Heather Thatcher

Heather Thatcher

Born: September 3, 1896
Died: February 15, 1987
in London, England, UK
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Heather Thatcher (3 September 1896 – 15 February 1987) was an English actress in theatre and films. She was from London. The Plaything (1929), produced by Castleton Knight and Elstree Studios, begins as a silent film. It develops into an audible film which is recorded in good quality for its time. The theme concerns a Highland laird who falls in love with a hedonistic London heiress. Thatcher plays a prominent role as Martyn Bennett.

In 1931 she visited Hollywood while attending the wedding of James Gleason. As a star of English comedy, she was being compared to Marilyn Miller, Thatcher wore a monocle to the marriage ceremony. In the autumn of 1931 she was invited to a reception following the premiere of Strictly Dishonorable (1931), at the Carthay Circle Theatre. Among her friends in films were Anthony Bushell and Zelma O'Neal.

Thatcher was signed by MGM in February 1932. She was given a feature role in But The Flesh Is Weak (1932). The film stars Robert Montgomery and is directed by Jack Conway. The film was adapted from a British stage production which showcased Novello. Thatcher was praised for her performance. German actress, Nora Gregor was found disappointing. The English actress "gives a brilliant performance and creates the only human being in the piece."

Thatcher sued Gloria Swanson British Productions for breach of contract in a suit which was settled in December 1933. During the filming of Perfect Understanding (1933) Thatcher's contract was cancelled before the production was completed. No explanation was given. She was excluded from the film when a new author was hired. The replacement writer chose to eliminate her character.

The Private Life of Don Juan (1934) was also filmed at Elstree Studios. The film has Douglas Fairbanks Sr. as its leading man. Owen Nares plays the title role and Thatcher is Anna Dora, one of the ladies.

Later in her career Thatcher returned to Britain to make films. Among these is Will Any Gentleman...? (1953), filmed at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. Thatcher appears together with George Cole and Veronica Hurst. The film was a short adventure about a hypnotist who puts a man in a trance.

Thatcher made her last films in 1955. The Deep Blue Sea has a screenplay written by Terence Rattigan and features Vivien Leigh and Kenneth More. Thatcher depicts Aunt May Luton in Josephine and Men. The film is a comedy starring Glynis Johns and Peter Finch.

Movies for Heather Thatcher...

