Editing Irene Handl

{{short description|British character actress (1901–1987)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Irene Handl
|image = Irene Handl 1966.jpg
|caption = Handl in the 1966 BBC TV comedy ''Mum's Boys'' 
|occupation = Actress
|birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1901|12|27}}
|birth_place = [[Maida Vale]], London, England
|death_date = {{death date and age|df=yes|1987|11|29|1901|12|27}}
|death_place = [[Kensington]], London, England
|years active = 1937–1987
|resting_place = [[Golders Green Crematorium]], London, England
}}

'''Irene Handl''' ({{respell|eye|REE|nee}}) (27 December 1901 – 29 November 1987) was a British [[character actress]] who appeared in more than 100 British films; she also wrote novels.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4c4272|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120711154046/http://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b9f4c4272|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-11|title=Irene Handl|publisher=BFI}}</ref>

==Life==
Irene Handl was born in [[Maida Vale]], London, the younger of two daughters of an Austrian-born father—Friedrich (later Frederick) Handl (1874–1961) and German mother, Marie ({{nee}} Schiepp or Schuepp; 1875{{snd}}before 1924). Both of Handl's parents became naturalised British citizens. Her father came to England via Switzerland and started as a bank clerk, before becoming a stockbroker, then became a private banker. The Handls lived a comfortable middle-class life, with a German cook and housekeeper living in the family home.<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2352/images/rg14_00586_0315_03?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=e3bfdef2aa963b6ce41d228265895369&usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=1618219 1911 census record for Irene Handl], Ancestry.com. Accessed 1 October 2022. {{subscription required}}</ref>

From 1907 to 1915, Handl attended the Paddington and Maida Vale High School.<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1938/images/31949_214879-00202?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=e3bfdef2aa963b6ce41d228265895369&usePUB=true&_phsrc=QKi76&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&_ga=2.174675618.1235551583.1622587491-752963078.1621020919&pId=9180982 Irene Handl in the London, England, School Admissions and Discharges, 1840–1911: Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref> In the 1920s Handl travelled several times to New York with her father, with the ship's log listing her on each occasion as having no occupation and residing in the family home.<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1518/images/30807_A000774-00093?treeid=&personid=&hintid=&queryId=e3bfdef2aa963b6ce41d228265895369&usePUB=true&_phsrc=QKi75&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=28034218 UK and Ireland, Incoming Passenger Lists, 1878-1960 for Irene Handl, Southampton, England, 1924: Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref>

Handl studied at an acting school run by a sister of [[Dame Sybil Thorndike]], and then made her stage debut in London in February 1937, at the relatively advanced age of 36.

In 1939, and by now an actress, she was living with her widower father in London.<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/61596/images/tna_r39_0467_0467e_003?usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=8384278 1939 England and Wales Register for Irene Handl, London, St Marylebone: Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref> She continued to live with her father until his death in 1961.<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1795/images/40020_215115-00503?usePUB=true&_phsrc=QKi78&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=107483908 London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832–1965 for Irene Handl, City of London, London And Westminster: Ancestry.com {{subscription required}}]</ref> Her elder sister Liane (1898–1977) had married Russian electrical engineer and photographer Victor Kraminsky (born Viktor Azar'evich Kraminskii; later known as Victor Kennett; 1894–1980) in 1920 in Marylebone, Middlesex (now London). They had at least one child, a son, Charles Kennett.

Handl appeared in supporting roles in more than 100 British films, mostly comedy character parts such as slightly eccentric mothers, grannies, landladies and servants. She was a passionate lover of [[rock and roll]], especially the work of [[Elvis Presley]], and was president of the [[Lewisham]] branch of the Elvis Presley fan club.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/features/comedy_chronicles/irene_handl/|title=The hidden world of Irene Handl - Comedy Chronicles|date=2020-01-22|website=British Comedy Guide|language=en-GB|access-date=2020-04-27}}</ref> She was also a fellow of the [[Royal Geographical Society]], and one of Britain's most avid champions of [[Chihuahua (dog)|Chihuahuas]], being inseparable from the pair that she owned.<ref name=":0" />

