Pauline Jameson

Pauline Jameson (born Pauline Isobel Jameson on 5 June 1920 in Heacham, Norfolk) was a distinguished English actress whose career spanned more than five decades across stage, film and television. She began her training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and made her professional debut in weekly repertory at Colwyn Bay in 1937, quickly moving to London where she appeared at the Q Theatre and made her West End debut as Lucy in The Rivals at the Criterion in 1945. Jameson’s classical talent was soon recognised by the Old Vic, where she performed a remarkable range of Shakespearean roles—including Valeria in Coriolanus, Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew and Maria in Twelfth Night—during the 1948‑49 season, and she continued to be a regular presence at the Old Vic throughout the 1950s. Her versatility shone in contemporary works as well, with notable turn‑outs as Maggie Hobson in Hobson’s Choice at the Arts Theatre and as Catherine Sloper in The Heiress at the Theatre Royal Haymarket, where she succeeded Peggy Ashcroft. In 1958 she married Wing Commander Leslie Lewington, and the following year she returned to the Old Vic to earn the Clarence Derwent Award for her performance as Mrs Prest in The Aspen Papers. The 1960s saw Jameson join the Royal Shakespeare Company, touring internationally and playing roles such as the Abbess in The Comedy of Errors and Regan in King Lear, which marked her first New York appearance. She later succeeded Vanessa Redgrave as the title character in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and took leading parts in productions of A Month in the Country, A Room With a View, and Rebecca on both sides of the Atlantic. Her later stage work included Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest and Sybil Birling in An Inspector Calls, with her final performance coming in 1991 at the Almeida Theatre opposite Diana Rigg’s Cleopatra. In parallel with her stage achievements, Jameson built a substantial screen résumé, debuting in the film Esther Waters (1948) and later appearing in titles such as The Millionairess, The Punch and Judy Man, and Joseph Andrews. Television credits ranged from One Step Beyond and Armchair Theatre to Poirot and The Woman in White, confirming her reputation as a reliable character actress. After retiring to Denville Hall, she remained a respected figure in the theatre community until her death on 8 April 2007 in Northwood, Middlesex.