Phyllis Hannah Bickle was born in Chelsea in 1915 and embarked on a journey to hone her dancing skills at the prestigious Margaret Morris school of dance. However, a sudden injury forced her to reevaluate her career path and pivot towards acting. This marked the beginning of her illustrious 70-year film career, which started with a minor role in The Arcadians (1927) when she was just 12 years old.
Alongside her successful film career, Phyllis also had a thriving stage career, spanning from 1925 to 1994. She appeared in numerous productions, including 'Crossings' with Ellen Terry, 'Blithe Spirit', 'The Heiress', and 'Peter Pan', where she played the iconic role of the boy who never grew up.
Phyllis' film breakthrough came in 1941 with the adaptation of H.G. Wells' story, The Remarkable Mr. Kipps, where she played the servant girl, a role that had initially been turned down by Margaret Lockwood. Her subsequent film, The Man in Grey (1943),catapulted her to stardom, and from then on, she became one of the most recognizable faces associated with the Gainsborough costume melodramas of the 1940s, often portraying the sweet heroine or the steadfast non-nonsense leader.
After a brief stint in Hollywood in the late 1940s, Phyllis returned to England and earned her first BAFTA nomination for her role as the mother of a deaf girl in Crash of Silence (1952). However, her film career slowed down as family took precedence. While shooting Indiscreet (1958),Phyllis was struck a cruel blow when her husband of 16 years, Peter Murray-Hill, passed away.
Her stage career picked up pace in the 1960s as she began taking on more roles to support her two children as a single parent. She effortlessly transitioned into character roles, often playing the kindly mother or aunt, and in 1970, she even had her own TV series, Kate. In the 1980s, Phyllis concentrated more on television, appearing only twice onstage. Her final play was in 1994, her final film was in 1997, and her final TV appearance was in 2000.
Phyllis Calvert's remarkable career spanned over seven decades, leaving behind a legacy that continues to inspire and captivate audiences to this day.
