Vivien Merchant

Ada Brand Thomson, known professionally as Vivien Merchant, was an accomplished English actress with an extensive career ranging from the stage to film. She launched her career in 1942 and became known for her dramatic roles in both stage and film. In 1956, she married the acclaimed playwright Harold Pinter and became a frequent performer in many of his plays. Merchant achieved considerable success throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, securing the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in 1964. Her performance in the film Alfie (1966) earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress and won her the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. Her other notable films include Accident (1967), The Offence (1972), Frenzy (1972), The Homecoming (1973), and The Maids (1975). However, the end of her marriage resulted in depression and alcoholism, ultimately leading to her death in 1982. Merchant took her stage name as a blend of the famous actress Vivien Leigh and her brother who was a merchant seaman. Despite launching her career with supporting roles, Merchant gradually established herself as an esteemed lead actress in repertory throughout the early 1950s.