Winifred Oughton

(Annie) Winifred Oughton (1890 – 26 December 1964) was an English actress, educationalist[1] and acting coach. She was a well-received character[2] and comedy actress[3] and was a teacher at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) from 1935 to 1958.[4]

Life

Winifred Oughton was born in 1890 in Camberwell. Her father acted in and produced amateur dramatic performances. Her own stage career began in 1915 with a walk-on-part in The Merchant of Venice at The Old Vic.[5]

She taught drama at schools in Gloucester in the 1920s, and in 1930 was a director of the Schools Theatre. Between 1930 and 1950 she took roles as a character actor in several British films. In 1935 she moved from South London to live in Effingham, Surrey, and alongside her acting career became a teacher at RADA.[5]

After her death in 1964, RADA established the Winifred Oughton Memorial Prize in her honour.[5]

References

1. Oughton, Winifred (1930). "Shakespeare in the Schools". The Education Outlook. S. Birch. p. 173.
2. Batters, Jean (1977). Edith Evans: A Personal Memoir. Hart-Davis MacGibbon. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-246-10994-1. Winifred Oughton, an extremely competent character actress and a teacher at RADA, who was Edith's oldest friend.
3. Fagan, James Bernard (March 1931). "'The Improper Duchess' at the Globe Theatre. - ProQuest". The Play Pictorial. Vol. 58, no. 348 – via ProQuest.
4. "Oughton, Winifred (1890–1964)". Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Encyclopedia.com. 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
5. Palmer, Jeremy. "Lives – Winifred Oughton". Retrieved 2 March 2024.