Dora Bryan1923 - 2014

usually

Actor

Popularity

2.3

Famous

Biography

Dora May Bryan OBE was an English actress of stage, film and television. Born Dora May Broadbent, her career began in pantomime as a child actor. In World War II she joined the ENSA in Italy to entertain British troops.  After having established herself as a versatile stage actress, covering everything from drama and comedy to musicals, she started to appear in film in the late 1940s, and in 1968 she even had her own TV series, "According to Dora". At one point in her career she was Britain's highest-paid star. She was active on stage until the mid 1990s and continued to work in film and television until 2005, when she finally had to give up the acting profession as she could no longer remember her lines.  Her autobiography According To Dora was published in 1987. In 1996, she was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to acting and the same year she was also awarded the Laurence Olivier Award for her role in the West End production of the Harold Pinter play "The Birthday Party". She was married to British cricket player Bill Lawton from 1954 to his death in 2008. She lived in a nursing home in Hove, outside Brighton, until her death in 2014. 

Credits

MirrorMask
MirrorMask

2005

Fantasy

as Aunt Nan

6.4
1.9
Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout
7.3
0.4
Bed
Bed

1995

Drama • Fantasy • TV Movie

as Bosom Lady

0
0.2
Palmer
Palmer

1991

Comedy • Drama • TV Movie

as Monica

7
0.2
Apartment Zero
Apartment Zero

1989

Drama • Horror • Thriller

as Margaret McKinney

6.8
0.3
Screamtime
Screamtime

1983

Horror

as Emma

4.1
0.4
Up the Front
Up the Front

1972

Comedy

as Cora Crumpington

4.2
0.3
Hands of the Ripper
Hands of the Ripper

1971

Horror • Thriller

as Mrs. Golding

6.2
0.5
Two A Penny
Two A Penny

1967

Drama • Family • Music

as Ruby Hopkins

1.5
0.2
The Sandwich Man
The Sandwich Man

1966

Comedy

as Mrs. De Vere

6.1
0.2
The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery
The Great St. Trinian's Train Robbery

1966

Comedy • Crime • Family

as Amber Spottiswood

5.9
0.3
The Dream Machine
The Dream Machine

1964

Documentary

as Self

7
0.1
A Taste of Honey
A Taste of Honey

1961

Drama

as Helen

7
0.6
Alice Through the Looking Box
Alice Through the Looking Box

1960

Comedy • Fantasy • TV Movie

0
0.1
Hello London
Hello London

1960

Documentary

as herself

5
0.2
The Night We Got the Bird
The Night We Got the Bird

1960

Comedy

as Julie Skidmore

4.5
0.1
Follow That Horse!
0
0.2
Operation Bullshine
Operation Bullshine

1959

Comedy • War

as Pvt. Cox

5.1
0.2
Desert Mice
Desert Mice

1959

Comedy • War

as Gay Bennett

6
0.2
Carry On Sergeant
Carry On Sergeant

1958

Comedy • War

as Norah

6.4
0.5
The Man Who Wouldn't Talk
The Man Who Wouldn't Talk

1958

Crime • Drama

as Telephonist

6
0.4
Small Hotel
Small Hotel

1957

Comedy

as (uncredited)

6.5
0.2
The Green Man
The Green Man

1956

Comedy • Crime

as Lily

7
0.4
Child in the House
Child in the House

1956

Drama

as Cassie

5.8
0.2
The Cockleshell Heroes
The Cockleshell Heroes

1955

War

as Myrtie

6
0.4
As Long as They're Happy
As Long as They're Happy

1955

Comedy • Music

as May

7.7
0.1
You Lucky People!
You Lucky People!

