Vivien Merchant

2025-10-06T16:31:11Z

2A00:23C6:3E88:1601:2438:814B:24AC:C549:

{{Short description|English actress (1929–1982)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Vivien Merchant
| image = Vivien Merchant.png
| caption = Portrait of Vivien Merchant by [[Cecil Beaton]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1929|7|22}}
| birth_place = [[Manchester]], Lancashire, England
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|1982|10|3|1929|7|22}}
| death_place = London, England
| birth_name = Ada Thomson
|spouse = {{marriage|[[Harold Pinter]] |1956|1980|end=divorced}}
|children = 1
}}

'''Ada Brand Thomson'''<ref>{{cite ODNB|id=100647|first=Michael|last=Billington|author-link=Michael Billington (critic)|title=Pinter, Harold}}</ref> (22 July 1929 – 3 October 1982), known professionally as '''Vivien Merchant''', was an English actress. She began her career in 1942, and became known for dramatic roles on stage and in films. In 1956 she married the playwright [[Harold Pinter]] and performed in many of his plays.

Merchant achieved considerable success from the 1950s to the 1970s, winning the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress]] in 1964. For her role in the film ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966), she received an [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]], and won the [[BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles|BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer]]. In 1967, she starred in the [[Broadway (theatre)|Broadway]] production of Pinter's ''[[The Homecoming]]'', and received a [[Tony Award]] nomination. Her other films included ''[[Accident (1967 film)|Accident]]'' (1967), ''[[The Offence]]'' (1972), ''[[Frenzy]]'' (1972), ''[[The Homecoming (film)|The Homecoming]]'' (1973), and ''[[The Maids (film)|The Maids]]'' (1975). Suffering from depression and alcoholism as her marriage ended, she died in 1982, two years after her divorce.

==Career==
Merchant took her stage name as a composite of the actress [[Vivien Leigh]] and her brother, who was a merchant seaman (cited by [[Michael Billington (critic)|Michael Billington]]). She began acting professionally in 1942, with supporting juvenile roles in repertory, progressing to West End roles in such works as [[Noël Coward]]'s ''[[Sigh No More (musical)|Sigh No More]]'' and ''[[Ace of Clubs (musical)|Ace of Clubs]]'', becoming an established lead in repertory in the early 1950s. Merchant subsequently performed in many stage productions and several films, including ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' (1966), ''[[Accident (1967 film)|Accident]]'' (1967), ''[[Frenzy]]'' (1972), and ''[[The Offence]]'' (also 1972). Her performance in ''Alfie'' gained her [[Academy Award]] and [[Golden Globe]] nominations for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Supporting Actress]], and won her the [[BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles|BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer]] and the [[National Board of Review]] Award for Best Supporting Actress.

After Merchant married the playwright [[Harold Pinter]] in 1956, she appeared in many of his plays, including the 1960 revival of his first play, ''[[The Room (play)|The Room]]'' at the [[Hampstead Theatre]], ''[[A Slight Ache]]'', ''[[A Night Out (play)|A Night Out]]'', ''[[The Collection (play)|The Collection]]'', and ''[[The Lover (play)|The Lover]]''; the latter was also a celebrated television production partnering [[Alan Badel]] at [[Associated Rediffusion]], for which she was given an [[Evening Standard Theatre Award]] for Best Newcomer and the [[British Academy Television Award for Best Actress|BAFTA Award for Best Actress]], both in 1963.

Merchant subsequently appeared as Wendy in ''[[Tea Party (play)|Tea Party]]'' opposite [[Leo McKern]] in 1965. Merchant starred as Ruth in ''[[The Homecoming]]'' (1964) on stage both in London in 1965 and New York in 1967, receiving a [[Tony Award]] nomination for [[Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play|Best Actress in a Play]]. She went on to star in the [[The Homecoming (film)|film version]] in 1973. The last of his plays in a role premiere on stage was ''[[Old Times]]'' (1971) as Anna. Merchant played Lady Macbeth to [[Paul Scofield]]'s Macbeth for the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in 1967, directed by [[Peter Hall (director)|Sir Peter Hall]].

