Biography
Vivien Merchant (born Ada Brand Thomson) was an English actress. She began her career in 1942 and performed in repertory theatre before gaining prominence on stage and in film from the 1950s. She married playwright Harold Pinter in 1956; they divorced in 1980.
Merchant appeared in many of Pinter's stage productions, including the 1965 West End and 1973 screen versions of The Homecoming. Her film roles included Lily Clamacraft in Alfie (1966), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles; Rosalind in Accident (1967); Mrs Oxford in Frenzy (1972); and Maureen Johnson in The Offence (1973). She received a Tony Award nomination for the 1967 Broadway production of The Homecoming.
She died in London on 3 October 1982.
