Malleson, Lady Constance

Lady Constance Malleson, actress and author, was born on 24 October 1895 in Castewellan castle, the country home of her parents, Hugh, the 5th Earl Annesley and his wife Priscilla. Constance Malleson was educated in Dresden and Paris as well as the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London. She acted in many West End productions in London, as well as in repertory theatre, using the stage name of Colette O'Niel. She also appeared in the two films Hindle Wakes and The Admirable Crichton. Colette toured South Africa with Dame Sybil Thorndike and Sir Lewis Casson in 1928; later on in 1932 she toured the Middle East with them.

In 1915 she had married Miles Malleson. They divorced in 1923. She worked for various social causes, including mental hospital reform and the blood supply system. Opposed to World War I, she met Bertrand Russell through her association with the No-Conscription Fellowship. She lectured in Sweden in 1936-37 and in Finland during 1941 and 1946. She wrote several books including the autobiographical After Ten Years (1931). Her sister, Mabel M. Annesley was a well-known wood-engraver; Constance Malleson edited her unfinished autobiography, As the Sight Is Bent. She died on 5 October 1975 in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

2015-05-21

W. Laufs