---
name: "Valerie Hobson"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/valerie-hobson"
fi1m_id: "valerie-hobson"
imdb_id: "nm0387753"
tmdb_id: 2924
wikidata_id: "Q437157"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "14 April 1917"
died: "13 November 1998"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 3
average_fi1m_score: 88
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 3
updated: "2026-09-17T15:34:16.276898+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."
---

# Valerie Hobson

## Identity

Valerie Hobson

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/valerie-hobson
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** valerie-hobson
- **IMDb ID:** nm0387753
- **TMDB ID:** 2924
- **Wikidata ID:** Q437157
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Hobson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q437157, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0387753/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2924

Actor. Born 14 April 1917 in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Died 13 November 1998.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 14 April 1917, Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland
- **Died:** 13 November 1998
- **Active:** 1935–1949
- **Also known as:** Бабетта Валери Луиза Хобсон, Валери Хобсон, Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson
- **Average Fi1m score:** 88, as actor, over 3 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 89 (1), 1940s 88 (2)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 88 to 86 across 3 titles
- **Score spread:** 3 at 80+, 0 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 1 of 3 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Comedy 1, Crime 1, Drama 1, Horror 1, Romance 1, Science Fiction 1
- **Screen time:** 5 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $2m across 2 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerie_Hobson, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q437157, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0387753/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/2924

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Kind Hearts and Coronets*](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md) (91)
- **Peacock:** [*Bride of Frankenstein*](https://film.one/film/bride-of-frankenstein.md) (89)
- **HBO Max:** [*Great Expectations*](https://film.one/film/great-expectations.md) (84)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Valerie Hobson

> Valerie Hobson is at her best when she takes an absurd situation seriously. Her coolness suits high comedy, though we find her less persuasive when a film needs us to feel the hurt beneath good manners.

In *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Valerie Hobson's Edith D'Ascoyne gives Dennis Price a cooler presence to play against than Joan Greenwood's Sibella. Greenwood makes her dialogue sound considered in advance; Hobson is more reserved. We enjoyed the contrast, because it gives the scenes around Price a welcome change of pace. She plays the comedy straight, which is just what Robert Hamer's film needs. The film gives neither woman enough time to account for herself, though Louis has plenty.

That seriousness was put to several uses before her postwar roles. After modest British films, she went to Hollywood in 1935, playing Elizabeth in *Bride of Frankenstein* (1935). Back in Britain, Michael Powell's *The Spy in Black* (1939) cast her as the School Mistress, one of her spirited thriller heroines. But frequent casting as upper-class women also made primness a familiar requirement, and left her with limited opportunities to show what else she could do.

In David Lean's *Great Expectations* (1946), that reserve becomes a problem, and we find Hobson's Estella difficult to understand. Jean Simmons gives the younger Estella an assurance that makes Pip's uncertainty painful; when Hobson and John Mills take over, the romance cannot recover the awkwardness of those childhood scenes. Mills remains engaging, but the adult pairing asks us to supply feelings the performances have not made convincing. Walter Goehr's music provides warmth that the playing does not always earn. The settings and supporting performances are strong enough for us to recommend the film, but we would not send anyone to it chiefly for Hobson.

Later roles included the Countess of Chell opposite Alec Guinness in *The Card* (1952), while *Knave of Hearts* (1954) gave her further scope for subtle comedy. That is the part of her work we would follow first. Hamer makes better use of her severity than Lean does, allowing it to vary the company rather than carry a romance. Start with *Kind Hearts and Coronets*, and watch the woman who is not trying to be the most amusing person present.

## Biography

Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career ran from the 1930s to the early 1950s. Born Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, she trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and began in dance before moving into acting. She appeared in Hollywood productions including *Bride of Frankenstein* (1935) and *Werewolf of London* (1935) before returning to Britain, where she took leading roles in films such as *Great Expectations* (1946) as Estella and *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949) as Edith D'Ascoyne.

Hobson was married first to film producer Sir Anthony Havelock-Allan from 1939 until their divorce in 1952, and then to MP John Profumo from 1954. She gave up screen acting after her final film role in 1954, though she appeared on stage as Anna Leonowens in the original London production of *The King and I* (1953). She later supported charitable work with her husband.

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

## On Fi1m (3)

- *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), Fi1m 91, as Edith D'Ascoyne — [page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md)
- *Great Expectations* (1946), Fi1m 84, as Estella — [page](https://film.one/film/great-expectations.md)
- *Bride of Frankenstein* (1935), Fi1m 89, as Elizabeth — [page](https://film.one/film/bride-of-frankenstein.md)

