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Born in Croydon, Surrey, England. Ashcroft was a leading light of London's West End and widely considered one of the century's greatest British stage actresses. Her most famous early role was as Desdemona opposite Paul Robeson's Othello in 1930 and her first film was the British Gaumont production THE WANDERING JEW (1933). Along with frequent costar John Gielgud, Ashcroft's leading men during her 65-year career included Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave and Ralph Richardson. She enjoyed her greatest international acclaim for her 1984 role in David Lean's film A PASSAGE TO INDIA adaptated from the E. M. Forster novel. She subsequently won renown for the TV miniseries "The Jewel in the Crown" (1984-85).
Other notable screen credits include THE 39 STEPS (1935), THE NUN'S STORY (1959), SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY (1971) and MADAME SOUSATZKA (1988). She played Agatha Christie in the 1986 TV movie "Murder by the Book."
1 nomination, 1 Award |
Supporting Actress