1. Theatre, Film, and Television Biographies
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Irene Handl Biography (1902-1987)

Born December 26, 1902, in London, England; died November 29, 1987, in London; daughter of Frederick (a banker) and Marie (Schuepp) Handl.

Nationality

English

Gender

Female

Birth Details

December 26, 1902

London, England

Death Details

November 29, 1987

London, England

Famous Works

• Credits
• STAGE DEBUT--Stout woman, Night Alone, Embassy Theatre, London, 1937.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL STAGE APPEARANCES
• Beer, George and Margaret, Wyndham's Theatre, London, 1937.
• Mrs. Bartle, Full Flavour, Frau Schneckenroth, Rovina, both Repertory Players, Strand Theatre, London, 1938.
• Lucia, Never Goodbye, Repertory Players, Savoy Theatre, London, 1938.
• Rose, A Star Comes Home, Repertory Players, Arts Theatre, London, 1938.
• Mrs. Beale, Great Day, Playhouse Theatre, London, 1945.
• Eva, Under the Counter, Phoenix Theatre, London, 1945.
• Alice, Mr. Bowling Buys a Newspaper, Embassy Theatre, London, 1946.
• Miss Patch, Day After Tomorrow, Fortune Theatre, London, 1946.
• Edie, Divorce on Tuesday, Q Theatre, London, 1946.
• Franzi Mahler, We Proudly Present, Duke of York's Theatre, London, 1947.
• Effie, Summer in December, Comedy Theatre, London, 1949.
• Laura Baker, Marriage Playground, Q Theatre, 1949.
• Mrs. Thripp, Cry Liberty, Vaudeville Theatre, London, 1950.
• Millicent Browne-Ffolliat, Will I Do?, King's Theatre, Glasgow, Scotland,1951.
• Mrs. Poyser, Magnolia Street Story, Embassy Theatre, 1951.
• Nanny, Bold Lover, Royal Theatre, Brighton, U.K., 1951.
• Miss Oakley, First Person Singular, Duke of York's Theatre, 1952.
• Mrs. Laura Baker, The Wedding Ring, Manchester Opera House, Manchester, U.K., 1952.
• Mrs. Jannaway, Goodnight, Sweet Prince, Richmond Theatre, London, 1953.
• Mrs. Piper, Strange Request, New Lindsey Theatre, London, 1955.
• Elsie Knowles, Home and Away, Garrick Theatre, London, 1955.
• Mrs. Pullar, Jubilee Girl, Victoria Palace, London, 1956.
• Amelia Puffin, Goodnight, Mrs. Puffin, Strand Theatre, London, 1961.
• Lily Piper, Busybody, Duke of York's Theatre, 1964.
• Helena Hope, Dear Miss Hope, Richmond Theatre, 1966.
• Thirza Tapper, The Farmer's Wife, Chichester Festival Theatre, Chichester, U.K., 1967.
• Lady Eppingham and Beatrice Horrocks, My Giddy Aunt, Savoy Theatre, 1968.
• Bessie Trimble, Chorus of Murder, Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, U.K.,1972.
• Mrs. Puffin, Goodnight, Mrs. Puffin, Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne,U.K., 1972.
• Lily Piper, Dead Easy, St. Martin's Theatre, London, 1974.
• May, The Freeway, National Theatre, London, 1974.
• Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest, Greenwich Theatre, London, 1975.
• Madame Purvis, Emu in Pantoland, Shaftesbury Theatre, 1976.
• Emma Kilner, A Family, Royal Haymarket Theatre, London, 1978.
• Also appeared in Mrs. Perry and Her, 1980; and at the Garrison Theatre, Salisbury, U.K, 1940-45.
• Credits; MAJOR TOURS
• Amelia Puffin, Goodnight, Mrs. Puffin, Australian cities, 1963.
• Hilde, Everything Happens on Friday, U.K. cities, 1964.
• Lily Piper, Busybody, Australian and New Zealand cities, 1966.
• Helena Hope, Dear Miss Hope, U.K. cities, 1967.
• Lady Eppingham and Beatrice Horrocks, My Giddy Aunt, U.K. cities, 1968.
• Lydia, His, Hers & Theirs, U.K. cities, 1970.
• Madame Arcati, Blithe Spirit, U.K. cities, 1973.
