Heather Thatcher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heather Thatcher (3 September 1896 – 15 February 1987) was an English actress in theatre and films. She was from London. The Plaything (1929), produced by Castleton Knight and Elstree Studios, begins as a silent film. It develops into an audible film which is recorded in good quality for its time. The theme concerns a Highland laird who falls in love with a hedonistic London heiress. Thatcher plays a prominent role as Martyn Bennett.
In 1931 she visited Hollywood while attending the wedding of James Gleason. As a star of English comedy, she was being compared to Marilyn Miller, Thatcher wore a monocle to the marriage ceremony. In the autumn of 1931 she was invited to a reception following the premiere of Strictly Dishonorable (1931), at the Carthay Circle Theatre. Among her friends in films were Anthony Bushell and Zelma O'Neal.
Thatcher was signed by MGM in February 1932. She was given a feature role in But The Flesh Is Weak (1932). The film stars Robert Montgomery and is directed by Jack Conway. The film was adapted from a British stage production which showcased Novello. Thatcher was praised for her performance. German actress, Nora Gregor was found disappointing. The English actress "gives a brilliant performance and creates the only human being in the piece."
Thatcher sued Gloria Swanson British Productions for breach of contract in a suit which was settled in December 1933. During the filming of Perfect Understanding (1933) Thatcher's contract was cancelled before the production was completed. No explanation was given. She was excluded from the film when a new author was hired. The replacement writer chose to eliminate her character.
The Private Life of Don Juan (1934) was also filmed at Elstree Studios. The film has Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as its leading man. Owen Nares plays the title role and Thatcher is Anna Dora, one of the ladies.
Later in her career Thatcher returned to Britain to make films. Among these is Will Any Gentleman...? (1953), filmed at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. Thatcher appears together with George Cole and Veronica Hurst. The film was a short adventure about a hypnotist who puts a man in a trance.
Thatcher made her last films in 1955. The Deep Blue Sea has a screenplay written by Terence Rattigan and features Vivien Leigh and Kenneth More. Thatcher depicts Aunt May Luton in Josephine and Men. The film is a comedy starring Glynis Johns and Peter Finch.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 1.552 |
Birthday | 1896-09-03 |
Place of Birth | London, England, UK |
Also Known As |
1941
Man Hunt
7/113
Shortly before the start of WW2, renown British big-game hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten,...
Watch Now
Man Hunt
1948
Anna Karenina
6/56
Stefan and Dolly Oblonsky have had a spat and Stefan has asked his sister, Anna Karenina, to come down to Moscow to help mend the rift. Anna's compani...
Watch Now
Anna Karenina
1942
The Undying Monster
5.6/34
A werewolf prowls around at night but only kills certain members of one family. It seems like just a coincidence, but the investigating Inspector soon...
Watch Now
The Undying Monster
1939
Beau Geste
6.959/98
When three brothers join the Foreign Legion to escape a troubled past, they find themselves trapped under the command of a sadistic sergeant deep in t...
Watch Now
Beau Geste
1937
Tovarich
6.2/4
When upper-class Parisian Charles Dupont and his family hire Tina and Michel as their servants, they have no idea that the domestics are in fact Tatia...
Watch Now
Tovarich
1938
If I Were King
6.7/10
King Louis XI masquerades as a commoner in Paris, seeking out the treachery he is sure lurks in his kingdom. At a local tavern, he overhears the brash...
Watch Now
If I Were King
1952
Father's Doing Fine
6.3/3
Lady Buckering, an English widow, has four daughters; Doreen, married to Dougall and about to give birth at home, and Gerda, Bicky and Catherine. The...
Watch Now
Father's Doing Fine
1949
Dear Mr. Prohack
6/3
A modern-day retelling of Arnold Bennett's novel, in which a Treasury official with a reputation for fiscal prudence is left a great deal of money and...
Watch Now
Dear Mr. Prohack
1934
It's a Boy
0/0
"It's a Boy" stars Horton as Dudley Leake, who is betrothed to Mary Bogle (the very pretty Wendy Barrie). Shortly before the wedding, Dudley blurts a...
Watch Now
It's a Boy
1937
Mama Steps Out
6/1
A Fort Wayne, Indiana housewife (Alice Brady) drags her husband (Guy Kibbee) and daughter (Betty Furness) to Europe for culture.
Watch Now
Mama Steps Out
1937
The Thirteenth Chair
5.8/6
A phony psychic tries to solve a murder that took place during her seance.
