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).
Madge Ryan | |
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![]() 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] |
Occupation | Screen and stage actress |
Children | 1 |
Her film appearances included Summer Holiday (1963), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Frenzy (1972), and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978).
Between 1969 and 1975, Eric Idle, (married to Lyn Ashley), was Ryan's son-in-law.
Ryan was born in Townsville, Australia.[1] Her daughter Lyn Ashley is also an actress.
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]
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]
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