Valerie Hobson
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| Valerie Hobson | |
 from the trailer for Bride of Frankenstein |
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| Born | Babette Valerie Louise Hobson 14 April 1917 Larne, County Antrim, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Died | 13 November 1998 (aged 81) Westminster, London, England |
| Years active | 1932–1963 |
| Spouse(s) | John Profumo (1954-1998) (her death) Anthony Havelock-Allan (1939 -1952) (divorced) |
Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998[1]) was a British actress, who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s. She was born Babette Valerie Louise Hobson in Larne, County Antrim, Ireland.
She appeared as Baroness Frankenstein in Bride of Frankenstein (1935) with Boris Karloff and Colin Clive, taking over the role from Mae Clarke, who had played it in the original Frankenstein (1931). Hobson also played opposite Henry Hull that same year in Werewolf of London, the first Hollywood werewolf movie, predating The Wolf Man by six years.
The latter half of the 1940s saw Hobson in perhaps her two most memorable roles: as the adult Estella in David Lean's 1946 adaptation of Great Expectations, and as the refined and virtuous Edith D'Ascoyne in the 1949 black comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets.
In 1952 she divorced her first husband, film producer Sir Anthony Havelock-Allan (1904-2003), and married MP John Profumo (1915-2006) in 1954, giving up acting shortly afterwards. After Profumo's ministerial career ended in disgrace in 1963, following revelations he had lied to the House of Commons about his affair with Christine Keeler, she stood by him, and they worked together for charity for the remainder of her life.
Valerie's eldest son, Simon Anthony Clerveaux Havelock-Allan was born in May, 1944 with Down's Syndrome. Her middle child, Mark Havelock-Allan, was born April 4, 1951. Her youngest child is author David Profumo, b. October 16, 1955, who wrote a book, "Bringing the House Down," about his father's scandal.
She died of a heart attack in London in 1998 and is buried in Surrey, England.
[edit] Selected filmography
- The Mystery of Edwin Drood (1935)
- Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- Werewolf of London (1935)
- The Drum (1938)
- Q Planes (1939)
- The Spy in Black (1939)
- Contraband (1940)
- Atlantic Ferry (1941)
- Unpublished Story (1942)
- Sabotage Agent (1943)
- The Years Between (1946)
- Great Expectations (1946). Hobson also acted in the 1934 version, in the role of Biddy, but her scenes were cut.
- Blanche Fury (1948)
- Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949)
- The Rocking Horse Winner (1950)
- The Card (1952)
- Knave of Hearts (1954)
[edit] References
- ^ GRO Register of Deaths: NOV 1998 D42C 217 WESTMINSTER - Babette Valerie L Profumo, DoB = 14 Apr 1917, aged 81
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Valerie Hobson |
- Valerie Hobson at the Internet Movie Database
- Valerie Hobson at the British Film Institute's Screenonline
- Photographs of Valerie Hobson
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