Merchant took the role of Madame in the [[Greenwich Theatre]] revival of [[Jean Genet]]'s ''[[The Maids]]'' partnering [[Glenda Jackson]] and [[Susannah York]]: This was filmed in 1974 by [[Christopher Miles]]. In 1975, Merchant and [[Timothy Dalton]] headed the cast of a revival of Coward's ''[[The Vortex]]'' at the [[Greenwich Theatre]].<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130610180728/http://www.timothydalton.info/plays1.html#vort "''The Vortex'' (1975–1976)"]}}, ''Timothy Dalton – Shakespearean James Bond'', accessed 28 June 2012</ref>

==Personal life==
Merchant was the first wife of [[Harold Pinter]], whom she met while working as a [[repertory]] actress; he was then working as an actor under the stage name of David Baron. They married in 1956, and their son, Daniel, was born in 1958.<ref>Details about the Pinters' marriage and their family life are provided by Michael Billington ''The Life and Work of Harold Pinter'' (London: Faber and Faber, 1996); rev. ed. ''Harold Pinter'' (London: Faber and Faber, 2007). (Pinter's official authorized biography.)</ref>

Their marriage began disintegrating in the mid-1960s. From 1962 to 1969, Pinter had a clandestine affair with [[Joan Bakewell]], which inspired his play ''[[Betrayal (play)|Betrayal]]''.<ref>Billington ''Harold Pinter'', pp. 256–267</ref> In 1975, he began a serious affair with the historian Lady [[Antonia Fraser]], the wife of Sir [[Hugh Fraser (British politician)|Hugh Fraser]], which he confessed to his wife that March.<ref>Michael Billington (1996) ''The Life and Work of Harold Pinter'', p. 253, Faber and Faber, {{ISBN|0571171036}}</ref> At first, Merchant took it very well, saying positive things about Fraser, according to her friend artist Guy Vaesen (as cited by Billington); but, Vaesen recalled, after "a female friend of Vivien's trotted round to her house and poisoned her mind against Antonia ... life in Hanover Terrace [where the Pinters then lived] gradually became impossible". Pinter left, and Merchant filed for divorce and gave interviews to the [[Tabloid journalism|tabloid press]], expressing her distress.<ref>E.g., "Actress Tells All", ''[[Daily Mail]]'', as cited in Billington, ''Harold Pinter'', pp. 253–254.</ref><ref>[[Cf.]] [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917680-1,00.html "People"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520231356/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,917680-1,00.html |date=20 May 2011 }}, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', 11 August 1975. Archived in the ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20010809205446/http://www.time.com/time/archive/ Time Archive: 1923 to the Present]''. (Page 1 of 2 pages.)</ref> Merchant made some unflattering comments about Fraser at this time: "He didn't need to take a change of shoes. He can always wear hers. She has very big feet, you know."<ref>Peter Guttridge [https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/those-choice-words-that-say-i-hate-you-1325795.html "Those choice words that say 'I hate you'"], ''The Independent'', 26 January 1996</ref> Merchant believed Fraser to be the basis for the character of Emma in Pinter's play ''Betrayal'', never learning about his prior affair with Joan Bakewell.<ref>Stop the Clocks: Thoughts on What I Leave Behind, Joan Bakewell, Virago, 2016</ref>

The Frasers' divorce became final in 1977, and the Pinters' in 1980. In 1980, Pinter and Fraser married.

===Death===
Merchant became deeply depressed after the end of her marriage to Pinter and turned to drinking. She died at the age of 53 on 3 October 1982, from alcoholism.<ref>[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E3DD163BF934A35753C1A964948260 "Death of Vivien Merchant Is Ascribed to Alcoholism"], ''[[The New York Times]]'' 7 October 1982, accessed 13 September 2007.</ref><ref>According to Billington, Pinter "did everything possible to support" Merchant until her death, and regrets that he became estranged from their son, Daniel, after their separation and Pinter's marrying Antonia Fraser. A reclusive writer and musician, Daniel does not use the surname ''Pinter'', having adopted as his surname his maternal grandmother's maiden name ''Brand'' after his parents separated (''Harold Pinter'' pp. 276, 255)</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1966
|''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]''
|Lily Clamacraft
|[[BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles]] [[National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress]] Nominated—[[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress]] Nominated—[[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress - Motion Picture]]
|-
|1967
|''[[Accident (1967 film)|Accident]]''
|Rosalind
|[[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress]] (runner-up)
|-
|1969
|''[[Alfred the Great (film)| Alfred the Great]]''
|Freda
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|1972
|''[[Under Milk Wood (1972 film)|Under Milk Wood]]''
|Mrs. Pugh
|
|-
|''[[Frenzy (film)|Frenzy]]''
|Mrs. Oxford
|
|-
|''[[The Offence]]''
|Maureen Johnson
|
|-
|1973
|''[[The Homecoming (film)|The Homecoming]]''
|Ruth
|Nominated—[[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role]]
|-
|1975
|''[[The Maids (film)|The Maids]]''
|Madame
|
|}

