Beatrice Lillie

Beatrice Gladys Lillie, Lady Peel (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1989) was a Canadian-born British actress, singer and comedy performer. She began to perform as a child with her mother and sister. She made her West End début in 1914 and soon gained notice in revues and light comedies. She first appeared in New York in 1924 and two years later starred in her first film, continuing to perform in both the US and UK. In her early career in André Charlot's revues she appeared with other rising stars such as Jack Buchanan, Gertrude Lawrence and Noël Coward. Coward and Cole Porter were among the many songwriters to write with her in mind. She premiered Coward's "Mad Dogs and Englishmen" and "I Went to a Marvellous Party", and her last stage appearances were in High Spirits (1964) directed by him. Lillie married into the English upper class, becoming Lady Peel from 1925 to the end of her life. During the Second World War, she was an assiduous entertainer of the troops in Britain, the Mediterranean, Africa and the Middle East. Essentially a live performer, she made few films although her last, Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967), won her praise.