Watch Now
The Thirteenth Chair
1932
But the Flesh Is Weak
6/2
A poor-but-charming father and son try to enter high society by marrying rich English widows.
Watch Now
But the Flesh Is Weak
1953
Will Any Gentleman...?
5.6/5
A trip to the theatre changes a meek bank clerk's life, as he undergoes hypnosis and leaves without being woken up. Suddenly, he believes he is the wo...
Watch Now
Will Any Gentleman...?
1955
Josephine and Men
6.3/3
The trouble with Josephine is that her ever-loving and over-sympathetic nature leads her to switch from needful men to even more needful men...
Watch Now
Josephine and Men
1942
We Were Dancing
4.2/4
A penniless former princess weds an equally cash-strapped baron, so they support themselves by becoming houseguests at the homes of wealthy American s...
Watch Now
We Were Dancing
1933
Loyalties
6/2
A houseguest at an upper-class gathering, wealthy Jew Ferdinand de Levis, is robbed of £1,000 with evidence pointing towards the guilt of another gues...
Watch Now
Loyalties
1938
Fools for Scandal
6.2/5
An incognito Hollywood star (Carole Lombard) in Paris meets a penniless nobleman (Fernand Gravet) who follows her to London.
Watch Now
Fools for Scandal
1952
The Hour of 13
5.7/5
1890, London, and a serial killer known as The Terror is murdering policemen. When gentleman thief Nicholas Revel unwittingly becomes the chief suspec...
Watch Now
The Hour of 13
1955
The Deep Blue Sea
5/12
A woman is unhappy in her marriage to a boring, stiff judge, so she takes up with a wild-living RAF pilot, who ends up being more than she can handle....
Watch Now
The Deep Blue Sea
1930
A Warm Corner
4.5/3
This early Gainsborough film is truly a lost treasure and easily one of the most daring and risque films ever made. At least half a dozen different ta...
Watch Now
A Warm Corner
1954
Duel in the Jungle
5.9/6
An American insurance investigator is sent to Rhodesia to investigate the mysterious death of a diamond broker who drowned whilst diving off the coast...
Watch Now
Duel in the Jungle
1942
Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake
7.2/14
Sir Arthur Blake has inherited title and lands from his brother. He also has his orphaned nephew Benjamin working for him as a bonded servant. While h...
Watch Now
Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake
1944
Gaslight
7.5/492
A newlywed fears she's going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
Watch Now
Gaslight
1938
Girls' School
6/5
Wealthy high school girls are sent to a boarding school to learn proper etiquette. Linda Simpson stays out all night. She tells her roommate, Betty Fl...
Watch Now
Girls' School
1919
The First Men in the Moon
6/1
The inventor of a space sphere flies to the moon and is marooned by a crooked financier.
Watch Now
The First Men in the Moon
1935
The Dictator
6/1
The film depicts a dramatic episode in Danish history: the tumultous relationship between King Christian VII of Denmark and his English consort Caroli...
Watch Now
The Dictator
1942
Journey for Margaret
6.6/17
An American newspaperman and his wife, end up in London after several retreats in the opening days of WWII. After a shrapnel wound and loss of her ba...
Watch Now
Journey for Margaret
1930
Comets
0/0
A Musical Revue featuring a number of prominent vaudeville and theatrical British artists of the day in songs, dances, dramatic and musical sketches.
Watch Now
Comets
1949
Trottie True
7/2
Tottie True is a gay-90s British music-hall performer who has her sights set on moving from rags to riches, who loses her heart to the pure-and-true b...
Watch Now
Trottie True
1931
Stepping Stones
0/0
A musical film directed by Geoffrey Benstead
Watch Now
Stepping Stones
1934
The Private Life of Don Juan
6.2/16
What do women want? Don Juan is aging. He's arrived secretly in Seville after a 20 year absence. His wife Dolores, whom he hasn't lived with in five y...
Watch Now
The Private Life of Don Juan
1943
Above Suspicion
6.5/30
Two newlyweds spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon in Europe.
Watch Now
Above Suspicion
1951
Encore
6.2/11
Encore is a 1951 anthology film composed of adaptations of three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham: "The Ant and the Grasshopper", directed by Pat...
Watch Now
Encore
1929
The Plaything
0/0
A Scot acquires sophistication in order to spurn the socialite who spurned him.
Watch Now
The Plaything
1942
This Above All
6.639/18
In 1940 England, aristocratic Prudence Cathaway alarms her snobbish parents by joining the WAF service branch. She soon meets and falls in love with t...
Watch Now