Josephine and Men
Title: Josephine and Men
Character: May Luton
Released: November 9, 1955
Type: Movie
The trouble with Josephine is that her ever-loving and over-sympathetic nature leads her to switch from needful men to even more needful men...
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The Deep Blue Sea
Title: The Deep Blue Sea
Character: Lady Dawson
Released: November 1, 1955
Type: Movie
A woman is unhappy in her marriage to a boring, stiff judge, so she takes up with a wild-living RAF pilot, who ends up being more than she can handle. (TCM.com)
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Duel in the Jungle
Title: Duel in the Jungle
Character: Lady on the Niagara
Released: June 30, 1954
Type: Movie
An American insurance investigator is sent to Rhodesia to investigate the mysterious death of a diamond broker who drowned whilst diving off the coast. The broker was insured for $1 million so the insurers are suspicious.
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Will Any Gentleman...?
Title: Will Any Gentleman...?
Character: Mrs Whittle
Released: August 25, 1953
Type: Movie
A trip to the theatre changes a meek bank clerk's life, as he undergoes hypnosis and leaves without being woken up. Suddenly, he believes he is the world's greatest lover and becomes a terrorizing Casanova.
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The Hour of 13
Title: The Hour of 13
Character: Mrs. Chumley-Orr
Released: November 21, 1952
Type: Movie
1890, London, and a serial killer known as The Terror is murdering policemen. When gentleman thief Nicholas Revel unwittingly becomes the chief suspect, he must use his guile and wits to prove he’s not the killer; whilst also not getting caught for a jewel robbery he has just committed.
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Father's Doing Fine
Title: Father's Doing Fine
Character: Lady Buckering
Released: August 15, 1952
Type: Movie
Lady Buckering, an English widow, has four daughters; Doreen, married to Dougall and about to give birth at home, and Gerda, Bicky and Catherine. The story revolves around the impending birth and the love affairs of the other three daughters; Bicky, with eccentric student Roly; Gerda, married to artist Wilfred; and Catherine, in love with the landlord's son, Clifford Magill. In addition, the impoverished Lady Buckering is being courted by Dr. Drew. Written by Les Adams
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Encore
Title: Encore
Character: Eva Barrett
Released: June 11, 1951
Type: Movie
Encore is a 1951 anthology film composed of adaptations of three short stories by W. Somerset Maugham: "The Ant and the Grasshopper", directed by Pat Jackson and adapted by T. E. B. Clarke; "Winter Cruise", helmed by Anthony Pelissier, screenplay by Arthur Macrae; "Gigolo and Gigolette", directed by Harold French, written by Eric Ambler. It is the last film in a Maugham trilogy, preceded by Quartet and Trio.
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Title: Family Affairs
Character: Linda
Released: October 29, 1949
Type: TV
Family Affairs was the first television serial broadcast by BBC Television.
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Trottie True
Title: Trottie True
Character: Angela Platt Brown
Released: September 29, 1949
Type: Movie
Tottie True is a gay-90s British music-hall performer who has her sights set on moving from rags to riches, who loses her heart to the pure-and-true blue balloonist, Sid Skinner, but continues her upward search on improving her social status. She finally settles for Lord Landon Digby who has lots of assets and a very-stiff upper lip. She gets a lot of the latter and very little of the former, and decides Sid might have been a better choice.
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Dear Mr. Prohack
Title: Dear Mr. Prohack
Character: Lady Maslam
Released: September 7, 1949
Type: Movie
A modern-day retelling of Arnold Bennett's novel, in which a Treasury official with a reputation for fiscal prudence is left a great deal of money and has no idea how to cope with sudden personal wealth.
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Anna Karenina
Title: Anna Karenina
Character: Countess Lydia Ivanova
Released: January 22, 1948
Type: Movie
Stefan and Dolly Oblonsky have had a spat and Stefan has asked his sister, Anna Karenina, to come down to Moscow to help mend the rift. Anna's companion on the train from St. Petersburg is Countess Vronsky who is met at the Moscow station by her son. Col. Vronsky looks very dashing in his uniform and it's love at first sight when he looks at Anna and their eyes meet.
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Gaslight
Title: Gaslight
Character: Lady Mildred Dalroy
Released: May 4, 1944
Type: Movie
A newlywed fears she's going mad when strange things start happening at the family mansion.
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Above Suspicion
Title: Above Suspicion
Character: English Girl Dancing with Richard (Uncredited)
Released: May 31, 1943
Type: Movie
Two newlyweds spy on the Nazis for the British Secret Service during their honeymoon in Europe.
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Journey for Margaret
Title: Journey for Margaret
Character: Mrs. Harris
Released: December 17, 1942
Type: Movie
An American newspaperman and his wife, end up in London after several retreats in the opening days of WWII. After a shrapnel wound and loss of her baby she returns to America. War weary, he is forced to do a story about war orphans, where he meets Margaret.
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The Undying Monster
Title: The Undying Monster
Character: Conita 'Christy' Christopher
Released: November 27, 1942
Type: Movie
A werewolf prowls around at night but only kills certain members of one family. It seems like just a coincidence, but the investigating Inspector soon finds out that this tradition has gone on for generations and tries to find a link between the werewolf and the family, leading to a frightening conclusion.
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This Above All
Title: This Above All
Character: Nurse
Released: May 12, 1942
Type: Movie
In 1940 England, aristocratic Prudence Cathaway alarms her snobbish parents by joining the WAF service branch. She soon meets and falls in love with the brooding Clive Briggs, despite his prejudice against the upper classes, and agrees to spend a week with him at a Dover hotel. When Clive's soldier friend, Monty, arrives to retrieve him, Prudence learns that Clive went AWOL after Dunkirk, and urges him to recall why England must fight the war.
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We Were Dancing
Title: We Were Dancing
Character: Mrs. Tyler-Blane
Released: April 30, 1942
Type: Movie
A penniless former princess weds an equally cash-strapped baron, so they support themselves by becoming houseguests at the homes of wealthy American socialites.
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Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake
Title: Son of Fury: The Story of Benjamin Blake
Character: Maggie Martin
Released: January 29, 1942
Type: Movie
Sir Arthur Blake has inherited title and lands from his brother. He also has his orphaned nephew Benjamin working for him as a bonded servant. While he believes the lad was born out of wedlock and so cannot claim the inheritance, he is taking no chances. Benjamin eventually rebels against his uncle and sets sail to try and make his fortune. This may enable him to return to prove his claim to being the rightful heir to the estate.
