Lady Constance Malleson

The Lady Constance Malleson (October 24, 1895 - October 5, 1975) was a British writer and actress (appearing as Colette O'Niel), the wife of actor Miles Malleson and lover of Bertrand Russell.

She was born The Lady Constance Annesley, daughter of the 5th Earl Annesley, at Castlewellan Castle. Her sister, Lady Mabel Annesley, became a successful artist. Constance trained at RADA and married Miles Malleson in 1915. She went on to appear in many West End productions and at least one film, Hindle Wakes. During the First World War, her pacifist opinions brought her into contact with Bertrand Russell, whose mistress she soon became (having agreed with her husband on an "open marriage"). In 1923, she was divorced from Malleson. Her interest in social reform led her to travel abroad, and she carried out lecture tours in Scandinavia in the 1930s and 1940s.

Publications

• After Ten Years (1929) (autobiography)
• The Coming Back (1933) (novel)
• In the North, Autobiographical Fragments in Norway, Sweden, Finland: 1936-1946 (1946) (travel)