Marie Löhr (1890-1975)

Marie Löhr (1890-1975)

Marie Kaye Wouldes Löhr, her full name, was born in Sydney (New South Wales, Australia), of English parents on 28th July 1890. She was the daughter of Lewis J. Löhr, a former treasurer of the Melbourne Opera House, and his wife Kate (Bishop), an active member of the acting profession who had appeared with Ellen Terry. Marie's uncle, Alfred Bishop was also an actor. Her grandfather, James Woulds, had co-managed the famous Bath Theatre. Like her mother berfore her, Marie took to the stage at an early age as a child performer, her first appearance being at the age of three in 'The World Against Her', and subsequently 'Captain Fritz' and 'Hans the Boatman', at the Criterion Theatre, Sydney in 1894.

In 1900, her father moved the family back to London where Marie was enrolled at school whilst her mother returned to the London stage. The following year, home from school for the Christmas holiday, Marie learned that some children were required to dance in a forthcoming production for which her mother had been engaged, and prevailed upon her mother to get her a part. So it was that, now aged ten, she made her first appearance on the London stage at the Garrick Theatre on 14th December 1901, in a production of 'Shock Headed Peter'.

The following year she toured with the Kendals as 'Barbara Trecarre' in "St. Martins Summer". At christmas 1903 she appeared in "The Water Babies" at the West Pier, Brighton before spending another season on tour as 'Trixie Blenkinsopp' in "Whitewashing Julia". She next appeared in the Capital in "White Magic" at the Comedy Theatre and "The Little Michus" at Daly's before touring again with the Kendal's in 1906.

She then made a number of appearances at His Majesty's, the Sheakespeare and at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, where she gained her first major break. That was in the premiere of George Bernard Shaw's latest production "Getting Married" which opened at the Haymarket on May 12th, 1908. Marie, now 18, was invited to play the part of Mrs Reginald Bridgenorth. Following that success she joined Beerbohm Tree's company at His Majesty's Theatre, with whom she would remain for the next few years. With Tree she appear in many important roles, including 'Margaret' to his "Faust" (1908), and 'Lady Teazle' in a famous revival of "The School for Scandal" (1909).

By now she was firmly established as a leading West End star, and would continue to regularly appear in prominent West End productions playing opposite many of the most important male leads of the period, including Dion Boucicault (Junior), Charles Hawtrey, Sir John Hare, Gerald du Maurier and Sir George Alexander. As the roles flooded in so her fame and stature grew. A notable appearance in May 1914 came with Marie playing the role of 'Olive Skinner' in an all-star revival of "The Silver King" at His Majesty's Theatre in aid of the King George Actors Pension Fund. In 1916 she made her first appearance on celluloid as 'the murdered' in the silent film "The Real Thing at Last", a satire loosely based on Sheakespeare's Macbeth (and also featuring Pauline Chase, Gladys Cooper, and Inrene Vanbrugh).

Around this time Marie married Anthony Leyland Val Prinsep, who was the son of a famous artist and the owner of several West End theatres. With Princep, from January 1918, she took over the management of the Globe Theatre. Her first production was "Love in a Cottage" in Marie herself played the role of 'Sybil Bruce'. Over the next few years Marie directed and often starred in many productions. That year she also made her second movie, as 'Barbara Rowntree' in "War and Peace". A role which she at first refused (as she had others previously) but eventually relented. The director, Herbert Brenon described Marie as "the youngest and most charming woman star in England".

In 1921, she took her company on a tour of Canada, then on to New York, making her first ever appearance there at the Hudson Theater in January 1922 as 'Lady Caryll' in "A Voice from the Minaret". On her return to London she continued in management at The Globe until 1927 without lessening her own appearances on the stage. In June 1924 she had appeared as 'Lady Ware' in a revival of "The Ware Case" at The Adelphi, another all-star benefit performance in aid of the Actors Pension Fund.