==Career==

===Films===
Handl had minor roles in such landmark films as ''[[Night Train to Munich]]'' and ''[[Brief Encounter]]''. Her other notable roles included the wife of the union activist Fred Kite (played by [[Peter Sellers]]) in ''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' (1959); Mrs Gammon, the formidable cook, opposite [[Gordon Harker]] in ''[[Small Hotel]]'' (1957); [[Tony Hancock]]'s landlady in ''[[The Rebel (1961 film)|The Rebel]]'' (1961); Sherlock Holmes's housekeeper, Mrs Hudson, in ''[[The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes]]'' (1970); and Morgan's Communist mother, Mrs Delt, in ''[[Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment]]'' (1966). She also had small roles in two of the [[Carry On (franchise)|''Carry On'' films]], ''[[Carry On Nurse]]'' and ''[[Carry On Constable]]''), and played Miss Peach in the original version of ''[[The Italian Job]]''. She worked until 1987, the year of her death. Her last role was released posthumously the following year.

===Theatre===
*''Goodnight Mrs Puffin''
*''Move Over Mrs Markham''
* ''[[Cry Liberty]]'' 
*''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]''

Among her many later appearances on stage, she played [[Lady Bracknell]] in ''[[The Importance of Being Earnest]]'' in 1975, in a production directed by [[Jonathan Miller]].

===Television===
[[File:Teddington Riverside, Irene Handl, Comic Heritage plaque.jpg|thumb|Comic Heritage plaque, Teddington]]
On television, she appeared as a guest in a number of comedy series, notably as a regular in ''[[Educating Archie]]'' and as the Cockney widow Ada Cresswell in ''[[For the Love of Ada]]'', which was later [[For the Love of Ada (film)|adapted for the cinema]]. She also advertised Horniman's tea. In 1969 she starred in the series ''[[World in Ferment]]'' as Madame Astoria.<ref name="Bilbow">{{cite journal|title=TELEVISION TODAY; Reviews: In a rare class of comedy show|author=Marjorie Bilbow|journal=[[The Stage and Television Today]]|issue= 4603|date=3 July 1969|page=12}}</ref> She also appeared in ''[[Maggie and Her]]'' (1978) opposite [[Julia McKenzie]]. In the early 1980s she played Gran in the ITV children's comedy show ''[[Metal Mickey]]''. She appeared in a rare aristocratic role as the Duchess of Sheffield in ''[[Mapp and Lucia (1985 TV series)|Mapp and Lucia]]'' and as another aristocratic character in [[Eric Sykes]]'s television film ''[[It's Your Move (1982 film)|It's Your Move]]'' (1982), in which her chauffeur was played by [[Brian Murphy (actor)|Brian Murphy]]. She also appeared as Madame de Bonneuil in the BBC's TV film ''[[Hotel du Lac (film)|Hotel du Lac]]'' in 1986. She appeared in ''[[Super Gran]]'' as the magician The Great Ronaldo and as [[Tim Wylton]]'s mother in ''Clinging Ivy'' (1985). Her last appearance was in the [[BBC]] sitcom ''[[In Sickness and in Health]]'' in 1987, just before her death at the age of 85.

==Novels==
In addition to acting, she wrote two novels: ''The Sioux'' (1965), described by [[Margaret Drabble]] as "strange and unforgettable ... Highly original and oddly haunting";<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2061126.The_Sioux|title=The Sioux|author=Irene Handl|work=Goodreads}}</ref> and its sequel, ''The Gold Tip Pfitzer'', (a type of [[Juniper]], associated with mourning), (1966). ''The Sioux'' was reprinted as ''Green and Purple Dream'' (1973).<ref>[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/463480490 The green and purple dream (formerly The Sioux)]</ref> She began writing what became ''The Sioux'' when she was living in Paris at the age of 19, put it aside, and did not start to write again until 1961.<ref name=":0" />

==Death==
Handl died in her flat in [[Kensington]], West London, on 29 November 1987, aged 85,<ref>{{cite news |title=Irene Handl Dies at 85; Comedienne in Britain |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/30/obituaries/irene-handl-dies-at-85-comedienne-in-britain.html |access-date=23 December 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=29 November 1987 |page=B13}}</ref> reportedly from cancer. She never married.<ref>[https://www.artgalleryclothing.co.uk/the-inimitable-irene/ "The inimitable Irene"], artgalleryclothing.co.uk. Accessed 1 October 2022.</ref> She was cremated at [[Golders Green Crematorium]], North London.

