Rosalie Crutchley

Who was Rosalie Crutchley?

Rosalie Crutchley was an English actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Crutchley was known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in theatre and films, making her stage début at least as early as 1932 and her screen début in 1947. She continued acting up until her death in 1997 and was familiarly always known as "Bun" Crutchley.

She had dark piercing eyes, and often played foreign characters, or rather sinister characters. She played many classical roles, including Juliet in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, Hermione in The Winter's Tale and Goneril in King Lear.

Her screen debut was as a violinist who is murdered in Take My Life. She played Madame Defarge in both A Tale of Two Cities, the 1958 film, and in the 1965 television serialisation of the same story.

She played Catherine Parr in the 1970 TV series, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, and played the same character in its sequel, Elizabeth R.

Other roles included Mrs Sparsit in Hard Times, and Electra. She is probably remembered best for her performances in the classic films Quo Vadis as Acte, Nero's confidante, and The Haunting as the sinister housekeeper Mrs. Dudley.