Joyce Grenfell OBE (10 February 1910 – 30 November 1979), born Joyce Irene Phipps, was an English film and television actress, comedian, and singer-songwriter. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are... February 10 is the 41st day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... November 30 is the 334th day (335th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days remaining. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages English Capital London Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population –mid-2004... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... The term singer-songwriter refers to performers who both write and sing their own material. ...

Early life

Born in London, she was the daughter of architect Paul Phipps and an eccentric American mother, Nora Langhorne, the daughter of an American railroad millionaire and sister of Nancy Astor. For other uses, see London (disambiguation). ... Nancy Witcher Astor, Viscountess Astor (May 19, 1879 - May 2, 1964) was a socialite politician and a member of the prominent Astor family. ...

As such, Joyce Phipps grew up around money and privilege. Wanting to pursue a career in the theatre, she made her stage debut in 1939 in the "Little Revue." In 1942 she wrote what became her signature song, "I'm Going to See You Today."

Career

During World War II, Grenfell toured India, North Africa, and the Middle East with a company performing for British troops. In 1989 her wartime journals were published under the title The Time of My Life: Entertaining the Troops. Her singing and comedic talents on stage led to offers to appear in motion picture comedies. Although she performed in a number of films, she continued with her recording career, producing a number of humorous albums as well as books. Combatants Allies: Soviet Union, United Kingdom, France/Free France, United States, Canada, China, India, Australia, Poland, New Zealand, South Africa, Greece, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Burma, Slovakia Casualties Military dead: 17 million Civilian dead: 33 million Total dead: 50 million Military dead: 8...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

As a writer at the BBC during and just after the war, she collaborated with Stephen Potter in writing the "How" series of 30 satirical programmes from How to Talk to Children to How to Listen. During the 1950s she made her name as a sidekick to such comedy greats as Alastair Sim and Margaret Rutherford in films such as The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950) and the St Trinian's series. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, sometimes also known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, founded in 1922. ... Stephen Potter (1 February 1900 - December 1969) was a British author best known for his mock self-help books, and film and television derivatives from them, though he wrote much more widely, including scholarly books on English literature, and worked producing and writing for the BBC. Potter attended Westminster School... Alastair Sim Alastair Sim CBE (October 9, 1900 – August 19, 1976) was a Scottish character actor, whose comic appearance ensured him success in a string of classic British films. ... Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple Dame Margaret Rutherford, DBE (May 11, 1892 – May 22, 1972) was a British character actress who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Cowards Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wildes The Importance of Being Earnest. ... The Happiest Days of Your Life is a 1950 British comedy film starring well-known British actors, including Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford and Joyce Grenfell. ... St Trinians is a fictional girls school created by Ronald Searle, a British cartoonist. ...

Grenfell is now best remembered for her one-woman shows and monologues, in which she invented roles including a harassed nursery teacher ("George, don't do that"). She gained additional popularity as a result of her frequent appearances on the BBC's classical music quiz show, Face the Music. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC, sometimes also known as the Beeb or Auntie) is the largest broadcasting corporation in the world, founded in 1922. ... Face the Music has been used as a title for: Face The Music (musical), a Broadway musical of the 1930s Face The Music (album), an album by the Electric Light Orchestra Face The Music (television), a popular BBC television series Face The Music (tracker), music composition software for the Amiga...

Grenfell was a member of the Church of Christ, Scientist, a religious organisation based on Christianity and spiritual healing. The factual accuracy of this article is disputed. ... Christianity is a monotheistic[1] religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recounted in the Gospels. ... Spiritual healing redirects here. ...

Death and after

Diagnosed with cancer, she retired from performing and died in 1979. Her autobiography, The Time of My Life was published in 1990. In 1998, the British government memorialised Joyce Grenfell with her image on a postage stamp as part of a series of stamps celebrating "Heroes of Comedy". This is a list of people on stamps of the United Kingdom. ...

In 2002, her friend and author Janie Hampton published the book Joyce Grenfell. In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian, she was voted amongst the top 50 comedy acts ever by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. The Comedians Comedian was a three-hour programme broadcast on UKs Channel 4 on January 1, 2005. ...

Maureen Lipman has often toured with her one-woman show Re: Joyce where she recreates some of Grenfell's best known sketches. This performance is now also available on DVD. Maureen Lipman (born May 10, 1946) is a British actress. ...

Joyce Grenfell was created an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) in 1946. It was confirmed after her death that she would have been made a Dame Commander (DBE) in the 1980 New Year's Honours List. Commanders Badge of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are...

Filmography

• A Letter from Home (1941)
• The Lamp Still Burns (1943)
• The Demi-Paradise (1943)
• While the Sun Shines (1947)
• A Run for Your Money (1949)
• Poet's Pub (1949)
• Alice in Wonderland (1949)
• Stage Fright (1950)
• The Happiest Days of Your Life (1950)
• Laughter in Paradise (1951)
• The Galloping Major (1951)
• The Magic Box (1951)
• The Pickwick Papers (1952)
• The Million Pound Note (1953)
• Genevieve (1953)
• The Belles of St. Trinian's (1954)
• Forbidden Cargo (1954)
• The Good Companions (1957)
• Happy Is the Bride (1957)
• Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957)
• The Pure Hell of St. Trinian's (1960)
• The Old Dark House (1963)
• The Americanization of Emily (1964)
• The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964)

Stage Fright DVD cover Stage Fright is a 1950 Warner Bros. ... The Happiest Days of Your Life is a 1950 British comedy film starring well-known British actors, including Alastair Sim, Margaret Rutherford and Joyce Grenfell. ... In the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Magic Box is a magic shop in Sunnydale run by Rupert Giles. ... The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, better known as The Pickwick Papers, is the first novel by Charles Dickens. ... The Million Pound Note is a 1953 film starring Gregory Peck External Links IMDB Profile Category: ... Genevieve (1953) is a British film directed by Henry Cornelius. ... The Belles of St. ... The Old Dark House (1932) Seeking shelter from a pounding rainstorm in a remote region of Wales, several travellers are admitted to a gloomy, foreboding mansion belonging to the extremely strange Femm family. ... The Americanization of Emily is a 1964 American motion picture drama/comedy adapted for the screen by Paddy Chayefsky from the novel by William Bradford Huie. ...

External links

• Joyce Grenfell at the Internet Movie Database