Brenda Doreen Mignon de Banzie (28 July 1909 – 5 March 1981) was a British actress of stage and screen. She was the daughter of Edward Thomas de Banzie, conductor and musical director, and his second wife Dorothy (née Lancaster), whom he married in 1908. She was the aunt of actress
Lois de Banzie. In 1911, the family lived in
Salford,
Lancashire. She married Alexander Marsh in 1934 and had a child Antony Marsh.
Career She appeared as Maggie Hobson in the
David Lean film version of ''
Hobson's Choice'' (1954) with
John Mills and
Charles Laughton, set in
Salford. Laughton allegedly didn't like de Banzie, because she wasn't getting 'her part right' (maybe because in the film she successfully opposed Laughton).. De Banzie also upstaged Laughton who was, by all accounts, a notorious upstager himself. Another notable film role was as Phoebe Rice, the hapless wife of comedian Archie Rice (played by
Laurence Olivier) in the 1960 film version of
John Osborne's
The Entertainer. She had also appeared on Broadway in the original
play, for which she received a
Tony Award nomination. Other memorable film roles included
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) directed by
Alfred Hitchcock,
Too Many Crooks (1959), and
The Pink Panther (1963) directed by
Blake Edwards. She made numerous films for the
Rank Organisation. De Banzie died at the age of 71 due to complications following brain surgery. ==Selected filmography==