Renée Asherson, a talented and resilient actress, was born Renée Ascherson in London, the younger daughter of Charles Ascherson, a businessman and bibliophile of German-Jewish descent, and his second wife, Dorothy Wiseman, who were married on December 14, 1910. Asherson's older sister, Janet Elizabeth Ascherson, was born on May 22, 1914.
Asherson's parents had a narrow escape from being passengers on the ill-fated maiden voyage of the Titanic in 1912, as Charles Ascherson reportedly canceled their passage due to his diagnosis with appendicitis.
Renée Asherson's acting career spanned various mediums, including screen, stage, and television. One of her notable roles was as the bride of Laurence Olivier's title character in the 1944 film adaptation of Henry V. She later appeared in Maniacs on Wheels (1949),a speedway drama alongside Dirk Bogarde.
Asherson frequently collaborated with actor Robert Donat, whom she married in 1953. The couple separated in 1956, but were planning to reconcile at the time of Donat's untimely death in London on June 9, 1958, at the age of 53.
