Nora Swinburne, a renowned British actress, was born Elinore Johnson on July 24, 1902, in Bath, England, to Henry Swinburne Johnson, a toy manufacturer. From a tender age of 10, she began her performing career as an actress and dancer, showcasing her talents on stage. Her early training at Rosholme College and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art laid the foundation for her successful stage career, which spanned multiple decades.
Swinburne's breakout roles included "Suzette" (1917),"Yes, Uncle!" (1918),"Scandal" (1919),and the title role in "Tilly of Bloomsbury" (1921),solidifying her reputation as a talented stage actress. Her striking features and captivating on-screen presence soon made her a sought-after figure in the film industry, and she entered silent pictures in 1920.
Throughout the early 1920s, Swinburne appeared in a string of sophisticated films, including "Branded" (1920),"The Fortune of Christina McNab" (1921),"Hornet's Nest" (1923),and "A Girl of London" (1925). Her marriage to actor Francis Lister ended in divorce, and she later married Edward Ashley.
Swinburne's personal life was marked by a tumultuous affair with Esmond Knight, whom she met while performing in the play "Wise Tomorrow" in 1937. Both actors were married at the time, but they continued their discreet relationship until both were free. They eventually married in the late 1940s and enjoyed a long and fulfilling union, appearing in numerous plays together.
As a talented thespian, Swinburne enjoyed great success in various productions, including the role of Dinah Lot in the play "Lot's Wife" (1938),which she later reprised under her own management. She also replaced Diana Wynyard in the memorable war drama "Watch on the Rhine" in 1943.
By the advent of sound, Swinburne had transitioned to opulent supports in films, often playing ladylike mothers or socialite types in plush Gainsborough dramas. Some of her notable later films include "Perfect Understanding" (1933),"The Citadel" (1938),"The Man in Grey" (1943),"Man of Evil" (1944),"Jassy" (1947),"Christopher Columbus" (1949),"Quartet" (1948),"The River" (1951),"Quo Vadis" (1951),"Helen of Troy" (1956),"Decision at Midnight" (1965),"Interlude" (1968),and "Anne of the Thousand Days" (1969).
A passionate gardener, Swinburne passed away in 2000, thirteen years after her husband's death, at the ripe age of 98.
