Acting · Birkenhead, Cheshire, England, UK · Born April 21, 1917
An engineer's daughter, she had first planned on becoming a ballerina, using her original Christian name Muguette, but abandoned those plans by the age of 17 when she realized that her physique was more in keeping with her other first name, Megs. She trained in Liverpool at the School of Dancing and Dramatic Art and then joined the Liverpool Repertory Company in 1933 before moving to London to appear at the Player's Theatre four years later. During the 1950's, Megs was busy acting on stage and had considerable critical success in two plays by Emlyn Williams, 'Light of Heart' (1940) and 'The Wind of Heaven' (1945). Against character, she also played the vicious, unstable Alma Winemiller in 'Summer and Smoke' (1951) by Tennessee Williams. In 1956, she was awarded the Clarence Derwent Award as Best Supporting Actress for her role as the stoic wife of a longshoreman harbouring incestuous feelings for his niece in 'A View from the Bridge' by Arthur Miller. The previous year, she had made her Broadway debut in Chekhov's 'A Day by the Sea' as a supportive governess to an alcoholic physician.
TVA Woman of Substance
1985
as Mrs Turner
MovieA Cup O' Tea An' A Slice O' Cake - Worzel Gummidge Christmas Special
1980
as Mrs Braithwaite
TVYoung at Heart
1980
as Ethel Collyer
TVWorzel Gummidge
1979
as Mrs. Braithwaite
MovieKay
1978
as Iris
MovieThe Daedalus Equations
1976
as Eileen Gray
MovieThe Amorous Milkman
1975
as Iris Peters
TVOh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!
1974
as Mum
TVFather Brown
1974
as Mrs Banks
If You Could See What I Can See
1974
as Mrs. Palmer
MovieThe Turn of the Screw
1974
as Mrs. Grose
TVPlayhouse
1974
as Eileen Gray
Weekend Guest
1974
as Beryl Steele
MovieThe Monkey's Paw
1973
as Mrs. White
TVOrson Welles' Great Mysteries
1973
as Mrs. White
MovieAsylum
1972
as Nurse Higgins
The Befrienders
1972
as Janet
Menace
1970
as Mrs. Pepper
Ben Travers Farces
1970
as Mrs. Hewlett
MovieDavid Copperfield
1969
as Clara Peggotty
MovieThe Smashing Bird I Used to Know
1969
as Matron
W. Somerset Maugham
1969
as Mrs. Bulfinch
MovieOliver!
1968
as Mrs. Bedwin
TVITV Playhouse
1967
as Beryl Steele
MovieStranger in the House
1967
as Mrs. Christoforides
Where the Buffalo Roam
1966
TVMystery and Imagination
1966
as Mrs Bunch
TVThirty-Minute Theatre
1965
as Miss Wellcome
MovieBunny Lake Is Missing
1965
as Sister
TVGideon's Way
1965
as Liz Rikker
TVThe Wednesday Play
1964
as Mrs. Turner
MovieMacbeth
1964
as Gentlewoman
MovieMurder Most Foul
1964
as Gladys Thomas
TVThe Human Jungle
1963
as Dr. Murphy
MovieThe Barber of Stamford Hill
1963
MovieHeart to Heart
1962
as Lady Johnson
The Old Curiosity Shop
1962
MovieLife for Ruth
1962
as Mrs Gordon
MovieThe Innocents
1961
as Mrs. Grose
MovieThe Green Helmet
1961
as Kitty Launder
Drama 61-67
1961
as Amy
MovieJet Storm
1959
as Rose Brock
MovieTiger Bay
1959
as Mrs. Phillips
MovieFriends and Neighbours
1959
as Lily Grimshaw
MovieIndiscreet
1958
as Doris Banks
MovieThe Story of Esther Costello
1957
as Nurse Evans
MovieThe Passionate Stranger
1957
as Millie
MovieThe Man in the Sky
1957
as Mrs. Snowden
TVArmchair Theatre
1956
as Ma Waite
Nathaniel Titlark
1956
MovieJohn and Julie
1955
as Mrs. Pritchett
MovieOut of the Clouds
1955
as Mrs. Jones, the Landlady
MovieThe Gay Dog
1954
as Maggie Gay
MovieTrouble in Store
1953
as Miss Gibson
MoviePersonal Affair
1953
as Vi Vining
MovieRough Shoot
1953
as Mrs. Powell
MovieThe Cruel Sea
1953
as Tallow's Sister
MovieIvanhoe
1952
as Servant to Isaac
MovieSecret People
1952
as Penny
TVHallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Gentlewoman
MovieWhite Corridors
1951
as Mrs. Briggs
MovieNo Place for Jennifer
1950
as Mrs. Marshall
MovieA Boy, a Girl and a Bike
1949
as Nan Ritchie
MovieThe History of Mr. Polly
1949
as The Innkeeper
MovieSaraband for Dead Lovers
1948
as Frau Busche
MovieThe Monkey's Paw
1948
as Mrs. Alice Trelawne
MovieThe Brothers
1947
as Angustina
MovieGreen for Danger
1946
as Nurse Woods
MoviePainted Boats
1945
as Barmaid
Movie29 Acacia Avenue
1945
as Shirley
MovieThe Ten Year Plan
1945
as Housewife
It's in the Bag
1944
as Peach St. Clair
MovieThe Lamp Still Burns
1943
as Nurse (uncredited)
MovieMillions Like Us
1943
as Gwen Price
Secret Journey
1939
as Berta Von Reimer
MoviePoison Pen
1939
as Barmaid
