--- name: "Geraldine McEwan" canonical: "https://film.one/person/geraldine-mcewan" fi1m_id: "geraldine-mcewan" imdb_id: "nm0568603" tmdb_id: 8326 wikidata_id: "Q264648" roles: ["Actor"] born: "9 May 1932" died: "30 January 2015" reviewed_on_fi1m: 5 average_fi1m_score: 82 average_as: "actor" average_over: 5 updated: "2026-10-07T11:18:33.939456+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." --- # Geraldine McEwan ## Identity Geraldine McEwan - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/geraldine-mcewan - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** geraldine-mcewan - **IMDb ID:** nm0568603 - **TMDB ID:** 8326 - **Wikidata ID:** Q264648 - **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_McEwan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q264648, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0568603/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8326 Actor. Born 9 May 1932 in Old Windsor, England, UK. Died 30 January 2015. ## Details - **Work:** Actor - **Born:** 9 May 1932, Old Windsor, England, UK - **Died:** 30 January 2015 - **Active:** 1982–2005 - **Also known as:** 제럴딘 맥이완, جرالدین مک‌ایوان - **Average Fi1m score:** 82, as actor, over 5 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 86 (2), 1990s 76 (2), 2000s 87 (1) - **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 0 under 60 - **Lead roles:** 1 of 3 acting credits billed first or second - **Genres:** Drama 3, Adventure 2, Comedy 2, Action 1, Animation 1, Family 1 - **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films - **Box office:** $593m across 3 films with figures - **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geraldine_McEwan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q264648, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0568603/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/8326 ## Streaming the US now - **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves*](https://film.one/film/robin-hood-prince-of-thieves.md) (65) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Geraldine McEwan > Geraldine McEwan’s syrupy voice and firm delivery could make an eccentric character distinctly unsettling. We rate her precision with language and comedy, though the skittishness of her Miss Marple may be too much for those seeking a quieter performance. With Geraldine McEwan, even a syrupy voice could sound rather firm. She favoured eccentric characters and gave them a forthright manner. We rate the precision of her comedy, and the way that firmness could become disquieting without requiring much noise. Her delivery made the choice of a word worth attending to. Her stage work helps explain the precision, particularly her fastidious handling of language as Mrs Malaprop in *The Rivals* (1983). Television gave that firmness a harsher use in *Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit* (1990), where she played Mother. Her quiet menace unsettled us; she did not need to sound excitable to seem threatening. *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991) gives her a more extravagant role as Mortianna, the witch who advises the Sheriff. The film is a decent adventure that takes too long, pulled between Kevin Costner’s solemnity and Alan Rickman’s mischief. The supporting cast and Michael Kamen’s score help, but they cannot make the film shorter. There is a danger in remembering McEwan only for such eccentric parts. Her cruel Mother Superior, Sister Bridget, in *The Magdalene Sisters* (2002) gives a better indication of how hard she could be. Nick Park and Steve Box’s *Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit* (2005), with McEwan voicing Miss Thripp, is the more satisfying film. Its affectionate monster comedy is precise about small gestures, a sensibility well suited to an actor with her comic timing. That does not make her its principal attraction: Gromit’s silent exasperation would justify a good deal of our time. Allow for a plot stretched to feature length, and it is an easy film to recommend. Her *Agatha Christie’s Marple* (2004–08) makes the caveat about her acting clearest. Across twelve films, she brought steel, skittishness and an outspoken manner to Miss Marple, qualities that divided opinion. We can see why the restlessness might irritate: an emphatic performance gives us less chance to notice things for ourselves. For a quieter use of that firmness, start with *Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit*. ## Biography Geraldine McEwan (9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress with a career spanning theatre, television and film. She made her stage debut at the age of 14 at the Theatre Royal in Windsor and appeared in London's West End by 18. She worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company from 1961 and later with the Royal National