Whilst her private life was marred by divorce from her husband in 1928, her professional career continued unabated and she appeared in many commercial successes throughout the thirties. Most prominent of these was her role as 'Muriel Weston' in "Call it a Day" at The Globe Theatre, which ran for a year from October 1935.

This period also marked the real beginning of her movie career. Having previously appeared in two silent films during the Great War she went on to appear in a string of movies shot during the thirties and forties. She came to specialise in lady dowager roles, including such parts as 'Mrs Higgins' in "Pygmalion", 'Lady Parks' in "The Rakes Progress", 'Grace Winslow' in "The Winslow Boy", and 'Lady Carlton-Browne' in "Carlton-Browne of the F.O.". Perhaps the most important movie in which she appeared however, was the 1956 film of "A Town Like Alice" starring Peter Finch and Virginia McKenna. Marie played the part of 'Mrs. Dudley Frost".

She was little seen on the stage during the Second World War other than a run as 'Vera Sheldon' in "Other Peoples Houses" at The Ambassador's from October 1941. From the late forties and throughout the fifties she resumed her career to play lead roles in a wide range of major productions both on the stage and on film. Her last stage appearance before her retirement in 1966 was in the role of 'Mrs Whitefield' in a revival of Bernard Shaw's "Man and Superman". She did, however, come out of retirement two years later to make her last film appearance as the dowager Lady Gorse in "Great Catherine".

Her stage career at the time of her retirement had spanned over seventy years. Marie Löhr died in London on 21st January 21, 1975 - at the age of 84.

Movie Credits (source www.imdb.com)
1916 - Murdered in 'The Real Thing at Last'
1918 - Barbara Rowntree in 'Victory and Peace'
1932 - Lady Frinton in 'Aren't We All?'
1934 - Lady Hamble in 'Road House'
1934 - Modiste in 'Mon coeur t'appelle' [My Heart Is Calling You]
1935 - Mother in 'Royal Cavalcade'
1935 - Lady Pye in 'Oh, Daddy!'
1935 - Mrs. Cope in 'Foreign Affaires'
1935 - Lady Brockley in 'Lady in Danger'
1935 - Mrs. Barbara Rivers in 'Fighting Stock'
1935 - Mary Barton in 'Cock o' the North'
1936 - Empress in 'Whom the Gods Love'
1936 - 'Reasonable Doubt'
1936 - Constance Gilbert in 'It's You I Want'
1936 - Helen von Waldenau in 'Dreams Come True'
1938 - Mrs. Beddows in 'South Riding'
1938 - Mrs. Higgins in 'Pygmalion'
1939 - Mrs. Handside-Lane in 'A Gentleman's Gentleman'
1940 - Alice in 'George and Margaret'
1941 - Lady Britomart in 'Major Barbara'
1942 - Mrs Fraser in 'Went the Day Well?'
1945 - Emma Blood in 'Kiss the Bride Goodbye'
1945 - Lady Chetwood in 'Twilight Hour'
1945 - Lady Parks in 'The Rake's Progress'
1946 - Countess de Vermond 'The Magic Bow'
1947 - Lottie the 'The Ghosts of Berkeley Square'
1948 - Princess Scherbatsky the 'Anna Karenina'
1948 - Grace Winslow in 'The Winslow Boy'
1948 - Lady Clandon in 'Silent Dust'
1948 - Mrs. Coles in 'Counterblast'
1952 - Mrs. Maddox in 'Little Big Shot'
1953 - Dowager in 'Always a Bride'
1955 - Rich passenger in 'Out of the Clouds'
1955 - Stella Hampden in 'Escapade'
1956 - Lady Falconbridge in 'On Such a Night'
1956 - Mrs. Dudley Frost in 'A Town Like Alice'
1957 - Mrs. Dorothy Knudson in 'Seven Waves Away'
1957 - Mrs. Samson-Fox in 'Small Hotel'
1959 - Lady Carlton-Browne in 'Carlton-Browne of the F.O.'
1968 - Dowager Lady Gorse in 'Great Catherine'