• Mrs. Bramson, Night Must Fall, U.K. cities, 1975.
• Mrs. Swabb, Habeas Corpus, U.K. cities, 1975.
• Audrey, Ten Times Table, U.K. cities, 1979.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL FILM APPEARANCES
• Chambermaid, Missing, Believed Married, Paramount, 1937.
• Mrs. Dewar, Strange Boarders, Gainsborough, 1938.
• Miss Bell, Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard, Grand National, 1939.
• Sarah, Dr. O'Dowd, Warner Brothers, 1940.
• wife, Gasbags, General Films Distributors, 1940.
• Beer, George and Margaret, Warner Brothers, 1940.
• Miss Blaker, The Girl in the News, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1941.
• Maggie, Get Cracking, Columbia, 1943.
• frau, The Flemish Farm, General Films Distributors, 1943.
• Ma Perkins, I'll Walk Beside You, Butchers Film Service, 1943.
• Mrs. Beam, It's in the Bag, Butchers Film Service, 1943.
• landlady, Millions Like Us, General Films Distributors, 1943.
• Mrs. Crumbling, Rhythm Serenade, Columbia, 1943.
• Miss Haddock, Give Us the Moon, General Films Distributors, 1944.
• Mrs. Victory, Kiss the Bridge Goodbye, Butchers Film Service, 1944.
• Frau von Koerner, Uncensored, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1944.
• Organist, Brief Encounter, Eagle-Lion, 1945.
• Miss Trotter, For You Alone, Butchers Film Service, 1945.
• Trude, Mr. Emmanuel, Eagle-Lion, 1945.
• Flora, The Randolph Family (also known as Dear Octopus), English Films, 1945.
• Mrs. Nugent, The Spell of Amy Nugent (also known as Spellbound and Passing Clouds), Producers Releasing, 1945.
• Mrs. Farnsworth, The Gay Intruders (also known as Medal for the General),Anglo-American, 1946.
• Mrs. Gammon, I'll Turn to You, Butchers Film Service, 1946.
• Mrs. Mactavish, The Hills of Donegal, Butchers Film Service, 1947.
• Ruby Towser, Code of Scotland Yard, Republic, 1948.
• Mrs. Wicker, The Fool and the Princess, General Films Distributors, 1948.
• Lady Agnes, The Cardboard Cavalier, General Films Distributors, 1949.
• "Woody" Woodman, Dark Secret, Butchers Film Service, 1949.
• Mrs. Sams, For Them That Trespass, Associated British/Pathe, 1949.
• lady on the left, The History of Mr. Polly, General Films Distributors, 1949.
• cook, Silent Dust, Associated British/Monogram, 1949.
• Mrs. Gowshall, Temptation Harbour, Monogram, 1949.
• Manager, Adam and Evelyne, Two Cities, 1950.
• Mrs. Butter, The Perfect Woman, Eagle-Lion, 1950.
• Audrey Cuttle (number two), One Wild Oat, Eros, 1951.
• lady with dog, Meet Mr. Lucifer, General Films Distributors, 1953.
• Mrs. Tidmarsh, Mr. Potts Goes to Moscow (also known as Top Secret), Stratford, 1953.
• Daisy, The Wedding of Lilli Marlene, Monarch, 1953.
• Mrs. Raymond, Burnt Evidence, Act Films, 1954.
• Madame Blanche, Mad about Men, General Films Distributors, 1954.
• nurse in Regents Park, Young Wives' Tale, Allied Artists, 1954.
• customer, Who Done It?, Rank, 1956.
• Mrs. Abramowitz, A Kid for Two Farthings, Independent Film Distributors/Lopert, 1956.
• Mrs. Potter, Brothers in Law, British and Colonial Kinematograph, 1957.
• receptionist, The Silken Affair, RKO, 1957.
• Mrs. Gammon, Small Hotel, Associated British/Pathe, 1957.
• Madame Edna, Happy Is the Bride, Kassler, 1958.
• clerk, The Key, Columbia, 1958.
• new neighbor, It's Never Too Late, Associated British/Pathe, 1958.
• Bebe, The Crowning Touch, Butchers Film Service, 1959.
• Mrs. Kite, I'm All Right, Jack, British Lion, 1959.
• Mrs. Maggs, Left, Right and Centre, British Lion, 1959.
