- Born
- Died
- Birth nameKathleen Elizabeth Fell
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Kathleen Byron trained for the stage at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, beginning her work in the movies soon after she finished her training. Her early work with Michael Powell made her name in the UK. She went to Hollywood in the 1940s and 50s but found it difficult to break into the US productions. Mainly because although everyone greatly admired her performance as Sister Ruth in Black Narcissus (1947), she was typecast and only expected to be able to play neurotic characters.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Steve Crook <steve@brainstorm.co.uk>
- SpousesAlaric Jacob(1953 - January 26, 1995) (his death, 2 children)Daniel Bowen(1943 - 1950) (divorced)
- Children
- She was romantically involved with writer/producer Michael Powell, who was responsible for her early stardom in the late 1940s. He was named as co-respondent when she was divorced from her husband, former pilot USAAF pilot John Daniel Bowen, in 1950. She later became friendly with Powell's third wife, the Oscar-winning film editor Thelma Schoonmaker.
- In the mid-'60s she suffered a broken pelvis and several broken ribs in a car accident which kept her out of British films. After recovering she was frequently cast in matriarchal roles predominantly on TV.
- Was cast as Lauren Bacall's sister in Lars von Trier's film Dogville (2003), but had to pass on the role due to ill health.
- Her father Richard Fell was a railway clerk who later became a Labour mayor of the County Borough of East Ham. She was a student at East Ham Grammar School.
- Kathleen had a son, Jasper Jacob, and a daughter, Harriet Jacob, with husband Alaric Jacob and a stepdaughter, Aurora Jacob, from Alaric's previous marriage.
- [on her film debut] While I was still at the Old Vic Drama School I came up to London to try and find an agent; I met John Gliddon, who was Deborah Kerr's agent, and he sent me to see the people who were doing The Young Mr. Pitt (1942). They gave me a part and, after that, I used to go around saying 'I had two lines opposite Robert Donat!'. I did very little after that because of the war and I was working for censorship.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content