Ethel Griffies

Ethel Griffies (born Ethel Woods on 26 April 1878 in Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire) was a British character actress whose career spanned more than eight decades, making her one of the longest‑working performers in English‑language theatre and film. From the moment she first stepped onstage at the age of three, courtesy of her parents—actor‑manager Samuel Rupert Woods and actress Lillie Roberts—she was destined for the footlights, and she continued to appear on stage and screen until her retirement in 1967, just two years before her death at the age of 97. Over the course of her extensive career she played over a hundred screen roles, ranging from uncredited bit parts in silent shorts such as The Cost of a Kiss (1917) to memorable supporting performances in classic Hollywood productions. Among her most celebrated roles was Grace Poole, the enigmatic housekeeper in both the 1934 and the better‑known 1943 adaptations of Jane Eyre, where her austere demeanor added a chilling edge to the gothic narrative. In Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller The Birds she portrayed the eccentric ornithologist Mrs. Bundy, a part that has become a cult favourite for its quirky humor and subtle commentary on scientific hubris. That same year she appeared as Grandma Florence in Billy Liar, demonstrating her ability to shift effortlessly between horror, drama and comedy. Griffies was also a prolific stage actress, making her London debut in 1899 and sharing the stage with legends such as May Whitty, Ellen Terry and Anna Neagle. Her personal life was marked by two marriages: first to fellow actor Walter Beaumont in 1900, who died a decade later, and subsequently to actor Edward Cooper in 1917, who predeceased her in 1956. Despite a long career, she had no surviving children. Ethel Griffies died of a stroke in London on 9 September 1975, leaving behind a legacy of versatile, enduring performances that continue to be celebrated by scholars and classic‑film enthusiasts alike.