Nova Margery Pilbeam, a multifaceted English film and stage actress, entered the world on November 15, 1919. Her artistic journey commenced as a child stage actress, ultimately yielding a remarkable career in her formative teenage years.
Pilbeam's subsequent cinematic endeavors demonstrated her remarkable range and adaptability, with a particularly notable performance in Alfred Hitchcock's 1937 film "Young and Innocent", which she fondly referred to as "the sunniest film I was involved with".
Pilbeam's cinematic endeavors were not the only testament to her remarkable talent, as she also made a notable appearance in an early British television drama in 1939, a milestone that showcased her versatility and range as a performer.
In the same remarkable year, Pilbeam was approached by the esteemed film producer David O. Selznick with an extraordinary opportunity to star in the iconic film "Rebecca," directed by the masterful Alfred Hitchcock. However, her agent was hesitant to commit to the five-year contract, a decision that would ultimately prove to be a missed opportunity for Pilbeam.
Meanwhile, Hitchcock, renowned for his meticulous approach, embarked on an exhaustive search for the perfect actress to play the lead role in "Rebecca," a quest that would consume several months and involve auditioning hundreds of talented actresses. In the end, it was Joan Fontaine who would win the coveted role, leaving Pilbeam to ponder what could have been.
Biography of Nova Pilbeam:
Nova Pilbeam was a British actress born on November 21, 1919, in Westminster, London, England. She began her acting career as a child, appearing in several films and stage productions before transitioning to television in the late 1930s. Pilbeam's early work included a notable appearance in the British television drama "The Good Companions" in 1939.
Notwithstanding the propensity of certain actors of her era to migrate to Hollywood to pursue cinematic opportunities, Pilbeam chose to remain committed to her craft in British films and on the stage throughout the 1940s, a decade marked by a plethora of notable performances in at least nine films and numerous theatrical productions.
Her impressive filmography during this period included a wide range of roles, with one of her final cinematic endeavors being the 1948 production, "The Three Weird Sisters", a testament to her enduring talent and dedication to her craft.
Pilbeam's stage career, although relatively short-lived, still managed to include a notable appearance at the Duchess Theatre in February 1950, where she took to the stage in Toni Block's play "Flowers for the Living".
In her personal life, Pilbeam entered into a marriage with Pen Tennyson, a man of great literary heritage, being a great-grandson of the renowned poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Furthermore, Tennyson held a position as an assistant director to the illustrious film director Hitchcock.
Tragically, their union was cut short when Tennyson met his untimely demise in a plane crash in 1941, while he was working on instructional films for the Admiralty.
Pilbeam embarked upon a lifelong union with BBC Radio journalist Alexander Whyte in the year 1950, a union that would ultimately yield a single offspring, Sarah Jane, who entered the world in 1952.
This enduring partnership persisted until the untimely demise of Whyte in the year 1972.
In the latter stages of her life, Pilbeam resided in the picturesque Dartmouth Park, situated in the north of London, before ultimately succumbing to the inevitable on July 17, 2015, at the venerable age of 95.