==Selected filmography==
{{div col|colwidth=28em}}
*''[[Missing, Believed Married]]'' (1937) as Chambermaid
*''[[Strange Boarders]]'' (1938) as Mrs Dewar
*''[[The Terror (1938 film)|The Terror]]'' (1938) as Kitchen Maid (uncredited)
*''[[Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday]]'' (1939) as Boarder (uncredited)
*''[[On the Night of the Fire]]'' (1939) as Kitchen Maid (uncredited)
*''[[Mrs. Pym of Scotland Yard]]'' (1940) as the Medium
*''[[Dr. O'Dowd]]'' (1940) as Sarah
*''[[The Girl in the News]]'' (1940) as Gertrude Mary Blaker
*''[[Night Train to Munich]]'' (1940) as Station Master (uncredited)
*''[[George and Margaret (film)|George and Margaret]]'' (1940) as Beer
*''[[Mr. Proudfoot Shows a Light]]'' (1941) as Councillor
*''[[Gasbags]]'' (1941) as Burgomaster's wife
*''[[Spellbound (1941 film)|Spellbound]]'' (1941) (AKA ' Passing Clouds '. Released as ' The Spell of Amy Nugent ', in USA) as Mrs. Nugent
*''[["Pimpernel" Smith]]'' (1941) in an uncredited bit part
*''[[Partners in Crime (1942 film)|Partners in Crime]]'' as Mrs Wilson
*''[[Uncensored (film)|Uncensored]]'' (1942) as Frau von Koerner
*''[[Get Cracking]]'' (1943) as Maggie Turner (uncredited)
*''[[I'll Walk Beside You (film)|I'll Walk Beside You]]'' (1943) as Ma Perkins
*''[[The Flemish Farm]]'' (1943) as Frau
*''[[Dear Octopus (film)|Dear Octopus]]'' (1943) as Flora
*''[[Millions Like Us]]'' (1943) as Landlady (uncredited)
* ''[[Rhythm Serenade]]'' (1943) as Mrs Crumbling
*''[[It's in the Bag (1944 film)|It's in the Bag]]'' (1944) as Mrs Beam
*''[[Welcome, Mr. Washington]]'' (1944) as Mrs Pidgeon (uncredited)
*''[[English Without Tears]]'' (1944) (uncredited)
*''[[Give Us the Moon]]'' (1944) as Miss Haddock
*''[[Mr. Emmanuel]]'' (1944) as Trude
*''[[Medal for the General]]'' (1944) as Mrs Farnsworth
*''[[One Exciting Night (1944 film)|One Exciting Night]]'' (1944)
*''[[Kiss the Bride Goodbye]]'' (1945) as Mrs Victory
*''[[For You Alone]]'' (1945) as Miss Trotter
*''[[Great Day (1945 film)|Great Day]]'' (1945) as Lady serving tea at a tea stall
*''[[Brief Encounter]]'' (1945) as cellist and organist (uncredited)
* ''[[I'll Turn to You]]'' (1946) as Mrs Gammon
*''[[Temptation Harbour]]'' (1947) as Mrs Gowshall
*''[[Code of Scotland Yard]]'' (1947) as Ruby Towser
*''[[The Hills of Donegal (film)|The Hills of Donegal]]'' (1947) as Mrs Mactavish
*''[[Woman Hater (1948 film)|Woman Hater]]'' (1948) as Mrs Fletcher
*''[[The Fool and the Princess]]'' (1949) as Lady on left
*''[[Silent Dust]]'' (1949) as Cook
*''[[The History of Mr. Polly (film)|The History of Mr Polly]]'' (1949) as Lady on left
*''[[Cardboard Cavalier]]'' (1949) as the ghost of Lady Agnes
*''[[For Them That Trespass]]'' (1949) as Inn Proprietress
*''[[The Perfect Woman (1949 film)|The Perfect Woman]]'' (1949) as Mrs Butters
* ''[[Dark Secret (film)|Dark Secret]]'' (1949) as "Woody" Woodman
*''[[Adam and Evelyne]]'' (1949) as Mrs Crouch – Manageress (uncredited)
*''[[Stage Fright (1950 film)|Stage Fright]]'' (1950) as Mrs Mason – Gill's Maid (uncredited)
