Margaret
Rutherford,
the daughter of William Benn and Florence Rutherford, was born in
1892. Her father was the brother of the politician John
Benn. Before her birth, her father had murdered her grandfather,
Julius Benn. As a result of this tragedy, Margaret took her mother's
name. Margaret's mother died when she was three years old and she
was brought up by her aunt.
At school Rutherford developed an interest in the theatre and her
aunt paid for her to have private acting lessons. When her aunt died
she left Margaret a small amount of money so she could pursue a career
on the the stage. In 1925 Rutherford was accepted as a student at
the Old Vic Theatre where she appeared in several small roles.
Rutherford made her first appearance in London's West End in 1933.
Her talent was not recognised by the critics until her performance
as Miss Prism in The Importance of Being
Earnest (1939) by Oscar Wilde. This was followed by the
role as Mrs. Danvers in Rebecca,
Blithe Spirit (1941) and the Happiest
Days of Your Life (1948). In all three cases, she played
the same role when they were made into feature films. Rutherford also
made a series of films as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple and in 1963
won an Oscar for her performance in The VIPs.
Margaret Rutherford, who was married to the actor, Stringer Davis,
died in 1972.
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