Dame Wendy Hiller Dies at 90

Dame Wendy Hiller, an esteemed British actress of the stage and screen, died on Wednesday, May 14, at her home outside of London. She was 90.

A favorite actress of playwright George Bernard Shaw, Hiller was perhaps best known for her film work, motst notably for her portrayal as Eliza Doolittle in the 1938 film version of Shaw’s Pygmalion opposite Leslie Howard. She also appeared in a film version of Shaw’s Major Barbara (1941). Hiller won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Separate Tables (1958); among her later films were two great successes, A Man For All Seasons (1966) and Murder on the Orient Express (1974).

Hiller was born on August 15, 1912 in Bramhill, England and began working with the Manchester Repertory Theatre when she was 18. Her first starring role was in the 1934 play Love on the Dole in London, and she recreated that role on Broadway in 1936; the play was adapted from Walter Greenwood’s novel by Ronald Gow, whom Hiller would marry in 1937. Hiller also appeared on Broadway in The Aspern Papers, Flowering Cherry, A Moon for the Misbegotten, and The Heiress.

The actress was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire in 1975. She is survived by two children.