Vivien Merchant
From Alfred Hitchcock Wiki
- born: 22/Jul/1929 (Manchester, England, UK)
- died: 03/Oct/1982 (London, England, UK) - acute alcoholism
Biography
Vivien Merchant (born July 22, 1929 in Manchester, England; died October 3, 1983) was a British actress, who was born Ada Thompson.
Despite her talent and many film appearances - including "Alfie" (1966) and "Frenzy" (1972), she is probably best remembered as the first wife of the playwright, Harold Pinter, whom she married in 1956; their son, Daniel, was born in 1958.
She appeared in many of his works, notably "The Homecoming" on both stage and screen, and in the original production of "The Room". Their marriage began disintegrating in the mid-1960s. From 1962-69, Harold Pinter had an affair with Joan Bakewell, which informs Pinter's dramatic play "Betrayal". In 1975 Pinter began an affair with historian Lady Antonia Fraser, the wife of Sir Hugh Fraser. In 1975 Vivien Merchant filed for divorce. The Frasers' divorce became final in 1977 and the Pinters' in 1980. In 1980 Pinter married Antonia Fraser.
Vivien Merchant never overcame her grief and bitterness at losing husband Pinter, dying at the age of 54 on October 3, 1983, from acute alcoholism.
Filmography
With Hitchcock...
- Frenzy (1972) - cast: Mrs. Oxford
Links
Film Frames
Selection of film frames of Vivien Merchant (click image to view larger version or refresh thumbnails)...
Image Gallery
Images from the Hitchcock Gallery (click to view larger versions or search for all relevant images)...