Dame May Whitty (June 19, 1865 - May 29, 1948) was a British theater and cinema actress.

Born in Liverpool, England Whitty made her first stage appearance in Liverpool in 1881 before moving to London to appear in the West End. She married the actor Ben Webster in 1892 and in 1895 they visisted the United States where Whitty appeared on Broadway. Her stage career continued for the rest of her life.

In 1918 she was made Dame of the British Empire in recognition for her charitable work during World War I.

She made her first major film appearance, recreating her stage role in the film Night Must Fall (1937), and received a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. This led to several supporting roles in films including that of Miss Froy in Alfred Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes (1938). She moved to the US in 1939 and appeared both on stage and in Hollywood films where she usually played wealthy dowagers. It was one such part, as Lady Beldon in Mrs Miniver (1942), that brought her a second Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

She continued to act for the remainder of her life and died in Beverly Hills, California from cancer. Webster died in 1947.

Quote

"I have everything Betty Grable has - I've just had it longer".