Joyce Redman was an Anglo-Irish actress, twice nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but never winning the award.
Born into an Anglo-Irish family in Northumberland, Redman was raised in County Mayo, Ireland, along with her three sisters, who were educated at home by a private governess.
Redman later pursued an acting education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, graduating in 1936 at the age of 21.
She remained primarily a theatrical actress for decades, performing at the Comédie-Française in Paris and The Old Vic in London, and appeared in television films.
One of her notable theatrical hits was playing the role of Anne Boleyn in the play "Anne of the Thousand Days" in 1948, which she reprised in New York City in 1949 to great success.
In 1955, Redman joined the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, where she primarily appeared in Shakespearean roles.
Redman made her film debut in the spiritualism-themed drama "Spellbound" in 1941, playing an unnamed maid, and her first credited role was that of Jet van Dieren in the war film "One of Our Aircraft Is Missing" in 1942.
Her next film appearance was the role of Mrs. Waters in "Tom Jones" in 1963, for which she was first nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Redman's next film appearance was in the adaptation of Shakespeare's "Othello" in 1965, playing Emilia, Iago's wife and Desdemona's maidservant, for which she gained her second and last nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Redman's following film appearance was in the comedy film "Prudence and the Pill" in 1968, and her final film role was in the drama film "A Different Kind of Love" in 1985, playing the lead role of Mrs. Prior.
In her later years, Redman appeared in the mini-television series "Victoria & Albert" in 2001, playing an elderly Queen Victoria, and afterwards retired from acting.
Redman died in May 2012 due to pneumonia, at the age of 96, making her one of the oldest living actresses.