*''[[One Wild Oat]]'' (1951) as Emily Pepys (Audrey Cuttle #2)
*''[[Young Wives' Tale]]'' (1951) as Nanny
*''[[Treasure Hunt (1952 film)|Treasure Hunt]]'' (1952) as Nanny
*''[[Top Secret (1952 film)|Top Secret]]'' (1952) as Mrs Tidmarsh
*''[[Meet Mr. Lucifer]]'' (1953) as Lady with the Dog
*''[[The Wedding of Lilli Marlene]]'' (1953) as Daisy
*''[[Stryker of the Yard]]'' (1953)
*''[[The Weak and the Wicked]]'' (1954) as Waitress
*''[[Duel in the Jungle]]'' (1954) as Mary Taylor (uncredited)
*''[[The Belles of St. Trinian's]]'' (1954) as Miss Gale
*''[[Mad About Men]]'' (1954) as Mme Blanche
*''[[Burnt Evidence]]'' (1954) as Mrs Raymond
*''[[A Kid for Two Farthings (film)|A Kid for Two Farthings]]'' (1955) as Mrs Abramowitz
*''[[Now and Forever (1956 film)|Now and Forever]]'' (1956) as Middle-Aged Woman (uncredited)
*''[[Who Done It? (1956 film)|Who Done It?]]'' (1956) as Customer (uncredited)
*''[[It's Never Too Late (1956 film)|It's Never Too Late]]'' (1956) as New Neighbour
*''[[The Silken Affair]]'' (1956) as Receptionist
*''[[Brothers in Law (film)|Brothers in Law]]'' (1957) as Mrs Potter
*''[[Small Hotel]]'' (1957) as Mrs Gammon
*''[[Happy Is the Bride]]'' (1957) as Mme Edna
*''[[Law and Disorder (1958 film)|Law and Disorder]]'' (1958) as Woman
*''[[The Key (1958 film)|The Key]]'' (1958) as Clerk
*''[[Dial 999 (TV series)]]'', ('The Big Fish', episode) – (1958) as Mrs. Rigby (uncredited)
*''[[Next to No Time]]'' (1958) as Mrs Crowley, Greengrocer
*''[[Carlton-Browne of the F.O.]]'' (1959) as Mrs Carter
*''[[Carry On Nurse]]'' (1959) as Mrs Madge Hickson
*''[[The Crowning Touch]]'' (1959) as Bebe
*''[[Left Right and Centre]]'' (1959) as Mrs Maggs
*''[[I'm All Right Jack]]'' (1959) as Mrs Kite
*''[[The Night We Dropped a Clanger]]'' (1959) as Mrs Billingsgate
*''[[Upstairs and Downstairs]]'' (1959) as Large Woman
*''[[Desert Mice]]'' (1959) as Miss Patch
*''[[Two-Way Stretch]]'' (1960) as Mrs Price
*''[[Inn for Trouble]]'' (1960) as Lily
*''[[Carry On Constable]]'' (1960) as Distraught Mother
*''[[School for Scoundrels (1960 film)|School for Scoundrels]]'' (1960) as Mrs Stringer
*''[[Doctor in Love]]'' (1960) as Professor MacRitchie
*''[[Make Mine Mink]]'' (1960) as Mme Spolinski
*''[[A French Mistress]]'' (1960) as Staff Sgt Hodges
*''[[No Kidding (film)|No Kidding]]'' (1960) as Mrs Spicer
*''[[The Pure Hell of St Trinian's]]'' (1960) as Miss Harker-Parker
*''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'' (1961) as Ma
*''[[The Rebel (1961 film)|The Rebel]]'' (1961) as Mrs Cravatte
*''[[A Weekend with Lulu]]'' (1961) as Florence Bell
*''[[Double Bunk]]'' (1961) as Mrs Harper
*''[[Watch It, Sailor!]]'' (1961) as Edie Hornett
*''[[Nothing Barred]]'' (1961) as Elsie
*''[[Just for Fun (film)|Just for Fun]]'' (1963) as Housewife
*''[[Heavens Above!]]'' (1963) as Rene Smith
*''[[You Must Be Joking! (1965 film)|You Must Be Joking!]]'' (1965) as Elderly Woman
*''[[Morgan!|Morgan, a Suitable Case for Treatment]]'' (1966) as Mrs Delt
