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Marie Ney, dubbed by critics an « elegant lady of the theatre », died in London on April 1 1 in her 86th year. For those who were privileged to know her, Marie Ney was truly an elegant lady. Not simply because of her acting abilities, but because she was a warm, generous, intelligent woman who, like her hero Thomas More, was able to get along with people of all levels.
Marie Ney's celebrated stage career began in New Zealand where she was raised (she was born in 1895 in Chelsea, the district so familiar to More, and to which she remained attached for the rest of her life). Her stage début in London brought instant success, and in 1924 she began the first of three seasons at the Old Vic playing a variety of Shakespearean roles. Lewis Nicholls, an Englishman now living in Canada, recollects these early days when he, as a youngster of 16, was smitten by the power of her performance : « I was just a galley fan in those days, but I truly believe it was through her interpretation I was inspired to become a Shakespearean addict. »
During the war she performed on both stage and radio in Australia, South Africa, the Middle East and Italy. But her return to England after the war was a sad one. The changing taste of the theatre going public made it difficult for her to obtain parts worthy of her genius. Marie, however, did not let her talents go to waste, as our National Secretary Rosemary Rendei points out to the editor of the Daily Telegraph regarding an omission in her obituary :
Marie Ney was a great admirer of Thomas More and although her professional acting career ended after the second World War, she then devoted what you rightly describe as her outstanding craftsmanship to the life and the personality of Thomas More. Though school children did not know her as a former eminent actress, they did know her as someone who brought Thomas More to life through her readings of his works and prayers. She was always available to speak at the annual ecumenical service for Thomas More at Chelsea Old Church and many people must have heard her recitai...