Joan Greenwood
Biography
Joan Greenwood was an English actress known for a husky voice and slow, precise delivery, who worked mainly on the stage but became a fixture of British film comedy. Born in Chelsea, London, she studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and worked for two years in repertory, and her fluency in French won her a London role in The Imaginary Invalid at 18. She joined the Oxford Playhouse Repertory Company, then appeared with Donald Wolfit's theater company after the Second World War. Her Ealing comedies brought lasting recognition: Whisky Galore! (1949), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) as the seductive Sibella, and The Man in the White Suit (1951). Other films included The Importance of Being Earnest (1952), Stage Struck (1958), Mysterious Island (1961) and Tom Jones (1963), which earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. She also played Lady Carlton in the sitcom Girls on Top.
65years old at death
- Born Chelsea
- Died London
- Star sign: PiscesThe sign runs February 19 to March 20
- Joan Mary Waller Greenwood (birth name)
Movie Career
- Films
- 13
- Career span
- 30 years1948 to 1978
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Beyond film
Anita Pallenberg played The Black Queen in Barbarella (1968), but her voice was judged unsuitable for the role, so Greenwood dubbed the dialogue instead.
Languages
Greenwood's fluency in French led to her being cast in a London production of The Imaginary Invalid at the age of 18.
A role that slipped away
In Hollywood, Greenwood took the female lead in Moonfleet, a 1955 MGM release, after Merle Oberon, the studio's original choice for the part, was replaced.
Big break
Sydney Box was so taken with Greenwood's performance in A Girl in a Million (1946) that he changed the film's title to refer to her.
Big break
Greenwood went back to the London stage, where she appeared in The Women. Leslie Howard saw her in that production and cast her in a notable part in The Gentle Sex (1943), a hit.
Early training
Greenwood trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after giving up her original wish to be a ballet dancer.
Joan Greenwood movies on Netflix
Best known for
The films on Netflix they are best known for, with the part played in each.
Most often with
Alexander Mackendrick directed two of these films. Miles Malleson appears in four of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Miles Malleson's page
Hugh Griffith's page
Michael Gough's page
Alec Guinness's page
Stewart Granger's page
Peter Bull's page
Alexander MackendrickDirector, 2 films, 1949 to 1951
All films by Alexander Mackendrick
Also two films together2 more actors
- Edith EvansTom Jones (1963) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1952)
- Henry MollisonThe Man in the White Suit (1951) and Whisky Galore! (1949)
When several people share the same number of films, the ones with the most films on Netflix are in the chart.
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.