Madge Ryan

She is sometimes confused with American actress Fran Ryan.

Madge Ryan
in A Clockwork Orange (1971)
Born	Madge Winifred Ryan (1919-01-08)8 January 1919[1] Townsville, Queensland, Australia[1]
Died	9 January 1994(1994-01-09) (aged 75)[1] London, England[1]
Occupation	Screen and stage actress
Children	1

Madge Winifred Ryan^[2] (8 January 1919 – 9 January 1994)^[1] was an Australian actress, known for her stage and film roles in the United Kingdom, including London stage productions of Entertaining Mr Sloane (1964), Philadelphia, Here I Come (1967), and Medea (1993). She also starred in the Broadway production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1958).

Her film appearances included Summer Holiday (1963), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Frenzy (1972), and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978).

Early life[]

Ryan was born in Townsville, Australia.^[1] Her daughter Lyn Ashley is also an actress.

Career[]

Already an established theatre actor in Sydney, Australia, Ryan emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957 and starred in many British stage shows.^[1] She made over sixty appearances in films and on television.^[3]

In 1958, Ryan appeared in a Broadway-theatre production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.^[4] In 1964, she played Kath in the original London production of Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane. The Independent wrote, "as the dreadful Kath, ageing seductress and murderous landlady...Madge Ryan's cruel, cool but undeniably comic acting provoked one critic to describe her work...as 'something very close to perfection'."^[1]

Death[]

Ryan died in London in 1994, the day after her 75th birthday.^[1] In their obituary, The Independent wrote, "what set her apart from the others was a certain, often powerful, independence of spirit and humour...It was a fulfilled career."^[1]

Selected filmography[]

• Upstairs and Downstairs (1959) - Policewoman
• Witness in the Dark (1959) - Mrs. Finch
• Hand in Hand (1960) - George's Wife
• Tiara Tahiti (1962) - Millie Brooks
• Summer Holiday (1963) - Stella Winters
• Doctor in Distress (1963) - Mrs. Clapper
• This Is My Street (1964) - Kitty
• The Strange Affair (1968) - Aunt Mary
• I Start Counting (1969) - Mother
• A Clockwork Orange (1971) - Dr. Branom
• Frenzy (1972) - Mrs. Davison
• Endless Night (1972) - Michael's Mother
• All Creatures Great and Small (1978) - Miss Harbottle
• Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978) - Beecham
• The Lady Vanishes (1979) - Rose Flood Porter
• S.O.S. Titanic (1979) - Stewards: Violet Jessop
• Kokoda Crescent (1989) - Margaret
• Splitting Heirs (1993) - Woman with Dog
• The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, Death in a White Tie (1993) - Lucy Lorrimer

References[]

External links[]

• Madge Ryan at IMDb
• Madge Ryan at the Internet Broadway Database