Lucille Lisle, a renowned Australian-born film actress, embarked on a career as a leading lady in the early 1930s, starring in somewhat incoherent movies. Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Lisle received her education at St. Vincents College, Sydney.
As a child, Lisle made her stage debut in the pantomime of 'Dick Whittington' in 1916 at the Princess Theatre, Melbourne. Under the management of J.C. Williamson Limited, she appeared in several productions, including 'Old English' and 'Cradle Snatchers', touring for a year. She then acted alongside Maurice Moscovitch in 'The Silent House', followed by roles in 'Saturday's Children' and 'Baby Cyclone' under the direction of Sir Benjamin Fuller.
In 1930, Lisle traveled to America, making her debut at the Empire Theatre on October 6th as Bertina Farmer in 'Stepdaughters of War'. Two years later, she arrived in London after a short run in a play off Broadway. Lisle succeeded Edna Best as Stella Hallam at the Lyric in 'Another Language'. In 1933, she went on stage in Liverpool in 'The Late Christopher Bean', where she held up proceedings for an hour while signing autograph books for fans waiting patiently in the rain.
Although her stage career flourished, her work in motion pictures struggled, with poor writing and bad directing often blamed for poor reviews. Anthony Havelock-Allen produced her debut feature, an incoherent thriller in which she played the wife of Leslie Perrins. In 1936, after playing in the films 'Twice Branded' and 'Midnight at the Wax Museum', Lisle replaced Jessica Tandy as Anna in 'Anthony and Anna', which ran for two years.
In 1937, Lisle starred in 'The Minstrel Boy', a poor attempt to launch her as a sizzling romantic leading lady, alongside Fred Conyngham and Chili Bouchier, with a scenario written by Joan Morgan, a child sensation in British pictures during the 1910s. It was Lisle's final film. Undeterred, she continued to struggle, finding comfort in the fact that theatre offered her more than her endeavours on screen.
Lisle won critical acclaim as "the most exquisite and believable" Maria in 'Twelfth Night' in 1938. She joined the BBC repertory company in 1940, continuing for five years. After World War II, she returned to the BBC as a regular broadcaster, retiring in 1952.
