Marjorie Violet Queenie Thomas (18 June 1898 – 11 October 1977) was a British actress in silent films, called “The British isles Mary Pickford".[1]

Queenie Thomas
A young white woman with dark hair
Queenie Thomas, from a 1921 publication
Born
Marjorie Violet Queenie Thomas

(1898-06-18)18 June 1898
Cardiff, Wales, UK
Died11 October 1977(1977-10-11) (aged 79)
England, UK
Other namesRegina Thomas
OccupationActress

Early life

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Marjorie Violet Queenie Thomas was born in Cardiff, Wales, on 18 June 1898, the daughter of William Masters Thomas.[2]

Career

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She and director Bertram Phillips often worked on films together,[3] including an adaptation of The School for Scandal (1923), in which she played Lady Teazle[4] opposite a young Basil Rathbone.[5] "Considerable efforts were made to publicize her as a star," noted one film historian of Thomas.[6] She was often shown enjoying outdoor sports such as fishing, golf,[7] and ice skating in photographs printed in newspapers and magazines, and was referred to as "England's Mary Pickford."[1]

Personal life

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She married engineer George Newman in 1919.[2][8] Their honeymoon trip, a short flight to Paris, was the subject of a newsreel clip by British Pathé.[9] She died on 11 October 1977 in England, at the age of 79.

 
Queenie Thomas, from the Library of Congress

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b "England's Mary Pickford Likes St. Moritz Sports". The Bridgeport Times and Evening Farmer. 1 February 1922. p. 15. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Marriage record for Marjorie Violet Queenie Thomas and George Newman (October 20, 1919), in the records of St. Margaret's Church, Westminster, England, via Ancestry.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Gifford, Denis (24 October 2018). The British Film Catalogue: The Fiction Film. Routledge. pp. 219, 238, 243, 310, 314. ISBN 978-1-317-83702-2.
  4. ^ "Gilmmers in the Shadow Show". Sunday Mercury and News. 29 April 1923. p. 3. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Druxman, Michael B. (1975). Basil Rathbone: His Life and His Films. BearManor Media.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i Low, Rachael (13 September 2013). History of British Film (Volume 4): The History of the British Film 1918 - 1929. Routledge. pp. 151, 381, 396, 399, 437, 442, 444, 459, 469. ISBN 978-1-136-20634-4.
  7. ^ a b "Miss Queenie Thomas". The Tatler. 72: vi. 16 April 1919.
  8. ^ "The Marriage of Queenie Thomas". Kinematograph Weekly: 100. 23 October 1919.
  9. ^ British Pathé (1919). "Film Stars Aerial Honeymoon". British Pathé. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Live Racing Film Coming to Bijou". The Winnipeg Tribune. 7 June 1919. p. 24. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "The Bioscope (11/May/1916) - Frills". Huddersfield Exposed: Exploring the History of the Huddersfield Area. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  12. ^ "A Truly Happy Comedy". Pictures and Picturegoer. 15: 453. 2–9 November 1918.
  13. ^ "Meg o' the Woods". Pictures and Picturegoer. 15: 229. 31 August 1918.
  14. ^ Gledhill, Christine (2016). "Lydia Hayward". Women Film Pioneers Project. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  15. ^ "Coventry Amusements". Midland Daily Telegraph. 1 May 1926. p. 4. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ a b "New Australian Star". Everyones. Vol. 6, no. 397. Sydney: Everyone's Ltd. 12 October 1927. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  17. ^ "Normanton". Derby Daily Telegraph. 2 August 1930. p. 2. Retrieved 2 January 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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