===Television===
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1948
|''Virtuoso''
|Miss Coleman
|
|-
|1955
|''[[Sunday-Night Theatre]]''
|Elsa Perkins
|Episode: ''The Fifty Mark''
|-
|1959
|''[[The Infamous John Friend]]''
|"Crown Inn" Landlady
|Episode: ''Episode #1.4''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1960
|''[[Armchair Theatre]]''
|Girl
|Episode: ''A Night Out''
|-
|''ITV Television Playhouse''
|Rose Blatchford Sally Gibbs
|Episode: ''The Honeymooners'' episode: ''Night School''
|-
|1962
|''[[Studio 4 (TV series)|Studio 4]]''
|Olivia
|Episode: ''The Weather in the Streets''
|-
|rowspan="3"|1963
|''The Lover''
|Sarah
|
|-
|''Maupassant''
| Henriette
|Episode: ''Wives and Lovers''
|-
|''ITV Television Playhouse''
|Angela Fairbourne
|Episode: ''In Confidence''
|-
|1965
|''ITV Play of the Week''
|Kathy Grayson
|Episode: ''The Fall of the Sparrow''
|-
|rowspan="3"|1966
|''[[Theatre 625]]''
|Natalia Petrovna Gertrude
|Episode: ''A Month in the Country'' episode: ''Focus''
|-
|''Seven Deadly Sins''
|Jane
|Episode: ''My Friend Corby''
|-
|''[[Thirty-Minute Theatre]]''
|Ella
|Episode: ''Ella''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1968
|''[[ITV Playhouse]]''
|Tessa
|Episode: ''Funeral Games''
|-
|''[[Play of the Month]]''
|Evelyn Daly
|Episode: ''Waters of the Moon''
|-
|1969
|''[[ITV Sunday Night Theatre|ITV Saturday Night Theatre]]''
|Maureen Instance
|Episode: ''The Full Cheddar''
|-
|1970
|''[[ITV Sunday Night Theatre|ITV Saturday Night Theatre]]''
|Augusta Fullam Audley
|Episode: ''[[Wicked Women (TV series)|Wicked Women]]'': Augusta Fullam<ref>{{imdb title|0902940|Wicked Women}}</ref> Episode: ''Skyscrapers''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1971
|''[[Aquarius (UK TV series)|Aquarius]]''
|Anna in Old Times
|Episode: ''5 June 1971''
|-
|''Play of the Month''
|Dona Ana
|Episode: ''Don Juan in Hell''
|-
|1972
|''[[A War of Children]]''
|Nora Tomelty
|TV movie
|-
|rowspan="2"|1973
|''Play of the Month''
|Jane Noble
|Episode: ''The Common''
|-
|''[[Softly, Softly: Taskforce]]''
|Maggie Jarman
|Episode: ''Cover''
|-
|rowspan="4"|1977
|''The Lover''
|Sarah
|TV movie
|-
|''[[The Man in the Iron Mask (1977 film)|The Man in the Iron Mask]]''
|Maria Theresa
|TV movie
|-
|''The Velvet Glove''
|Elizabeth Fry
|Episode: ''Beyond This Life''
|-
|''[[Secret Army (TV series)|Secret Army]]''
|Mile. Gunet
|Episode: ''Growing Up''
|-
|rowspan="2"|1980
|''Breakaway''
|Isabel Black
|Episode: ''The Local Affair''
|-
|''[[A Tale of Two Cities (1980 TV series)|A Tale of Two Cities]]''
|Miss Pross
|(TV miniseries)
|-
|1982
|''[[Crown Court (TV series)|Crown Court]]''
|Judge
|Episode: ''Face Value: Part 1'', (final appearance)
|}

==See also==
* [[List of British actors]]
* [[List of Academy Award winners and nominees from Great Britain]]
* [[List of actors with Academy Award nominations]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0580357}}

{{Navboxes
| title = Awards for Vivien Merchant
| list =
{{Bafta Award for Most Promising Newcomer}}
{{British Academy Television Award for Best Actress 1960-1979}}
{{National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merchant, Vivien}}
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:Actresses from Manchester]]
[[Category:Alcohol-related deaths in England]]
[[Category:Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Actress BAFTA Award (television) winners]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English stage actresses]]
[[Category:Booker authors' division]]
[[Category:Harold Pinter]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]

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Vivien Merchant