Clare Greet (14 June 1871 – 14 February 1939) was an English stage and film actress.

She began on stage in Shakespeare with the Ben Greet Company and later played many roles in the West End between 1907 and 1938. The premieres in which she played included Bernard Shaw's The Doctor's Dilemma, Major Barbara and Androcles and the Lion. She appeared in films between 1921 and 1939.

Life and career Clare Greet was born on 14 June 1871, the daughter of John Greet and his wife Fanny.Parker, pp. 691–692 She was educated privately at Leamington Spa and then attended the Girls' College, Brighton. She studied for the stage under Hermann Vezin, Emile Behnke, and Ben Greet (to whom she was no relation). She made her first appearance on the stage in 1891 with the Ben Greet Company, in which she played numerous parts in Shakespearean plays and old comedy. She was then engaged by John Hare for the Garrick Theatre, where she understudied; she subsequently toured with him, and then with William Calvert and subsequently with Grace Hawthorne, as Stephanie in A Royal Divorce, and Antonin in Theodora .

In 1893 Greet played an engagement at the Pavilion Theatre, Whitechapel, where she appeared as Louisa Anne Ferguson in The English Rose, Joyce in East Lynne, Minnie in Nance, Peggy Chudleigh in The Harbour Lights and Moya in The Shaughraun. She made her first appearance in the West End at the Strand on 10 May 1894, as Hetty in The Love Letter. In the same year she was engaged at the Avenue as understudy in Arms and the Man, in which she appeared as Louka on several occasions.

Greet toured in the US with Lillian Russell, and in the British provinces with May Fortescue and next toured as Mrs. Bagot in Trilby, and subsequently as Madame Vinard. She toured with Sidney Brough as Mrs Pomfret in The Paper Chase, and toured in South Africa in Two Little Vagabonds, East Lynne, Confusion and The Two Orphans. Her later West End roles were:

