# Elspeth Dudgeon

Elspeth Dudgeon (4 December 1871 – 11 December 1955) was a Scottish character actress. With a career spanning nearly two decades, she was involved in 67 films, only 14 of which included her name in the credits.
Her best known appearances includes The Old Dark House and Becky Sharp (1935). She also acted in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), The Last Outpost (1935), Show Boat (1936), The Prince and the Pauper (1937), The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle (1939), Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police (1939), Calling Dr. Kildare (1939), Pride and Prejudice (1940), Foreign Correspondent (1940), Now, Voyager (1942), The Canterville Ghost (1944), and The Secret Garden (1949).

## Early life

Dudgeon was born on 4 December 1871 in Edinburgh, Scotland and developed an interest in theatrics as a young girl. After joining a well known amateur organisation, she became notable for character roles.

## Career

Her first break came while she was still in Scotland, when actor-manager Osmond Tearle heard of her ability and booked her to appear in various Shakesperian plays. Before this, she was already well known around Glasgow, such as in her part of a housekeeper in the 1916 play Doorsteps, where her performance was described as "extremely artistic".
During World War I, Dudgeon was part of Lena Ashwell's company, performing for soldiers near the English front, occasionally joined by male soldiers on leave. She also worked for Lydia Yvorska's company. Following her emigration to America, she joined Mr Clive's company as the Copyley Theatre. She first appeared in an uncredited part in Waterloo Bridge (1931), before which she had a long and not very successful career as a theatrical actress.
One of her earlier best remembered appearances was in the role of Sir Roderick Femm in the 1932 film The Old Dark House. Director James Whale needed someone to portray a centenarian and Dudgeon was the oldest actress he knew of, despite her being just 60 at the time. A beard was pasted onto her and she delivered her lines in her own, high voice. Having played the part of a man, she was credited as John Dudgeon, with actress Gloria Stuart later commenting that none of the cast at the time were aware Dudgeon was actually a female actress until the cast party. Whale was reported to have enjoyed keeping her real gender a secret, although Dudgeon would later work for him again several years later under her own name and gender. She was also known as playing Miss Pinkerton in Becky Sharp (1935). She featured in some other hit films of the following years, such as Camille (1936), Pride and Prejudice (1940) and a supporting role alongside Charles Laughton in The Canterville Ghost (1944). She is also remembered by horror film buffs for her startling transformation scene in the cult comedy-thriller Sh! The Octopus (1937).

## Personal life

She lived in California for 23 years. She was 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m).

## Death

She died on 11 December 1955, one week after her 84th birthday, in Los Angeles, California. Her remains are buried at Chapel Of The Pines Crematory.

## Filmography

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1931 | Waterloo Bridge | Elegante Dowager | (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Man Who Played God | Would-be Ticket Buyer | (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Impatient Maiden | Neighbor | (uncredited) |
| 1932 | Vanity Fair | Sir Pitt's Housekeeper | |
| 1932 | A Successful Calamity | Musicale Guest | (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Crash | Solitarie Player | (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Old Dark House | Sir Roderick Femm | (credited as John Dudgeon) |
| 1932 | Cynara | Mrs. Weeks | (uncredited) |
| 1933 | Zoo in Budapest | Woman Whose Skunk Was Stolen | (uncredited) |
| 1933 | Looking Forward | Old Servant | (uncredited) |
| 1933 | Stage Mother | Music Store Customer | (uncredited) |
| 1934 | Stand Up and Cheer! | Reformer | (uncredited) |
| 1934 | The Moonstone | Betteredge, Housekeeper | |
| 1935 | The Night Is Young | Duchess of Reidheim | (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Vanessa: Her Love Story | Vera Trent | |
| 1935 | Becky Sharp | Miss Pinkerton | |
| 1935 | Bride of Frankenstein | Gypsy mother | (uncredited) |
| 1935 | The Girl Friend | English Lady | (uncredited) |
| 1935 | The Last Outpost | Head Nurse | (uncredited) |
| 1935 | I Found Stella Parish | Second Waiting Woman | (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Kind Lady | Lady Emily | (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Sylvia Scarlett | Older Woman | (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Show Boat | Mother Superior | (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Counterfeit | Mrs. Martin | (uncredited) |
| 1936 | The White Angel | Second Lady Disapproving of Florence | (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Give Me Your Heart | Alice Dodd | |
| 1936 | A Woman Rebels | Lord Gaythorne's Maid | (uncredited) |
| 1936 | Camille | Fireplace Attendant | (uncredited) |
| 1937 | The Prince and the Pauper | John Canty's Mother | |
| 1937 | The Great Garrick | Old Witch in Audience | (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Sh! The Octopus | Nanny | |
| 1938 | Fools for Scandal | Cynthia | (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Mystery House | Aunt Lucy Kingery | |
| 1938 | The Crowd Roars | Old Witch in Audience | (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Midnight | Stephanie's Party Guest with Dog | (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Raffles | School Mistress | (uncredited) |
| 1939 | The Story of Vernon & Irene Castle | Lady Bolton | (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police | Mrs. Thomas, Housekeeper | (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Calling Dr. Kildare | Old Lady in Hall | (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Pride and Prejudice | Mrs King | (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Now, Voyager | Aunt Hester | (uncredited) |
| 1942 | Nightmare | Angus' Wife | |
| 1943 | Family Troubles | Aunt Aurelia | |
| 1943 | Footlight Glamour | Frances | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Heavenly Body | Lady Behind Vicky at Concert | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Bathing Beauty | Miss Travers | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Canterville Ghost | Aged Woman at Party | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Abroad with Two Yanks | Stuart's Party Guest | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Reckless Age | Miss Ferris | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | Three Sisters of the Moors | Townswoman | (uncredited) |
| 1944 | The Suspect | Pauline Barlow | (uncredited) |
| 1945 | The Woman Who Came Back | Old Woman in Bus / Jezebel Trister | (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Song of Arizona | Ella | (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Devotion | Elderly Reader of 'Jane Eyre' | (uncredited) |
| 1946 | Till the Clouds Roll By | Katie | (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Yankee Fakir | Scrubwoman | |
| 1947 | Time Out of Mind | Guest | (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Monsieur Verdoux | Old Woman | (uncredited) |
| 1947 | Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back | Nanny | |
| 1947 | The Paradine Case | Second Matron | (uncredited) |
| 1947 | If Winter Comes | Mrs. Ward | (uncredited) |
| 1948 | B.F.'s Daughter | Mrs. Marbey | (uncredited) |
| 1948 | Julia Misbehaves | Woman in Pawn Shop | (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Secret Garden | Dickon's Mother | (uncredited) |
| 1949 | Lust for Gold | Martha Bannister | (uncredited) |
| 1949 | The Great Sinner | Fearful Old Gambling Woman | (uncredited) |
| 1952 | Anything Can Happen | Grandma | (uncredited) |
| 1955 | Moonfleet | Granny Walker - Old Woman in Church | (uncredited) |