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Man Hunt
Title: Man Hunt
Character: Lady Alice Risborough
Released: June 13, 1941
Type: Movie
Shortly before the start of WW2, renown British big-game hunter Thorndike vacationing in Bavaria has Hitler in his gun sight. He is captured, beaten, left for dead, and escapes back to London where he is hounded by Nazi agents and aided by a young woman.
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Beau Geste
Title: Beau Geste
Character: Lady Patricia Brandon
Released: July 24, 1939
Type: Movie
When three brothers join the Foreign Legion to escape a troubled past, they find themselves trapped under the command of a sadistic sergeant deep in the scorching Sahara. Now the brothers must fight for their lives as they plot mutiny against tyranny and defend a desert fortress against a brutal enemy.
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Girls' School
Title: Girls' School
Character: Miss Brackett
Released: September 30, 1938
Type: Movie
Wealthy high school girls are sent to a boarding school to learn proper etiquette. Linda Simpson stays out all night. She tells her roommate, Betty Fleet, that it was because she's planning to elope. Linda gets in trouble when the faculty finds out from a monitor's report submitted by reluctant Natalie Freeman, a poor girl attending on scholarship.
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If I Were King
Title: If I Were King
Character: The Queen
Released: September 28, 1938
Type: Movie
King Louis XI masquerades as a commoner in Paris, seeking out the treachery he is sure lurks in his kingdom. At a local tavern, he overhears the brash poet François Villon extolling why he would be a better king. Annoyed yet intrigued, the King bestows on Villon the title of Grand Constable. Soon Villon begins work and falls for a lovely lady-in-waiting, but then must flee execution when the King turns on him.
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Fools for Scandal
Title: Fools for Scandal
Character: Lady Potter-Porter
Released: April 16, 1938
Type: Movie
An incognito Hollywood star (Carole Lombard) in Paris meets a penniless nobleman (Fernand Gravet) who follows her to London.
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Tovarich
Title: Tovarich
Character: Lady Kartegann
Released: December 25, 1937
Type: Movie
When upper-class Parisian Charles Dupont and his family hire Tina and Michel as their servants, they have no idea that the domestics are in fact Tatiana, the Grand Duchess Petrovna, and her husband, Mikail, Prince Ouratieff. Recent exiles from the Russian Revolution, Tatiana and Mikail befriend the Dupont family, keeping their true identities a secret -- until one night when Soviet official Gorotchenko arrives for dinner.
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The Thirteenth Chair
Title: The Thirteenth Chair
Character: Mary Eastwood
Released: May 7, 1937
Type: Movie
A phony psychic tries to solve a murder that took place during her seance.
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Mama Steps Out
Title: Mama Steps Out
Character: Nadine Wentworth
Released: February 5, 1937
Type: Movie
A Fort Wayne, Indiana housewife (Alice Brady) drags her husband (Guy Kibbee) and daughter (Betty Furness) to Europe for culture.
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The Dictator
Title: The Dictator
Character: Lady of the Court
Released: February 7, 1935
Type: Movie
The film depicts a dramatic episode in Danish history: the tumultous relationship between King Christian VII of Denmark and his English consort Caroline Matilda in Eighteenth century Copenhagen and the Queen's tragic affair with the royal physician and liberal reformer Johann Friedrich Struensee.
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The Private Life of Don Juan
Title: The Private Life of Don Juan
Character: Anna Dora, an Actress as Actresses Go
Released: January 1, 1934
Type: Movie
What do women want? Don Juan is aging. He's arrived secretly in Seville after a 20 year absence. His wife Dolores, whom he hasn't lived with in five years, still loves him. He refuses to see her; he fears the life of a husband. She has bought his debts and will remand him to jail for two years if he won't come to her. Meanwhile, an impostor is climbing the balconies of Seville claiming to be Don Juan.
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Loyalties
Title: Loyalties
Character: Margaret Orme
Released: July 2, 1933
Type: Movie
A houseguest at an upper-class gathering, wealthy Jew Ferdinand de Levis, is robbed of £1,000 with evidence pointing towards the guilt of another guest, Captain Dancy. Instead of supporting De Levis, the host attempts to hush the matter up and when this fails, he sides with Dancy and subtly tries to destroy de Levis' reputation. When Dancy is later exposed, and commits suicide, de Levis is blamed for his demise.
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It's a Boy
Title: It's a Boy
Character: Anita Gunn
Released: June 6, 1933
Type: Movie
"It's a Boy" stars Horton as Dudley Leake, who is betrothed to Mary Bogle (the very pretty Wendy Barrie). Shortly before the wedding, Dudley blurts a confession to his friend and best man, Jim Skippett: 20 years ago, Dudley had a brief affair with a certain Miss Piper, but he's never heard from her since then. Next day, who should suddenly appear? A youth about 19 or 20 years old, claiming to be named Joe Piper. Is he Horton's son, or is Skippett playing a practical joke?
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But the Flesh Is Weak
Title: But the Flesh Is Weak
Character: Lady Joan Culver
Released: April 9, 1932
Type: Movie
A poor-but-charming father and son try to enter high society by marrying rich English widows.
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Stepping Stones
Title: Stepping Stones
Released: June 1, 1931
Type: Movie
A musical film directed by Geoffrey Benstead
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A Warm Corner
Title: A Warm Corner
Character: Mimi
Released: September 29, 1930
Type: Movie
This early Gainsborough film is truly a lost treasure and easily one of the most daring and risque films ever made. At least half a dozen different tales seem to be going on at once all finally meeting in the end. The story starts in the Lido hotel where our "Pickles" remarks upon the fact that everyone in the register is called Smith. Hes trying to chat up Mimi so shell split up with her boyfriend as her boyfriends uncle has other plans for his nephew - alas what no one knows is that he and Mimi have already been married for a few months on the sly!
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Comets
Title: Comets
Character: Herself
Released: September 19, 1930
Type: Movie
A Musical Revue featuring a number of prominent vaudeville and theatrical British artists of the day in songs, dances, dramatic and musical sketches.
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The Plaything
Title: The Plaything
Character: Martyn Bennett
Released: September 29, 1929
Type: Movie
A Scot acquires sophistication in order to spurn the socialite who spurned him.
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The First Men in the Moon
Title: The First Men in the Moon
Character: Susan
Released: May 29, 1919
Type: Movie
The inventor of a space sphere flies to the moon and is marooned by a crooked financier.