---
name: "Norma Varden"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/norma-varden"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "20 January 1898"
died: "19 January 1989"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 86
updated: "2026-09-16T12:26:11.210382+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."
---

# Norma Varden

Actor. Born 20 January 1898 in London, England, UK. Died 19 January 1989.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 20 January 1898, London, England, UK
- **Died:** 19 January 1989
- **Active:** 1951–1957
- **Also known as:** Norma Varden Shackleton

## Biography

Norma Varden, born Norma Varden Shackleton, was an English-American actress. She was born on 20 January 1898 in London and died on 19 January 1989 in Santa Barbara, California.

She trained at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama after studying piano in Paris. Her stage career included a debut as Mrs Darling in *Peter Pan*, a West End appearance in 1920, and work with the Aldwych Theatre company from 1929 to 1933. She began appearing in British films in the 1930s before moving to Hollywood at the start of the Second World War.

Varden became a naturalised United States citizen in 1949. Her film roles include *Casablanca* (1942), *Strangers on a Train* (1951), *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* (1953), *Witness for the Prosecution* (1957) as Mrs French, and *The Sound of Music* (1965) as Frau Schmidt. She also appeared in television series such as *Hazel* and *Bewitched*. She retired in 1969 and never married.

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

## On Fi1m (2)

- *Witness for the Prosecution* (1957), Fi1m 87, as Mrs. French — [page](https://film.one/film/witness-for-the-prosecution.md)
- *Strangers on a Train* (1951), Fi1m 86, as Mrs. Cunningham — [page](https://film.one/film/strangers-on-a-train.md)

## Also known for

- *Casablanca* (1943), Wife of Pickpocketed Englishman (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/casablanca.md)
- *The Sound of Music* (1965), Frau Schmidt — [page](https://film.one/film/the-sound-of-music.md)
- *Gentlemen Prefer Blondes* (1953), Lady Beekman
- *Bewitched* (1964), Mrs. Lucille Dumont
- *Batman* (1966), Mrs. Monteagle
- *Bonanza* (1959), Ma Nutley
- *Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid* (1982), (in "The Glass Key") (archive footage)
- *Alfred Hitchcock Presents* (1955), Jenny (uncredited)

---
© 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/norma-varden