Marjorie Violet Queenie Thomas (18 June 1898 – 11 October 1977) was a British actress in silent films, called “The British isles Mary Pickford".
Early life
Marjorie Violet Queenie Thomas was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 18 June 1898, the daughter of William Masters Thomas.
Career
She and director Bertram Phillips often worked on films together, including an adaptation of The School for Scandal (1923), in which she played Lady Teazle opposite a young Basil Rathbone. "Considerable efforts were made to publicize her as a star," noted one film historian of Thomas. She was often shown enjoying outdoor sports such as fishing, golf, and ice skating in photographs printed in newspapers and magazines, and was referred to as "England's Mary Pickford."
Personal life
She married engineer George Newman in 1919. Their honeymoon trip, a short flight to Paris, was the subject of a newsreel clip by British Pathé. She died on 11 October 1977 in England, at the age of 79.
Selected filmography
- Jessie (1914)
- Gentlemen (1915)
- Infelice (1915)
- The White Star (1915)
- Won by Losing (1916)
- The Chance of a Lifetime (1916)
- Frills (1916)
- A Man the Army Made (1917)
- Democracy (1918)
- Rock of Ages (1918)
- It's Happiness that Counts (1918)
- Meg o' the Woods (1918)
- What Would a Gentleman Do? (1918)
- A Little Child Shall Lead Them (1919)
- Trousers (1920)
- The School for Scandal (1923)
- Straws in the Wind (1924)
- Her Redemption (1924, also known as The Gayest of the Gay)
- The Alley of Golden Hearts (1924)
- The Gold Cure (1925)
- The Last Witness (1925)
- Safety First (1926)
- The Temple of Shadows (as Regina Thomas, 1927)
- Siren of the Tropics (as Regina Thomas, 1927)
- Warned Off (1930)
References
- ^ "England's Mary Pickford Likes St. Moritz Sports". The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer. 1 February 1922. p. 15. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Marriage record for Marjorie Violet Queenie Thomas and George Newman (October 20, 1919), in the records of St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, England, via Ancestry.
- ^ Gifford, Denis (24 October 2018). The British Film Catalogue: The Fiction Film. Routledge. pp. 219, 238, 243, 310, 314. ISBN 978-1-317-83702-2.
- "Gilmmers in the Shadow Show". Sunday Mercury and News. 29 April 1923. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- Druxman, Michael B. (1975). Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films. BearManor Media.
- ^ Low, Rachael (13 September 2013). History of British Film (Volume 4): The History of the British Film 1918 - 1929. Routledge. pp. 151, 381, 396, 399, 437, 442, 444, 459, 469. ISBN 978-1-136-20634-4.
- ^ "Miss Queenie Thomas". The Tatler. 72: vi. 16 April 1919.
- "The Marriage of Queenie Thomas". Kinematograph Weekly: 100. 23 October 1919.
- British Pathé (1919). "Film Stars Aerial Honeymoon". British Pathé. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- "Live Racing Film Coming to Bijou". The Winnipeg Tribune. 7 June 1919. p. 24. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- "The Bioscope (11/May/1916) - Frills". Huddersfield Exposed: Exploring the History of the Huddersfield Area. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- "A Truly Happy Comedy". Pictures and Picturegoer. 15: 453. 2–9 November 1918.
- "Meg o' the Woods". Pictures and Picturegoer. 15: 229. 31 August 1918.
- Gledhill, Christine (2016). "Lydia Hayward". Women Film Pioneers Project. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
- "Coventry Amusements". Midland Daily Telegraph. 1 May 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "New Australian Star". Everyones. Vol. 6, no. 397. Sydney: Everyone's Ltd. 12 October 1927. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
- "Normanton". Derby Daily Telegraph. 2 August 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
- Queenie Thomas at IMDb
- Queenie Thomas at the British Film Institute
- A photo from the 1919 wedding of Queenie Thomas and George Newman, at Getty Images