• Distraught woman, Carry On Constable, Anglo-Amalgamated, 1960.
• Professor MacRitchie, Doctor in Love, Rank, 1960.
• Staff Sergeant Hodges, French Mistress, British Lion, 1960.
• Lily, Inn for Trouble, Eros, 1960.
• Madam Spolinski, Make Mine Mink, Continental, 1960.
• Mrs. Crowley, Next to No Time, Show, 1960.
• Miss Patch, Desert Mice, Rank, 1960.
• mother in newsreel, Man in a Cocked Hat (also known as Carlton-Browne ofthe F.O.), Show, 1960.
• Mrs. Stringer, School for Scoundrels, Continental, 1960.
• Ma, The Night We Got the Bird, British Lion, 1961.
• Mrs. Spicer, Beware of Children (also known as No Kidding), American International, 1961.
• Mrs. Crevatte, Call Me Genius (also known as The Rebel), Associated British, 1961.
• Mrs. Harper, Double Bunk, British Lion, 1961.
• Elsie, Nothing Barred, British Lion, 1961.
• Miss Harker-Parker, The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's, Continental, 1961.
• Mrs. Price, Two-Way Stretch, Show, 1961.
• large woman, Upstairs and Downstairs, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1961.
• Edie Hornett, Watch It, Sailor!, Columbia, 1961.
• Florence Proudfoot, A Weekend with Lulu, Columbia, 1961.
• Lulu's mom, Make Mine a Double, Ellis, 1962.
• Rene Smith, Heavens Above!, Janus, 1963.
• housewife, Just for Fun, Columbia, 1963.
• Mrs. Delt, Morgan! (also known as Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment),Cinema V, 1966.
• Mrs. Hackett, The Wrong Box, Columbia, 1966.
• Mrs. Gimble, Smashing Time, Paramount, 1967.
• Lil, Lionheart, Children's Film Foundation, 1968.
• Chinese restaurant cook, The Mini-Affair, United Screen Arts, 1968.
• Miss Peach, The Italian Job, Paramount, 1969.
• Mrs. Peurofoy, Wonderwall, Cinecenta, 1969.
• Mrs. Dailey, Doctor in Trouble, Rank, 1970.
• Winnie Wainwhistle, On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Paramount, 1970.
• Mrs. Hudson, The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, United Artists, 1970.
• Miss Wormwood, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, Universal, 1977.
• Miss Friggin, Adventures of a Private Eye, Alpha Films, 1977.
• Mrs. Phillimore, Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers, Warner Brothers, 1977.
• usherette, The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, Virgin Vision, 1979.
• Gran, Riding High, Enterprise, 1980.
• Mrs. Barrymore, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Atlantic, 1983.
• Mrs. Larkin, Absolute Beginners, Orion, 1986.
• Also appeared in The Fugitive (also known as On the Night of the Fire), Universal, 1940; Night Train (also known as Gestapo and Night Train to Munich), Twentieth Century-Fox, 1940; Welcome, Mr.
• Washington, Anglo-American, 1944; Great Day, RKO, 1945; Her Man Gilbey (also known as English without Tears), Universal, 1949; Stage Fright, Warner Brothers, 1950; Treasure Hunt, British Lion/Independent Pictures, 1952; The Weak and the Wicked, Associated British/Allied Artists, 1954; Duel in the Jungle, Warner Brothers, 1954; and Law and Disorder, Continental, 1958.
• Credits; PRINCIPAL TELEVISION APPEARANCES
• A Legacy, For the Love of Ada, Hancock's Half Hour, You Must Be Joking, The Rag Trade, In Sickness and in Health, and Never Say Die.
• Writings
• The Sioux (novel), New American Library, 1965, reprinted as The Green andPurple Dream, Mayflower Books, 1973.
• The Gold Tip Pfitzer (novel), Allen Lane, 1973.

Further Reference

OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:

• Variety, December 2, 1987.