Occupation Actress Children Anthony Pelissier Role Actress | Name Fay Compton Years active 1933–1977 | |
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Full Name Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie Born 18 September 1894 ( 1894-09-18 ) West Kensington, London, England, UK Died December 12, 1978, London, United Kingdom Spouse Leon Quartermaine (m. 1922–1942) Parents Virginia Bateman, Edward Compton Movies Laughter in Paradise, Othello, The Haunting, Odd Man Out, Waltzes from Vienna Similar People Compton Mackenzie, Guy Middleton, Mario Zampi, Alastair Sim, Ralph Michael |
Fay compton sings irving berlin s take off a little bit london 1916
Fay Compton /ˈkvmptən/;, CBE (18 September 1894 – 12 December 1978) was an English actress from a notable acting lineage; her father was actor/manager Edward Compton; her mother, Virginia Bateman, was a distinguished member of the profession, as were her elder sister, the actress Viola Compton, and her uncles and aunts. Her grandfather was the 19th-century theatrical luminary Henry Compton. Author Compton Mackenzie was her elder brother.
Contents
- Fay compton sings irving berlin s take off a little bit london 1916
- Theatrical Garden Party Tallullah Bankhead Fay Compton Jack Payne Leslie Henson 1930
- Biography
- Film and television
- Personal life
- Death
- Publications
- Partial filmography
- References

Theatrical Garden Party - Tallullah Bankhead, Fay Compton, Jack Payne, Leslie Henson 1930
Biography

Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie was born in West Kensington, London, England. Compton made her first professional appearances between 1911 and 1913 with The Follies under the leadership of H.G. Pelissier, her future first husband, whom she married as a teenager. She made her mark in the several plays of J.M. Barrie (of Peter Pan fame) introducing him to London audiences, notably in the title role of Mary Rose in 1920. In 1926, she published reminiscences entitled Rosemary: Some remembrances.
Active in the classics as well as contemporary material, Compton had the distinction of playing Ophelia opposite two of the most celebrated Hamlets, John Barrymore and John Gielgud. In 1962 she appeared as Marya in Laurence Olivier's production of Uncle Vanya at Chichester Festival Theatre. This production was filmed.
Film and television
Compton's film work is not as well known as her stage appearances. She appeared in more than forty films between 1914 and 1970. Her most popular performances in films are Odd Man Out (1947), Laughter in Paradise (1951) Orson Welles' Othello (1952), The Haunting (1963) and I Start Counting (1969).
Among her television performances, she appeared in 1965 with Michael Hordern in the television play, Land of My Dreams by Clive Exton. One of her last major roles was as Aunt Ann in the BBC's 1967 television adaptation of The Forsyte Saga. She had a successful career in the radio, television and gramophone recordings.
Personal life
Fay Compton was married four times:
- (1911): H.G. Pelissier. He died two years later, aged 39. (one son: Anthony Pelissier (1912–1988); granddaughter Tracy Reed (1942–2012)).
- (1914): Lauri de Frece, an actor and comedian (who happened to be Jerome Kern's best man at Kern's 1910 wedding), died 1921.
- (1922): Leon Quartermaine, an actor who had appeared with her in 1921, in Barrie's Quality Street. They divorced in 1942.
She was awarded the CBE in 1975.
Death
Fay Compton died on 12 December 1978, in London, aged 84.