Jessie Matthews
Biography
Jessie Matthews was an English dancer, singer and actress who became a star of British stage and film in the 1920s and 1930s. Born in Soho, she took dancing lessons and first appeared on stage in 1919 in Bluebell in Fairyland. She made her cinema debut in the silent film The Beloved Vagabond (1923) and later performed in West End revues, including The Charlot Show of 1926, which brought her star status. Her major film roles included Out of the Blue (1931), There Goes the Bride, The Good Companions, and Waltzes from Vienna (1934), directed by Alfred Hitchcock. She starred in Evergreen (1934), First a Girl (1935), and It's Love Again (1936). She played Tom Thumb's mother in Tom Thumb (1958), then found new fame in the 1960s as Mary Dale in the BBC radio serial The Dales. She received an OBE in 1970 and appeared in Edward & Mrs. Simpson in 1978 and The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978).
74years old at death
- Born Soho
- Died Eastcote
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Also credited as Jessie Margaret Matthews and Jessie (Mary) Matthews
Movie Career
- Films
- 3
- Career span
- 44 years1934 to 1978
Every film, newest first
- 1978The Hound of the BaskervillesIMDb rating 4.5
- 1958Tom ThumbIMDb rating 6.5
- 1934Waltzes from ViennaIMDb rating 5.7
Genres
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First role
Matthews made her stage debut as a child dancer on 29 December 1919, when she was 12, in Bluebell in Fairyland at The Metropolitan Music Hall in London.
A role that slipped away
Matthews was recruited in New York City to film a role in Forever and a Day originally intended for Greer Garson, shooting it in Hollywood over three days.
Behind the camera
Matthews took the directing role and also appeared in Victory Wedding, a short film from 1944 that starred John Mills and Dulcie Gray.
Beyond film
Matthews introduced the Rodgers and Hart standard "My Heart Stood Still" in the 1927 West End revue One Dam Thing After Another.
Jessie Matthews movies on Netflix
Worked with
Jessie Matthews shares two films with Terry-Thomas, and one with each of the others. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Terry-Thomas's page
Denholm Elliott's page
Peter Sellers's page
Roy Kinnear's page
Russ Tamblyn's page
Hugh Griffith's page
George PalDirector, 1 film, 1958
All films by George Pal
All films by Alfred Hitchcock
All films by Paul Morrissey
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| Officer of the Order of the British Empire | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.