| Madoline Thomas | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1890-01-02)2 January 1890 Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales |
| Died | 30 December 1989(1989-12-30) (aged 99) Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1910s–1985 |
Madoline Thomas (born Madoline Mary Price; 2 January 1890 – 30 December 1989) was a Welsh character actress whose career, beginning in midlife, encompassed stage, film, and television roles.
Early life
Madoline Mary Price was born on 2 January 1890, in Abergavenny in Monmouthshire, Wales. Her father E. J. Price was a draper. She was musical, a singer and pianist, and held an ATCL diploma from Trinity Guildhall as a piano teacher. She sang in church and participated in concerts and theatrical productions as a young woman. "Miss Madoline Price possesses an exceptionally fine voice," noted one report from Abergavenny in 1909, adding "We wish Miss Price every success in her musical career".
Career
Thomas' stage credits beginning in the 1940s included a number of roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company during the 1960s in productions directed by Peter Hall, including The Comedy of Errors, Richard II, Richard III, Henry V and Henry VI, Part 2, supporting David Warner, Roy Dotrice, Ian Holm, and Peggy Ashcroft, among others. In 1977, she played a zither as a "venomous elder" in Tales from the Vienna Woods at the Royal National Theatre. In 1982, aged 92, she played Marina in Michael Bogdanov's production of Uncle Vanya. That year, the Guardian profiled Thomas under the headline "A National Legend."
Thomas appeared in supporting parts in more than a dozen films between 1945 and 1972. Her television credits from the late 1940s into the 1980s included parts in shows such as Dixon of Dock Green, Coronation Street, Angels, "Shoestring " and When the Boat Comes In.
Personal life
Madoline Mary Price married John W. H. "Jack" Thomas in 1917; they had a son. She became a professional actress after her husband died. She broke her hip and died soon afterwards, in Weston-super-Mare, on 30 December 1989, three days before her 100th birthday.
Filmography
- 1945: Painted Boats (also known as The Girl of the Canal)
- 1946: Toad of Toad Hall
- 1949: Blue Scar
- 1949: The Last Days of Dolwyn
- 1950: No Trace
- 1950: Blackout
- 1951: Black Widow
- 1952: Ghost Ship
- 1953: The Square Ring
- 1953: Valley of Song
- 1956: Suspended Alibi
- 1957: Second Fiddle
- 1957: Rogue's Yarn
- 1971: Burke & Hare
- 1972: Something to Hide
References
- ^ "Marriages". Abergavenny Chronicle. 19 October 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Welsh Newspapers.
- Morgan, Irena (15 November 2012). Abergavenny Through Time. Amberley Publishing Limited. ISBN 978-1-4456-2644-4.
- ^ "Musical Matinee". Abergavenny Chronicle. 25 June 1909. p. 5. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Welsh Newspapers.
- "Piano Teachers and Trinity Diplomas - ATCL, LTCL, FTCL?". YourPianoLessons. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- "St. George's Day at Abergavenny". Abergavenny Chronicle. 20 April 1917. p. 5. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Welsh Newspapers.
- ^ Cotes, Peter (3 January 1990). "Third Age Actress". The Guardian. p. 31. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Borough Theatre". Abergavenny Chronicle. 3 December 1915. p. 5. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Welsh Newspapers.
- "St. Mary's Band of Hope". Abergavenny Chronicle. 8 May 1914. p. 8. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Welsh Newspapers.
- G.P. (31 October 1944). "Opera House, 'Three Waltzes'". The Guardian. p. 3. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Wearing, J. P. (22 August 2014). The London Stage 1940-1949: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 188, 321. ISBN 978-0-8108-9306-1.
- Shewring, Margaret (1998). King Richard II. Manchester University Press. p. 197. ISBN 978-0-7190-4626-1.
- Richmond, Hugh M. (1991). King Richard III. Manchester University Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-7190-2724-6.
- RSC Stage Histories Archived 25 February 2009 at the Wayback Machine The Modern Library. Retrieved 21-08-2010
- Billington, Michael (9 August 1977). "Tales from the Vienna Woods". The Guardian. p. 8. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Actress Madoline Thomas Dies at 99". AP NEWS. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- "A National Legend". The Guardian. 19 June 1982. p. 15. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- Gifford, Denis (1 April 2016). British Film Catalogue: Two Volume Set - The Fiction Film/The Non-Fiction Film. Routledge. pp. 530, 561, 599, 651. ISBN 978-1-317-74063-6.
- "Madoline Thomas". Aveleyman.
- Obituaries The Rocky Mountain News, 1 January 1990. Retrieved 21 August 2010
- "The Girl of the Canal". Daily News. 9 October 1947. p. 87. Retrieved 9 March 2020 – via Newspapers.com.