---
name: "May Whitty"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/may-whitty"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "19 June 1865"
died: "29 May 1948"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
updated: "2026-09-16T11:42:39.952217+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."
---

# May Whitty

Actor. Born 19 June 1865 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK. Died 29 May 1948.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 19 June 1865, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
- **Died:** 29 May 1948
- **Also known as:** Mary Louise Whitty, Mary Louisa Whitty, Mary Louise Webster, Dame Mary Louise Webster, Dame Mary Louise Webster, DBE, Miss May Whitty, Dame May Whitty

## Biography

May Whitty was an English stage and film actress. Born Mary Louise Whitty in Liverpool, she made her stage debut in 1881 and became a leading West End performer. She was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1918, one of the first two women entertainers to receive the honour, for her wartime services. The actors' union Equity was founded in her home in 1930.

Whitty appeared in a small number of British silent films from 1914. She made her Hollywood debut at the age of 72, recreating her stage role as Mrs Bramson in *Night Must Fall* (1937). She remained in the United States from 1939, playing supporting roles in films including *The Lady Vanishes* (1938) as Miss Froy, *Suspicion* (1941), *Mrs Miniver* (1942) as Lady Beldon, *Lassie Come Home* (1943), *Gaslight* (1944) and *My Name Is Julia Ross* (1945). She received Academy Award nominations for *Night Must Fall* and *Mrs Miniver*. She died in Beverly Hills, California, in 1948.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, screenonline.org.uk.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Lady Vanishes* (1938), Fi1m 88, as Miss Froy — [page](https://film.one/film/the-lady-vanishes.md)

## Also known for

- *Suspicion* (1941), Mrs. McLaidlaw
- *Gaslight* (1944), Miss Thwaites
- *Mrs. Miniver* (1942), Lady Beldon
- *Lassie Come Home* (1943), Dally
- *My Name Is Julia Ross* (1945), Mrs. Hughes
- *Madame Curie* (1943), Madame Eugene Curie
- *Night Must Fall* (1937), Mrs. Bramson

---
© 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/may-whitty