Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford, DBE, (11 May 1892 — 22 May 1972), was a British actress best known for playing Miss Marple in the Miss Marple films.
She was raised by her aunt Bessie Nicholson for most of her early life. She was educated at Wimbledon High School where developed an acting, starting when she performed in amateur dramatics. Aunt Bessie paid for her to have private acting lessons after school and in her will left Rutherford a legacy giving her secure entry to the Old Vic School.
Her stage debut at the age of 33 in 1925. Rutherford wasn't seen as right for romantic leads, so she focused on comedy, despite the fact she was surprised that the audience thought her funny at all. An early recognition of her talent came in a 1939 production of The Importance of Being Earnest, while her Star-Making Role came when she played Madame Arcati in Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit.
Rutherford once more played Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit's film adaptation. Rutherford was a familiar face in British comedy films of the time, racking up roles as Secret-Keeper Nurse Carey in Miranda (1948), dotty Professor Hatton-Jones in Passport to Pimlico, headmistress Miss Whitchurch in The Happiest Days of Your Life, governess Miss Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest, eccentric boarder Miss Nicholson in Castle in the Air, shoplifter Miss Bacon in Trouble in Store, outspoken Cynthia Beeston in The Runaway Bus, Prudence Croquet in An Alligator Named Daisy, Mrs. Dooley in Just My Luck, cashier/bookkeeper Mrs. Fazackalee in The Smallest Show on Earth, and rich Aunt Dolly in I'm All Right Jack.
Rutherford played Miss Marple in the four Miss Marple films, starring alongside her husband Stringer Davis (who had appeared in many other films with her). While Agatha Christie wasn't happy with the films' more comical tones, she dedicated her novel The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side to Rutherford in admiration for her portrayal. Rutherford also played Miss Marple in an Uncredited Role in The Alphabet Murders.
Later in her career, she played the pill-popping Duchess of Brighton in The V.I.P.s (a comic relief role that won her an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award), tavern hostess Mistress Quickly in Chimes at Midnight, Miss Gaulswallow in A Countess from Hong Kong, and filmed scenes for The Virgin and the Gypsy as the grandmother, had to leave the role during filming due to illness, so she was replaced by Fay Compton.
She suffered from Alzheimer's disease and died at the age of 80.
Works on TV Tropes she appeared in:
Films- Blithe Spirit (1945) — Madame Arcati
- Miranda (1948) — Nurse Carey
- Passport to Pimlico (1949) — Professor Hatton-Jones
- The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) — Miss Letitia Prism
- Murder, She Said (1961) — Miss Jane Marple
- Murder at the Gallop (1963) — Miss Jane Marple
- The V.I.P.s (1963) — Duchess of Brighton
- Murder Most Foul (1964) — Miss Jane Marple
- Murder Ahoy (1964) — Miss Jane Marple
- Chimes at Midnight (1965) — Mistress Quickly
- A Countess from Hong Kong (1967) — Miss Gaulswallow
- Jackanory, 5 episodesshow list (1966) — Storyteller
