---
name: "Brenda Forbes"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/brenda-forbes"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "14 January 1909"
died: "11 September 1996"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-20T00:46:24.584688+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Brenda Forbes

Actor. Born 14 January 1909 in Wandsworth, London, England, UK. Died 11 September 1996.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 14 January 1909, Wandsworth, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 11 September 1996
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Forbes, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8251874, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285301/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/245395

## Biography

Brenda Forbes was a British-born American actress of stage and screen. Born Dorothy Brenda Taylor on 14 January 1909 in Wandsworth, London, she was the daughter of actress Mary Forbes and the sister of actor Ralph Forbes. She moved to the United States as a teenager to join her mother and made her Broadway debut in 1931.

Forbes appeared in several films, including *Mrs. Miniver* (1942) as Gladys and *The White Cliffs of Dover* (1944). Her career was primarily on stage, where she created the role of Wilson in the original 1931 production of *The Barretts of Wimpole Street* opposite Katharine Cornell and reprised it in revivals. She also appeared in productions such as the 1976 revival of *My Fair Lady* as Mrs. Higgins.

She was married to Merrill Shepard from 1947 until his death in 1986. Forbes died of cancer on 11 September 1996 in New York City, aged 87. Her final screen role was in *The Jerky Boys: The Movie* (1995).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, nytimes.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *Mrs. Miniver* (1942), Fi1m 73, as Gladys — [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-miniver.md)

## Complete filmography (14)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Jerky Boys* (1995), as Rich Woman with Necklace at Tut's
- *The Man Upstairs* (1992), as Cloris
- *Laura Lansing Slept Here* (1988), as Doris
- *Mrs. Delafield Wants to Marry* (1986), as Gladys Parker
- *The Alfred Hitchcock Hour* (1962), series, as Verna Clarvoe
- *The Barretts of Wimpole Street* (1956), as Wilson
- *Blithe Spirit* (1956), as Mrs. Bradman
- *Four Star Playhouse* (1952), series, as Edythe Livingstone
- *The White Cliffs of Dover* (1944), as Gwennie
- *Mrs. Miniver* (1942), as Gladys — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-miniver.md)
- *This Above All* (1942), as Mae
- *Miss Polly* (1941), as Patsy
- *Vigil in the Night* (1940), as Nora Dunn
- *The Perfect Gentleman* (1935), as Penelope the Maid

## Awards

### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play 1967: Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play (nominated)

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/brenda-forbes