MARGARET RUTHERFORD BIOGRAPHY & FILMOGRAPHY:

Margaret Rutherford was born on May 11th, 1972 in Ballham, London in the United Kingdom with the birth name Margaret Taylor Rutherford born to parents, William Benn and Florence Nicholson.  Right before she was born her father murdered her grandfather and then at the age of three her mother passed away, therefore she was raised by her aunt, Bessie Nicholson in Wilbledon. 
 
She first became involved in acting when she was a student at London's Old Vic and debuted on stage in 1925 and appearing in a number of productions such as "The Merchant of Venice", "Measure for Measure" and "Taming of the Shrew".  It was not until she was forty one years old which was quite late for an actress to bloom, that she appeared on the West End on stage.  Her talents first took notice of critics when she performed on stage in, "The Importance of Being Earnest" at the Globe Theatre in 1939.
 
Her film debut was in 1936 in "Hideout in the Alps" followed by the screen version of the play she once performed on stage "Blithe Spirit" (1945) which became one of her most memorable performances.  Some of her other film roles were in, "The VIPs" (1963) for which she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar and also portrayed Miss Marple in several films based on, Agatha Christie's novels. 
 
Throughout her career she has appeared in more than 40 films but never quite reached the level of stardom that other actresses from her era earned.  Some of her later film roles were on such big screen features as "The Runaway Bus" (1954), "An Alligator Named Daisy" (1955) and "The Smallest Show on Earth" (1957).      
 
She married only one time to Stringer Davis in 1945 and they never had any children together but remained married until May 22nd, 1972 when she passed away in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire England from pneumonia.  She is interred at Saint James Churchyard in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England.   

Filmography

1967 The Wacky World of Mother Goose 
1967 Arabella 
1967 A Countess from Hong Kong 
1966 Jackanory
1965 Chimes at Midnight 
1965 The Alphabet Murders 
1965 The Stately Ghosts of England
1964 Murder Ahoy 
1964 Murder Most Foul 
1963 The V.I.P.s 
1963 Murder at the Gallop 
1963 The Mouse on the Moon 
1963 ITV Play of the Week 
1962 Zero One
1961 On the Double
1961 Murder She Said 
1960 ITV Television Playhouse 
1960 The Day After Tomorrow
1959 I'm All Right Jack
1950-1958 BBC Sunday-Night Theatre
1957 Just My Luck 
1957 Dick and the Duchess
1957 Big Time Operators 
1955 An Alligator Named Daisy 
1954 Aunt Clara 
1954 Mad About Men 
1954 The Runaway Bus 
1953 Trouble in Store
1953 Innocents in Paris 
1952 Miss Robin Hood 
1952 Castle in the Air 
1952 The Importance of Being Earnest 
1952 Curtain Up 
1951 The Magic Box 
1950 The Taming of Dorothy 
1950 The Happiest Days of Your Life 
1949 Passport to Pimlico 
1948 Miranda 
1947 While the Sun Shines 
1947 Meet Me at Dawn 
1946 The Importance of Being Earnest
1945 Blithe Spirit 
1944 Her Man Gilbey 
1943 Adventure for Two 
1943 Yellow Canary 
1941 Three Wise Brides
1941 Quiet Wedding 
1938 Spring Meeting
1938 Have You Brought Your Music?
1937 Missing, Believed Married 
1937 Catch As Catch Can
1937 Big Fella 
1937 Beauty and the Barge 
1936 Talk of the Devil 
1936 Hideout in the Alps
1936 Troubled Waters