Isabel Dean was a talented and versatile actress who enjoyed a 50-year career in the entertainment industry. Born in 1918 in Aldridge, Staffordshire, she initially dreamed of becoming an art teacher, but her passion for acting soon took over. She studied painting at the Birmingham Art School and later joined the Cheltenham Repertory Company as a scenic artist, where she began taking acting lessons and landing small parts.
Dean's London debut came in 1940, when she played Maggie Buckley in an adaptation of Agatha Christie's thriller Peril at End House. She quickly gained recognition for her performances, particularly in her Shakespearean roles, including Mariana in Robert Atkins's production of All's Well That Ends Well.
In 1943, Dean joined John Gielgud's celebrated production of Congreve's Love for Love at the Phoenix, playing the role of Jenny. She went on to understudy Peggy Ashcroft as Ophelia in Gielgud's production of Hamlet, a role she would later play several times when Ashcroft was absent.
Dean's career was marked by both triumphs and setbacks. She was initially favored by Binkie Beaumont, the West End's leading theatrical manager, but after offending him, she found herself working primarily in provincial theatres. Despite this, she continued to impress audiences with her performances, including a luminous portrayal of Juliet.
Dean's television career was equally successful, with notable roles in Nigel Kneale's science-fiction and horror series The Quatermass Experiment and the hit production of J.P. Donleavy's The Ginger Man. She also appeared in several radio comedies, including A Life of Bliss, and in a high-toned soap-opera, 199 Park Avenue.
In the 1970s, Dean experienced a resurgence in her career, with notable performances in John Osborne's A Hotel in Amsterdam and Rattigan's The Deep Blue Sea. She continued to work in both television and theatre, including a notable triumph as Hester in The Deep Blue Sea.
Dean's film career began in 1943 with a tiny role in The Man in Grey, and she went on to appear in several notable films, including Lean's The Passionate Friends and Sidney Gilliatt's The Story of Gilbert and Sullivan. Her last appearance on the West End stage was as the tragic mother of Alan Turing in Hugh Whitemore's Breaking the Code in 1986.
Isabel Dean died in 1997 at the age of 79, leaving behind a legacy as a talented and versatile actress who never quite fulfilled her early promise, but continued to impress audiences throughout her long and varied career.