1955

Comedy

as Hortense Tipp

5.2
0.2
Harmony Lane
Harmony Lane

1954

Music

as Comedian

0
0.1
Mad About Men
Mad About Men

1954

Comedy • Drama • Fantasy • Romance

as Berengaria

6.1
0.3
The Crowded Day
The Crowded Day

1954

Drama

as Marge

5.4
0.3
The Young Lovers
The Young Lovers

1954

Drama • Romance

as Switchboard Operator (uncredited)

6
0.3
Fast and Loose
Fast and Loose

1954

Comedy

as Mary Rawlings, the maid

5.8
0.2
You Know What Sailors Are
4.2
0.1
The Intruder
The Intruder

1953

Crime • War

as Dora Bee

7.2
0.5
The Fake
The Fake

1953

Crime • Drama

as Barmaid

5.5
0.3
Street Corner
Street Corner

1953

Crime • Drama • Thriller

as Prostitute

5.8
0.3
Women of Twilight
Women of Twilight

1953

Crime • Drama

as Olga

5.3
0.4
The Real Thing
The Real Thing

1953

as Dora

0
0
The Ringer
The Ringer

1952

Crime • Mystery

as Mrs. Hackett

5.8
0.2
Miss Robin Hood
Miss Robin Hood

1952

Comedy • Crime

as Pearl

7.5
0.3
Mother Riley Meets the Vampire
Mother Riley Meets the Vampire

1952

Comedy • Horror

as Tilly

4.2
0.3
Time, Gentlemen, Please!
Time, Gentlemen, Please!

1952

Comedy

as Peggy Stebbins

8
0.1
Gift Horse
Gift Horse

1952

Adventure • Drama • War

as Glad Flanagan

6.6
0.4
13 East Street
13 East Street

1952

Crime • Thriller

as Valerie

5.2
0.2
Whispering Smith Vs. Scotland Yard
Whispering Smith Vs. Scotland Yard

1952

Crime • Mystery

as Miss La Fosse

6
0.1
High Treason
High Treason

1951

Action • Crime • Thriller

as Mrs. Bowers

5.3
0.3
Lady Godiva Rides Again
Lady Godiva Rides Again

1951

Comedy

as Movie Publicist

5.8
0.7
No Highway in the Sky
No Highway in the Sky

1951

Drama • Thriller

6.9
0.3
Scarlet Thread
Scarlet Thread

1951

Drama

as Maggie

4.9
0.2
Circle of Danger
Circle of Danger

1951

Mystery • Thriller

as Bubbles Fitzgerald

6.5
1
The Quiet Woman
The Quiet Woman

1951

Crime • Drama

as Elsie Tripp

5.8
0.9
Traveller's Joy
Traveller's Joy

1950

Comedy

as Eva

5.7
0.3
No Trace
No Trace

1950

Crime • Drama

as Maisie

6.8
0.4
Something in the City
Something in the City

1950

Comedy

as Waitress

5.7
0.9
The Blue Lamp
The Blue Lamp

1950

Action • Crime • Thriller

as Maisie

6.6
0.5
The Cure for Love
The Cure for Love

1949

Comedy

as Jenny Jenkins

0
0.1
The Interrupted Journey
The Interrupted Journey

1949

Thriller

as the waitress

6
0.3
Don't Ever Leave Me
Don't Ever Leave Me

1949

Comedy • Romance

as Talkative Hairdresser (uncredited)

7.5
0.1
Adam and Evelyne
Adam and Evelyne

1949

Comedy • Drama • Romance

as Blonde Sales Assistant (uncredited)

6.6
0.2
Now Barabbas
Now Barabbas

1949

Drama

as Winnie

6.5
0.4
The Perfect Woman
The Perfect Woman

1949

Comedy • Science Fiction

as Model in Shop

6
0.2
Once Upon a Dream
Once Upon a Dream

1949

Comedy • Romance

as Barmaid

6
0.1
No Room at the Inn
No Room at the Inn

1948

Drama

as The Girl

7
0.1
The Fallen Idol
The Fallen Idol

1948

Drama • Thriller

as Rose

7.1
0.6
Odd Man Out
Odd Man Out

1947

Crime • Drama • Thriller

as Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited)

7.3
0.6

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