Madge Ryan | |
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in A Clockwork Orange (1971)
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Born |
Townsville, Queensland, Australia |
8 January 1919
Died | 9 January 1994 London, United Kingdom |
(aged 75)
Occupation | Actress |
Madge Ryan (8 January 1919 – 9 January 1994) was an Australian actress, known for her stage roles in the United Kingdom, including London productions of Entertaining Mr Sloane (1964), Philadelphia, Here I Come (1967), and Medea (1993). She also starred in the Broadway production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1958). Her film appearances included Summer Holiday (1963), A Clockwork Orange (1971), Frenzy (1972), and Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? (1978).
Ryan was born in Townsville, Australia.
Already an established theatre actor in Sydney, Australia, Ryan emigrated to the United Kingdom in 1957 and starred in many British stage shows. She also made over sixty appearances in films and on television.
In 1958, Ryan appeared in a Broadway-theatre production of Summer of the Seventeenth Doll.
In 1964, she played Kath in the original London production of Joe Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane. The Independent wrote, "as the dreadful Kath, ageing seductress and murderous landlady...Madge Ryan's cruel, cool but undeniably comic acting provoked one critic to describe her work...as 'something very close to perfection'."
Ryan died in London in 1994, the day after her 75th birthday.
In their obituary, The Independent wrote, "what set her apart from the others was a certain, often powerful, independence of spirit and humour...It was a fulfilled career."