Theatre. Her film roles include Mortianna in *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991), Alice in *Henry V* (1989), Holofernia in *Love's Labour's Lost* (2000), Sister Bridget in *The Magdalene Sisters* (2002) and Lady Southdown in *Vanity Fair* (2004). On television she played Miss Marple in the ITV series *Agatha Christie's Marple* (2004–2007) and appeared in *Red Dwarf* (1999) as Cassandra. She received a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for *Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit* (1990) and two Evening Standard Awards for Best Actress. She was married to theatre director and teacher Hugh Cruttwell from 1953 until his death in 2002. *Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.* ## On Fi1m (5) - *Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit* (2005), Fi1m 87, as Miss Thripp (voice) — [page](https://film.one/film/wallace-and-gromit-the-curse-of-the-were-rabbit.md) - *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991), Fi1m 65, as Mortianna — [page](https://film.one/film/robin-hood-prince-of-thieves.md) - *Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit* (1990), Fi1m 86, as Mother — [page](https://film.one/tv/oranges-are-not-the-only-fruit.md) - *Henry V* (1989), Fi1m 84, as Alice — [page](https://film.one/film/henry-v.md) - *Red Dwarf* (1988), Fi1m 88, as Cassandra — [page](https://film.one/tv/red-dwarf.md) ## Complete filmography (50) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *A Matter of Loaf and Death* (2008), as Miss Thripp (voice) (uncredited) - *Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit* (2005), as Miss Thripp (voice) — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/film/wallace-and-gromit-the-curse-of-the-were-rabbit.md) - *Agatha Christie's Marple* (2004), series, as Miss Marple - *Vanity Fair* (2004), as Lady Southdown - *The Lazarus Child* (2004), as Janet - *Carrie's War* (2004), as Mrs. Dilys Gotobed - *Pure* (2002), as Nanna - *The Magdalene Sisters* (2002), as Sister Bridget - *Food of Love* (2002), as Novotna - *Victoria Wood with All the Trimmings* (2000), as Various Characters - *Contaminated Man* (2000), as Lilian Rodgers - *Love's Labour's Lost* (2000), as Holofernia - *Titus* (1999), as Nurse - *The Love Letter* (1999), as Miss Scattergoods - *Moses* (1996), series, as Miriam - *Not Without My Handbag* (1993), as The Aunt - *Continental Drift* (1992), as (Springing Lenin) - *Mulberry* (1992), series, as Rose Farnaby - *Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves* (1991), as Mortianna — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/robin-hood-prince-of-thieves.md) - *Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit* (1990), series, as Mother — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/tv/oranges-are-not-the-only-fruit.md) - *Henry V* (1989), as Alice — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/henry-v.md) - *Red Dwarf* (1988), series, as Cassandra — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/red-dwarf.md) - *Foreign Body* (1986), as Lady Ammanford - *Mapp & Lucia* (1985), series, as Emmeline 'Lucia' Lucas, Queen Elizabeth I - *Tears Before Bedtime* (1983), series, as Anne Dickens - *The Barchester Chronicles* (1982), series, as Mrs Proudie - *All for Love* (1982), series, as Miss Mountford - *Come Into The Garden Maud* (1982), as Maud Caragnani - *L’Elegance* (1982), as Miss Mountford - *The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie* (1978), series, Actor - *The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones* (1976), as Lady Bellaston - *The Littlest Horse Thieves* (1976), Actor - *The Statue and the Rose* (1975), as Kitty - *Private Affairs* (1975), series, as Kitty - Katherine O'Shea - *Playhouse* (1974), series, as Maud Caragnani - *Away from It All* (1973), series, as Molly - *Mill Hill* (1972), as Denise Blundell - *Late Night Theatre* (1972), series, as Annie, Elizabeth Barrett - *Separate Tables* (1970), as Sibyl Railton-Bell / Anne Shankland - *The Dance of Death* (1969), as Alice - *ITV Saturday Night Theatre* (1969), series, as Pandora Foss, Madeleine Desmarest - *BBC Play of the Month* (1965), series, as Sibyl Railton-Bell / Anne Shankland, Candida - *Thirty-Minute Theatre* (1965), series, as Mary, Denise Blundell - *The Man Without Papers* (1965), as Marcella Mortimer - *Profiles in Courage* (1964), series, as Jesse - *The Wednesday Play* (1964), series, as Marcella Mortimer - *Out of This World* (1962), series, as Mary Jones - *No Kidding* (1960), as Catherine Robinson - *Theatre Night* (1957), series, as Frankie Addams - *There Was a Young Lady* (1953), as Irene ## Awards ### Other awards — 0 won, 1 nominated - Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play 1998: Tony Award for Best 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/geraldine-mcewan