*''[[The Wrong Box]]'' (1966) as Mrs Hackett
*''[[Smashing Time]]'' (1967) as Mrs Gimble
*''[[The Mini-Affair]]'' (1968) as Cook in Chinese Restaurant
*''[[Wonderwall (film)|Wonderwall]]'' (1968) as Mrs Peurofoy
*''[[The Italian Job]]'' (1969) as Miss Peach
*''[[Doctor in Trouble]]'' (1970) as Mrs Dailey
*''[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (film)|On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]'' (1970) as Winnie Wainwhisle
*''[[Rookery Nook (1970 TV drama)|Rookery Nook]]'' (1970, TV) as Mrs Leverett
*''[[The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes]]'' (1970) as Mrs Hudson
*''[[For the Love of Ada (film)|For the Love of Ada]]'' (1972) as Ada Bingley
*''[[Confessions of a Driving Instructor]]'' (1976) as Miss Slenderparts
*''[[Adventures of a Private Eye]]'' (1977) as Miss Friggin
*''[[Stand Up, Virgin Soldiers]]'' (1977) as Mrs Phillimore
*''[[Come Play with Me (1977 film)|Come Play with Me]]'' (1977) as Lady Bovington
*''[[The Last Remake of Beau Geste]]'' (1977) as Miss Wormwood
*''[[The Hound of the Baskervilles (1978 film)|The Hound of the Baskervilles]]'' (1978) as Mrs Barrymore
*''[[The Great Rock & Roll Swindle]]'' (1979) as Cinema Usherette
*''[[Metal Mickey (1980 TV Show)|Metal Mickey]]'' (1980) as Granny
*''[[Riding High (1981 film)|Riding High]]'' (1981) as Gran
*''[[In Sickness and in Health]]'' (1985) as Gwenneth (Series 2–3)
*''[[Absolute Beginners (film)|Absolute Beginners]]'' (1986) as Mrs Larkin
{{div col end}}

==Bibliography==
*Thomas, Jane. "Irene Handl", ''Bete Noir'', 4 (Winter, 1987), pp.&nbsp;102–103.
*Thomas, Jane. "Irene Handl: The Last Interview", ''Bete Noir'', 4 (Winter, 1987), pp.&nbsp;104–116.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0359566|name=Irene Handl}}
* [http://www.bris.ac.uk/theatrecollection/search/people_sub_plays?forename=Irene&surname=HANDL&job=Actor&pid=14767&image_view=Yes&x=19&y=17 Performance information in Theatre Archive, University of Bristol]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101128010142/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/actors/Irene-Handl Biography with photo at Britmovie]
* [http://www.leninimports.com/irene_handl.html Biography at Leninimports.com]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Handl, Irene}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1987 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century English novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century English women writers]]
[[Category:Actors from the City of Westminster]]
[[Category:Actresses from London]]
[[Category:English film actresses]]
[[Category:English people of Austrian descent]]
[[Category:English people of German descent]]
[[Category:English television actresses]]
[[Category:English women novelists]]
[[Category:Golders Green Crematorium]]
[[Category:Novelists from London]]
[[Category:People from Maida Vale]]
[[Category:Writers from the City of Westminster]]