillie the Toad
White Hunter (1936) - Aunt Frederika
Stolen Holiday (1937) - Suzanne
Two Wise Maids (1937) - Agatha Stanton / Old Lady Ironsides
King of the Newsboys (1938) - Nora
Wide Open Faces (1938) - Auntie Martha
Ladies in Distress (1938) - Josephine Bonney (final film role)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Aaker, Everett (2013). George Raft: The Films. McFarland. p. 31. ISBN 9780786493135. Retrieved 8 November 2016.
^ Nissen, Axel (2007). Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywood Faces from the Thirties to the Fifties. McFarland. pp. 189–196. ISBN 9780786427468. Retrieved 16 May 2018.

Sources

The Times-News (Burlington, North Carolina), "Hollywood Gossip", 19 December 1933, page 7.
The New York Times, "Alison Skipworth, actress, Dies at 88", 7 July 1952, page 21.
Winnipeg Free Press, "Lyceum", 23 January 1936, page 24.