Elvi Hale(1931-2025)
- Actress
Born and raised as Patricia Elvira Hake in Essex, the pretty, tawny-haired British second-lead actress was educated at Reed's School in Cobham, Surrey. Her original surname can be traced back to either Old Norse or Anglo-Saxon origins. As Elvi Hale, she first acted on stage at the Old Vic School in 1951 where she was discovered by Laurence Olivier, who signed her under contract, but for some reason he never used her in any of his screen projects. She resumed her theatrical work in London with notable appearances as Sally Bowles in "I Am a Camera" (1955) and Alexandra Crowley in "The Crystal Heart" (1957). She made her film debut in 1956, and in 1957 she garnered a BAFTA nomination as Most Promising Newcomer for her role in the charming nautical comedy True as a Turtle (1957). During the early 1960s she mainly acted in anthology dramas on TV. Arguably, her best-known later role was that of Anne of Cleves in BBC's production of The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), starring Keith Michell. Until her retirement in 1992, she popped up in a handful of films and had guest roles in TV shows like The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971), Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), Z Cars (1962), and Bergerac (1981). On stage she specialized in Shakespearean roles, including Maria in "Twelfth Night", Gertrude in "Hamlet", and Nerissa in "The Merchant of Venice".
