Admirers of good English cinema immediately understand who they are talking about as soon as they hear the name Joan Hickson. Despite the fact that in her acting baggage there are about a hundred paintings, she became famous thanks to the role of Miss Marple in the television series of the same name based on the works of Agatha Christie. And in our country, Hickson was recognized and loved in the second half of the eighties, when on weekends, sitting in front of the TV, they watched a cute old woman in a hat famously unravel complex crimes by wiping the nose of the police.
Children's years and plans for the future
Joan Hickson was born in the last summer month of 1906 in the UK, the city of Kingstorp (the English county of Norhamptonshire) in the family of Edith Mary Bogle and Alfred Harold Hickson, who was engaged in the manufacture of shoes. When she was five years old, she attended a children's play dedicated to Christmas. There, little Joan first saw the pantomime and firmly decided that she wanted to become an actress and work only in the theater.
After leaving school, the girl enters the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. And already in 1927 she first appeared on the stage in a play staged on the play "The Tragic Muse."
The whole world is a theater ...
For several years, the young actress has been touring the country. Joan Hickson appeared on the stages of several theaters until fate brought her to the West End. There she was offered the roles of comedic and several eccentric heroines.
After the first appearance on the stage, seven long years passed before the actress received an offer to act in films. As a rule, the roles that she was offered to play were only secondary, but Hickson endowed each part of the heroine with a piece of herself. And her comedic talent was magnificent. Therefore, all the characters played by her for a long time remained in the memory of the audience.
In the movie camera lens
The film debut of Joan Hickson, whose films are still watched with great interest, took place in 1934. It was a British comedy called "The Problem in the Store." The first picture passed, as they say, “with a bang”, and then Hickson quite successfully continued her film career, gaining momentum, starring, however, for the most part in comedy images.
Among the list of her early works can be called “A man who works miracles” (according to Herbert Wells) and “Love of a stranger” (according to Agatha Christie).
The famous writer of the most interesting detective stories of the twentieth century to some extent influenced the future career of Joan Hickson. One day, Christy saw Hickson play on the stage in the production of her play, "Date with Death." She was pleasantly surprised and amazed. She even sent a letter to the actress, in which she expressed the hope that her favorite literary heroine - Miss Marple - would be embodied on the screen by Joan Hickson and no one else. Joan was grateful to Agatha Christie for such a high appreciation of her professionalism. But as for the cute observant old woman, who knows how to notice everything and figure out the killer, she was not sure.
Nevertheless, Christie's wish came true thirty-eight years after the utterance.
Movie and theater roles
During his long and interesting life, Joan Hickson, whose filmography includes more than a hundred works, played a lot of characteristic, albeit small roles. Among them, one can distinguish a funny drunken maid named Rosemary in the film “Up and Down” (in Hickson’s career, it was a rather memorable role), caring and trying to help everyone in the cute comedy “Keep it up, sister!”, Sedate Mrs. Kidder in the novel Agatha Christie "She said murder." Yes, the work of the great writer of detective stories has been with her side by side for several decades. During this period, Hickson most often offered the roles of mothers and grandmothers, homeowners and housewives, in general, very respectable ladies.
But the theatrical stage gave her the role of Delia in the play “Farce in the Bedroom”. Initially, the play was staged in London on the stage of the National Theater, a little later - on Broadway. It was this role that brought her the prestigious Tony Theater Award in 1979. There were also performances "Highway", "Carefree spirit" and others.
Hello Miss Marple!
Stunningly beautiful was Joan Hickson in her youth. Photos only confirm this truth. And yet, this did not prevent her from playing in her old years playing the old lady, “God's Dandelion,” who has a tenacious mind, attention, and the ability to collect facts and analyze them, finding the truth.
So, 1984. Channel "BBC" begins showing television films, the main character in which is a sweet old woman - Miss Marple. It was for this role, the role of an amateur detective who easily reveals the most difficult and complicated crimes, and Joan Hickson was invited. She tried to combine insight and decency in her heroine. Thanks to her, Miss Marple turned out to be very real, lively, loved by millions of viewers. She became the best performer of this role, as did David Suchet - Hercule Poirot, and Vasily Livanov - Sherlock Holmes. Filming twelve television films lasted several years, until 1992. This is “A pocket full of rye,” “At 4.50 from Paddington,” and others. This would be a high point for the actress. Twice she was a contender for a prize from the British Academy of Film and Television, although she failed to receive the award.
Queen Elizabeth I has always been a big fan of the work of Agatha Christie. After watching these paintings, she awarded Joan Hickson the Order of the British Empire for her role as Miss Marple.
Being at a very respectable age, she continued to come to the set until 1992, after which she told everyone that she was retiring. The last film in which she starred - "Century" - was released a year later. And on October 17, 1998 in Colchester, Joan Hickson quietly passed away. She was 92 years old.