RoleDateTheatre April 1898 Supernumerary in The Club Baby Avenue October 1903 Lisette in The Duchess of Dantzic Lyric 1905–06 Emmy in The Doctor's DilemmaRummy Mitchens in Major Barbara Amy Watersmith in The Convict on the HearthQueer in Prunella Court March 1907 Lady Helda in My Darling Hicks May 1908 Susan Pottle in Feed the Brute Royalty December 1908 Miss Deans in The Last of the De Mullins Haymarket December 1908 Tulpe in Hannele His Majesty's June 1909 Nan Curtis in Kit's Woman Court November 1909 Mary Byrne in The Tinker's Wedding His Majesty's January 1910 Mrs Fisherick in Tilda's New Hat and Mrs Hoskins in The Parent's Progress Prince of Wales's April 1910 Mrs Duckett in The Naked Truth Wyndham's February 1911 Mrs Mason in All that Matters Haymarket November 1911 Martha in The War God His Majesty's December 1911 Kvashnya in The Lower Depths Kingsway December 1911 Mrs Spiers in Esther Waters Apollo February 1912 Mrs Upjohn in The "Mind the Paint" Girl Duke of York's June 1912 Mrs Bedwin in Oliver Twist His Majesty's May 1913 Mrs Clegg in Jane Clegg Court September 1913 Megaera in Androcles and the Lion St James's October 1913 Bente in The Witch St James's December 1913 Gina Ekdal in The Wild Duck and Mrs Pargetter in Nan St James's April 1915 Mrs Burtenshaw in Keeping Up Appearances Savoy May 1915 Frieda Grunau in The Day Before the Day St James's December 1915 Mrs Bunting in Who is He ? Haymarket April 1916 Mrs Chope in The Mayor of Troy Haymarket June 1916 Jane in the "all-star" cast of The Admirable Crichton Coliseum and London Opera House July 1916 Mrs Clugston in The Rotters Garrick December 1917 Mrs Bodfish in the "all-star" cast of The Man from Blankley's His Majesty's September 1918 Mrs Beckett in A Week End Kingsway December 1918 Mrs Lester Keene in Scandal Strand April 1919 Mary Scattergood in Time to Wake Up New Theatre September 1919 Mrs Cook in Too Many Cooks Savoy December 1919 toured in Holland and Belgium in Mid-Channel and Candida Savoy March 1920 Maggie Hey in Tom Trouble Holborn Empire June 1920 Mrs Brewberry in The Old House Court June 1921 Mrs Ritchie in The Wrong Number Duke of York's April 1922 The Cook in Windows Court July 1922 Mrs Clegg in Jane Clegg New December 1922 Mrs Hawley in Hawley's of the High Street and Mrs Horton in Through the Crack Apollo January 1923 Mrs Hazard in Plus Fours Haymarket March 1923 Mrs Carlton in Marriage by Instalments Ambassadors' October 1923 Mrs Midgett in Outward Bound Everyman December 1924 Mrs Glanville in The Tyranny of Home Everyman March and May 1925 Mrs Drennan in The Round Table Q and Wyndham's June 1925 Innkeeper's Wife in The Man With a Load of Mischief Haymarket October 1926 Burrage in The Rat Trap Everyman May 1927 Mrs Ransome in The Combined Maze Royalty September 1927 Margaret in The Father Apollo January 1928 Mrs Midgett in Outward Bound Prince of Wales's February 1928 Lady Dodd in Our Idols Little March 1928 Bridget O'Rourke in Square Crooks Prince of Wales's June 1928 Mrs Cass in Tell Me the Truth Ambassadors' November 1928 Mrs Hockin in Out of the Sea Strand April 1929 Mrs Bewley in Mariners Wyndham's May 1929 Mrs Clegg in Jane Clegg Wyndham's May 1930 Mrs Flinker in Our Ostriches Royalty October 1930 Mrs Bothways in Lucky Dip Comedy May 1931 Mrs Midships in The Mantle Arts June 1931 Nannie in Marry Leisure Haymarket May 1932 Mrs Hardcastle in She Stoops to Conquer Kingsway December 1932 Mrs Puffy in The Streets of London Ambassadors' December 1933 Old Woman in What Happened to George Wyndham's April 1935 Lizzie in The Magic Cupboard King's Hammersmith November 1935 Rummy Mitchens in Major Barbara Q June 1936 Frida in Thistledown Chanticleer October 1936 Maid in Plot Twenty-One Embassy December 1937 Woodie in Talk of the Devil Piccadilly June 1938 Madame Jus in My Crime "Q" September 1938 Mrs Cross, Senior in The Judge "Q" Greet died in her sleep at her flat in Chelsea on 14 February 1939, aged 67."Actress Found Dead in Bed", The Daily News, 15 February 1939, p. 11

Partial filmography

The Rotters (1921) as Mrs. Clugson Love at the Wheel (1921) as Martha Three Live Ghosts (1922) as Mrs. Gubbins Number 13 (1922) as Mrs. Peabody The Farmer from Texas (1925) as Frau Appelboom The Ring (1927) as Fortune Teller (uncredited) The Rising Generation (1928) as Cook The Manxman (1929) as Mrs. Cregeen Murder! (1930) as Member of the Jury Third Time Lucky (1931) as Mrs. Scratton Alibi (1931) Many Waters (1931) as Registry Office Cleaner (uncredited) Lord Babs (1932) as Mrs. Parker The Sign of Four (1932) as Mrs. Hudson (uncredited) White Face (1932) as Mrs. Albert Lord Camber's Ladies (1932) as Peach Channel Crossing (1933) as Anxious Passenger Mrs. Dane's Defence (1933) as Mrs. Bulsom-Porter The Pointing Finger (1933) as Landlady Little Friend (1934) as Mrs. Parry The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934) as Mrs. Brockett (uncredited) Emil and the Detectives (1935) as Grandma Maria Marten (1936) as Mrs. Marten Royal Eagle (1936) Sabotage (1936) as Mrs. Jones, Cook (uncredited) St. Martin's Lane (1938) as Old Maud Jamaica Inn (1939) as Granny Tremarney, Sir Humphrey's Tenant

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