Nancy Burne, a talented actress of half Scottish and half Irish descent, made her professional debut as the Princess in the leading child's part in "The Windmill Man". She went on to have two notable climbs to leading roles on the West End stage, with both stints involving understudying popular stage star June, first in "Clowns In Clover" and then in "Over The Page".
In 1932, her talent was spotted by film scouts during a performance in the revue "Ballyhoo", and shortly thereafter, she landed her first screen role - the lead opposite Stanley Lupino in "Facing the Music". Nancy went on to star in numerous films throughout the 1930s, with some of her most notable roles including "Norah O'Neale", shot on location in Ireland, which remains her personal favourite film to this day.
Her other notable film credits include "Dandy Dick" (1935),a comedy starring Will Hay, and "It Happened in Paris" (1936),a romantic comedy directed by Carol Reed and starring John Loder. Nancy's final film was the Edgar Wallace story "Flying Fifty Five", released in 1939.
After this, Nancy focused on her stage career, performing nationwide throughout the 1940s and early 1950s, often playing the iconic role of Cinderella in pantomime. Unfortunately, Nancy's life was cut short when she passed away in Margate in 1954, at the age of 46, after a long illness.
