Chili Bouchier (born Dorothy Irene Boucher; 12 September 1909 – 9 September 1999) was an English film actress who achieved success during the silent film era, and went on to many screen appearances with the advent of sound films, before progressing to theatre later in her career.
Career Dorothy Irene Boucher was the daughter of an assessor for a painting and decorating firm. As a child, her initial ambition was to be a dancer and she enrolled at a ballet school. She made her first appearance as a child dancer at a charity performance. She became a typist on leaving school and later a model at Harrods, where her brother worked. Her first appearance was as a bathing belle in Shooting Stars. Bouchier won a contest run by the Daily Mail in 1927 to become a film star.
In 1928, she appeared in a short film made in the DeForest Phonofilm sound-on-film process, Ain't She Sweet, with Dick Henderson. She was known as Britain's "It girl", and the answer to Clara Bow in Hollywood, who was famous for the tag.
She achieved success in the 1930s with the films Carnival (1931), directed by Herbert Wilcox and Gypsy (1937). The latter was made by the British arm of Warner Brothers at Teddington Studios, but, like a number of her films, is considered to be lost. She also played the supporting role of Cleopatra in The Ghost Goes West, starring Robert Donat. During this period, she was brought over to Warner Brothers in Hollywood but broke her contract after being kept hanging around. This reportedly caused her to be blackballed and unable to make another film. Hollywood film producer and business magnate Howard Hughes proposed to her, but Bouchier's great love was the bandleader Teddy Joyce, to whom she was engaged before his premature death.
Despite this setback, she continued to appear in British films until 1960, albeit often in supporting roles in B-movies. Among her later films were Murder in Reverse? (1945), a successful thriller starring William Hartnell, and Old Mother Riley's New Venture (1949), part of the successful series of Old Mother Riley comedy films.
Bouchier combined her film career with a great deal of stage work in the UK. From 1950, onwards most of her appearances were on stage in dramas, comedies and revues, where she continued to work until well into her eighties.
Personal life In September 1929, she married the actor Harry Milton (1900-1965) whom she had met on set while filming Chick. The marriage was dissolved in 1937.Papers of Chili Bouchier: Women's Library Archives, archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Accessed 20 November 2022. He had been unfaithful to her with the actress Jessie Matthews.
Bouchier married another actor, 23 year-old Peter De Greef, in 1946, in Kensington, London.Edward Denaston Marriage Certificate of William De Greeff and Dorothy Irene Milton (1946): Ancestry.com. Accessed 20 November 2022. Prior to their marriage, they acted together in the play The Man Who Wrote Murder in February 1945, according to a newspaper clipping. They separated a few months later, and the marriage was finally dissolved in 1955.
Her last marriage was to the Australian film director Bluey Hill, who she met when they were both residents of Dolphin Square in Pimlico. They lived together for 23 years before marrying on 1 April 1977. He predeceased her, dying in 1986.
Later years In 1996, Bouchier published her autobiography, Shooting Star, and received some media attention: she was a guest on the BBC Radio 4 series Desert Island Discs in January, and was the subject of This Is Your Life in February, when she was surprised by Michael Aspel at a book signing session at Harrods. Featured guests were Patricia Roc, Sian Phillips, Peggy Mount, Avril Angers, Lionel Blair, Mary Millar, Dorothy Tutin, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Leslie Ash and Petula Clark.
Death Bouchier died three days short of her ninetieth birthday in her ground floor flat in Marylebone, London, following a serious fall.
Her agent, Vincent Shaw, said of her after her death, "She was one of the last of the great pre-war beauties - a fabulous trouper and a lovely lady." Author Michael Thornton, a close friend, said: "Her life was a rollercoaster. She had known great wealth and acclaim, but sadly died alone in virtual poverty in a tiny council flat supported financially by theatrical charities. John Paul Getty was marvellous to her, and always had a crate of champagne delivered to her flat on every birthday. He will be sad to hear of her death."
Selected filmography Year Title Role Notes1927MumsieUncredited1927A Woman in PawnElaine1927Shooting StarsWinnieBathing beauty1928DawnMinor RoleUncredited1928Maria MartenMinor RoleUncredited1928Palais de danseNo. 21928ChickMinnie Jarvis1928You Know What Sailors AreThe Spanish Captain's Daughter1929The Silver KingOlive Skinner1929DownstreamLena1929City of PlayAriel1930Warned OffFlorrie Greville1930Kissing Cup's RaceGabrielle1930Enter the QueenMarjorie MannersShort1930Call of the SeaPoquita1931Brown SugarNinon de Veaux1931CarnivalSimonetta Steno1932The Blue DanubeYutka1932Ebb TideCassie1933The King's CupBetty Conway1933Summer LightningSue Brown1933Purse StringsMary Willmore1934It's a CopBabette1934To Be a LadyDiana Whitcombe1934The Office WifeLindaShort1935Death Drives ThroughKay Lord1935Royal CavalcadeLandgirl1935The Mad HattersVicki1935Honours EasyKate1935Lucky DaysPatsy Cartwright1935Get Off My FootMarie1935Mr. Cohen Takes a WalkJulia Levine1935The Ghost Goes WestCleopatra1936FaithfulPamela Carson1936Where's Sally?Sonia1936Southern RosesEstrella Estrello1937GypsyHassina1937Mayfair MelodyCarmen1937The Minstrel BoyDee Dawn1937Change for a SovereignCountess Rita1938The Singing CopKit Fitzwillow1938The Dark StairwayBetty Trimmer1938Mr. SatanJacqueline Manet1938The Return of Carol DeaneAnne Dempster1938Everything Happens to MeSally Green1939The Mind of Mr. ReederElsa Weford1941My Wife's FamilyRosa Latour1941Facing the MusicAnna Braun1945Murder in ReverseDoris Masterick1946The Laughing LadyLouise1947Mrs. FitzherbertNorris1949The Case of Charles PeaceKatherine Dyson1949Old Mother Riley's New VentureCora1952Blueprint for DangerBabs1957The Counterfeit PlanGertaHousekeeper1959The Boy and the BridgePublican's wife1960Dead LuckyMrs. WinstonFinal film role
References
External links
The archives of Chili Bouchier are held at The Women's Library at the Library of the London School of Economics, ref 7CHB Obituary in The Independent