## Complete filmography (42)

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

- *Monsieur Ripois* (1954), as Catherine Ripois
- *Background* (1953), as Barbie Lomax
- *The Voice of Merrill* (1952), as Alycia Roche
- *Meet Me Tonight* (1952), as Stella Cartwright
- *Who Goes There!* (1952), as Alex Cornwall
- *The Card* (1952), as Countess of Chell
- *The Rocking Horse Winner* (1949), as Hester Grahame
- *The Interrupted Journey* (1949), as Carol North
- *Kind Hearts and Coronets* (1949), as Edith D'Ascoyne — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/kind-hearts-and-coronets.md)
- *Train of Events* (1949), as Stella
- *The Small Voice* (1948), as Eleanor Byrne
- *Blanche Fury* (1948), as Blanche Fury
- *Great Expectations* (1946), as Estella — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/great-expectations.md)
- *The Years Between* (1946), as Diana Wentworth
- *The Adventures of Tartu* (1943), as Maruschuka Lanova
- *Unpublished Story* (1942), as Carol Bennett
- *Atlantic Ferry* (1941), as Mary Ann Morison
- *Contraband* (1940), as Mrs. Sorensen
- *The Spy in Black* (1939), as The School Mistress
- *This Man in Paris* (1939), as Pat Drake
- *The Silent Battle* (1939), as Draguisha
- *Q Planes* (1939), as Kay Lawrence
- *This Man Is News* (1938), as Pat Drake
- *The Drum* (1938), as Mrs. Carruthers
- *Jump for Glory* (1937), as Glory Fane
- *Television Demonstration Film* (1937), Actor
- *No Exit* (1936), as Laura Anstey
- *Tugboat Princess* (1936), as Sally
- *The Secret of Stamboul* (1936), as Tania
- *August Week End* (1936), as Claire Barry
- *The Great Impersonation* (1935), as Eleanor Dominey
- *Chinatown Squad* (1935), as Janet Baker
- *Werewolf of London* (1935), as Lisa Glendon
- *Bride of Frankenstein* (1935), as Elizabeth — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/film/bride-of-frankenstein.md)
- *Rendezvous at Midnight* (1935), as Sandra Rogers
- *The Mystery of Edwin Drood* (1935), as Helena Landless
- *Life Returns* (1935), as Mrs. Kendrick
- *Strange Wives* (1934), as Mauna
- *The Path of Glory* (1934), as Maria
- *Badger’s Green* (1934), as Molly Butler
- *Two Hearts in Waltz Time* (1934), as Susie
- *His Lordship* (1932), as Last Face in Montage (uncredited)

## Gallery

- ![Valerie Hobson](https://film.one/media/person/59018/gallery-3eeef6c57216.jpg) Valerie Hobson — Jack Freulich, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Valerie_Hobson_by_Jack_Freulich.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![L'attrice Valerie Hobson in un'immagine pubblicata in Italia nel 1935 (2016)](https://film.one/media/person/59018/gallery-9e3536082062.jpg) L'attrice Valerie Hobson in un'immagine pubblicata in Italia nel 1935 (2016) — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Hobson-valerie_1934.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Sujet : L'île des veuves (film) Contient : coupures de presse Langue : français (1937)](https://film.one/media/person/59018/gallery-e181fb393b58.jpg) Sujet : L'île des veuves (film) Contient : coupures de presse Langue : français (1937) — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f4/Recueil._%22L%27%C3%AEle_des_veuves%22_film_de_Claude_Heymann_-_btv1b105128002_%2812_of_27%29.jpg/1280px-Recueil._%22L%27%C3%AEle_des_veuves%22_film_de_Claude_Heymann_-_btv1b105128002_%2812_of_27%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Televisiestuk "Drie stuivers opera" , Mackie Messer (Joop Doderer) in  (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/59018/gallery-e3cee10b59d1.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Televisiestuk "Drie stuivers opera" , Mackie Messer (Joop Doderer) in  (1960) — Henk Lindeboom/ Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Televisiestuk_Drie_stuivers_opera_%2C_Mackie_Messer_%28Joop_Doderer%29_in_het_bordee%2C_Bestanddeelnr_911-7344.jpg/1280px-Televisiestuk_Drie_stuivers_opera_%2C_Mackie_Messer_%28Joop_Doderer%29_in_het_bordee%2C_Bestanddeelnr_911-7344.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Televisiestuk "Drie stuivers opera", Mackie Messer (Joop Doderer) in h (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/59018/gallery-1b0715c526fc.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Televisiestuk "Drie stuivers opera", Mackie Messer (Joop Doderer) in h (1960) — Henk Lindeboom/ Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Televisiestuk_Drie_stuivers_opera_%2C_Mackie_Messer_%28Joop_Doderer%29_in_het_bordee%2C_Bestanddeelnr_911-7345.jpg/1280px-Televisiestuk_Drie_stuivers_opera_%2C_Mackie_Messer_%28Joop_Doderer%29_in_het_bordee%2C_Bestanddeelnr_911-7345.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Televisiestuk "Drie stuivers opera" , groep lichtekooien bewaakt door  (1960)](https://film.one/media/person/59018/gallery-e0507462d70b.jpg) Collectie / Archief : Fotocollectie Anefo Reportage / Serie : [ onbekend ] Beschrijving : Televisiestuk "Drie stuivers opera" , groep lichtekooien bewaakt door  (1960) — Henk Lindeboom/ Anefo, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Televisiestuk_Drie_stuivers_opera_%2C_groep_lichtekooien_bewaakt_door_agenten%2C_Bestanddeelnr_911-7336.jpg/1280px-Televisiestuk_Drie_stuivers_opera_%2C_groep_lichtekooien_bewaakt_door_agenten%2C_Bestanddeelnr_911-7336.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© 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/valerie-hobson