McEwan, Geraldine (1932–)

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McEwan, Geraldine (1932–)

English actress. Born Geraldine Mckeown, May 9, 1932, in Old Windsor, England; m. Hugh Cruttwell (principal of Royal Academy of Dramatic Art), 1953 (died 2002); children: 2.

Intelligent, versatile actress at home in both classical and contemporary drama, made stage debut at 14 at Theatre Royal in Windsor; by 18, had starred in London's West End in several long-running productions; received 1st serious critical attention for performance in The Member of the Wedding (1958); acted with Shakespeare Memorial Theater, then joined Royal Shakespeare Co. (1961), appearing as Beatrice and Ophelia, among others; originated lead in Orton's Loot (1965); made NY debut in School for Scandal (1963) and went on to captivate Broadway with The Private Ear and the Public Eye, later receiving Tony Award nomination for performance in The Chairs (1998); won Evening Standard Best Actress Award for The Rivals (1983), BAFTA Best Actress Award for Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1991) and Evening Standard Best Actress Award for The Way of the World (1995); on tv, appeared on such shows as "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie" (1978), "Barchester Chronicles" (1982) and as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple (2004); films include The Dance of Death (1968), Henry V (1989), Titus (1999) and The Magdalene Sisters (2002).