Joan Bogle Butler (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998), known professionally as Joan Hickson, was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series Miss Marple. She also narrated a number of Miss Marple stories on audiobooks.
Biography Born in Kingsthorpe, Northampton, Hickson was a daughter of Edith Mary (née Bogle) and Alfred Harold Hickson, a shoe manufacturer. After boarding at Oldfield School in Swanage, Dorset, she went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She made her stage debut in 1927, then worked for several years throughout the United Kingdom, achieving success playing comedic, often eccentric characters in the West End of London. She played the role of the cockney maid Ida in the original production of See How They Run at the Q Theatre in 1944, and then at the Comedy Theatre in January 1945.
Hickson made her first film appearance in 1934. The numerous supporting roles she played during her career included several in Carry On films, notably Sister in Carry On Nurse and Mrs May in Carry On Constable.
In the 1940s Hickson appeared on stage in Appointment with Death, a play by Agatha Christie, who wrote in a note to her, "I will call you to play my 'Miss Marple' one day, if I can find the time to write another play".
In 1961, Hickson played the housekeeper in the film Murder, She Said, based on Agatha Christie's novel 4:50 from Paddington and starring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple. From 1963 to 1966 Hickson played Mrs Peace, housekeeper to the Reverend Stephen Young, played by Donald Sinden, in the highly rated TV series Our Man at St Mark's. From 1970 to 1971 she played Mrs Pugsley in Bachelor Father. She also played Mrs Chambers in Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads? In 1986 she played the part of Mrs Trellis in the film Clockwise. Also in 1986 she appeared in episode 2 of the drama series ScreenPlay.
Hickson's stage career included roles in Noël Coward's Blithe Spirit, the musical The Card (1975), adapted by Tony Hatch and Jackie Trent from the novel by Arnold Bennett; and Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce, for which she won a 1979 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play and had been nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Comedy Performance in 1977. In 1980 she appeared as Mrs Rivington in Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, yet another production based on a novel by Agatha Christie.
The BBC began filming the works of Agatha Christie in the mid-1980s and set out to remain faithful to the plotlines and locales of Christie's stories, as well as to represent Miss Marple as written. Hickson played the role of Miss Marple in all 12 adaptations, which were produced from 1984 to 1992; she received two BAFTA nominations for Best TV Actress, in 1987 and 1988. When the OBE was bestowed on Hickson in June 1987 Queen Elizabeth II was reported to have said, "You play the part just as one envisages it." When Hickson retired from the role, believing that she should stop while the programme was still at the peak of its popularity, she stated that she had no intention of retiring from acting altogether.
Personal life
From 1958, Hickson lived at 2 Rose Lane, Wivenhoe, along the River Colne from London in Essex, for 40 years until her death in 1998. A plaque now marks the house in which she lived."Essex – December 2016". Retrieved 2 February 2017.
Hickson married Dr Eric Norman Butler (born 2 September 1902 in Westbury, Wiltshire), a physician, at Hampstead Parish Church, Hampstead, north-west London, on 29 October 1932. They had two children.England & Wales, Birth Index 1916–2005 Her husband died in Colchester, Essex, in June 1967.England & Wales, Death Index, 1967
Death Hickson died of a stroke at Colchester General Hospital in 1998, aged 92. She was interred at Sidbury Cemetery in Devon.
The Miss Marple series (BBC) Series 1 The Body in the Library (1984) The Moving Finger (1985) A Murder Is Announced (1985) A Pocket Full of Rye (1985)
Series 2 The Murder at the Vicarage (1986) – BAFTA nomination Sleeping Murder (1987) At Bertram's Hotel (1987) Nemesis (1987) – BAFTA nomination
Stand-alone feature length episodes 4:50 from Paddington (1987) A Caribbean Mystery (1989) They Do It With Mirrors (1991) The Mirror Crack'd from Side to Side (1992)
Partial filmography Year Title Role Notes1934 Trouble in Store Mabel Short1935 Widow's Might Burroughs 1936 The Man Who Could Work Miracles Effie 1937 Love from a Stranger Emmy The Lilac Domino Katrina, school dustmaid 1938 Second Thoughts Ellen 1940 Sailors Don't Care Woman Carried Ashore Uncredited1941 Freedom Radio Katie 1943 The Saint Meets the Tiger Mary (Aunt Agatha's Maid) Uncredited1944 Don't Take It to Heart Mrs Pike 1945 The Rake's Progress Miss Parker 1946 The Trojan Brothers Ada I See a Dark Stranger Manx Hotel Manageress 1947 So Well Remembered Mother Uncredited1948 This Was a Woman Miss Johnson Just William's Luck Hubert's Mother Bond Street Blanche – Seamstress Uncredited The Guinea Pig Mrs Read It's Hard to Be Good Mending Woman Uncredited1949 Marry Me! Mrs Pearson Don't Ever Leave Me Mrs Pearson Uncredited Celia Mrs Haldane 1950 Seven Days to Noon Mrs Peckett The Magnet Mrs Ward 1951 Hell Is Sold Out Hortense, the housekeeper High Treason Mrs Ellis The Magic Box Mrs Stukely 1952 Blind Man's Bluff Mrs Kipps The Card Mrs Codleyn The Tall Headlines Waitress Curtain Up Harry's Landlady No Haunt for a Gentleman Mme Omskaya Hindle Wakes Mrs Hawthorn 1953 Deadly Nightshade Mrs Fenton Shoot First Woman Station Announcer Sailor of the King Hotel Manager Uncredited Love in Pawn Woman in Telephone Box Uncredited1954 The Million Pound Note Maggie Uncredited Doctor in the House Mrs Groaker The House Across the Lake Mrs Hardcastle What Every Woman Wants Polly Ann Dance, Little Lady Mrs Matthews The Crowded Day Mrs Jones To Dorothy a Son Pub Landlady Uncredited Mad About Men Mrs Forster 1955 As Long as They're Happy Barmaid Doctor at Sea Mrs Thomas Value for Money Mrs Perkins The Woman for Joe Publican's Wife Uncredited A Time to Kill Miss Edinger Simon and Laura Barmaid An Alligator Named Daisy Piano Customer Uncredited1956 Lost Pharmacist Uncredited Jumping for Joy Lady Emily Cranfield The Man Who Never Was Landlady Port of Escape Rosalie Watchett The Extra Day Mrs West The Last Man to Hang Mrs Prynne Child in the House Cook 1957 Carry On Admiral Mother No Time for Tears Sister Duckworth Barnacle Bill Mrs Kent 1958 Happy Is the Bride Mrs Bowles Law and Disorder Aunt Florence Chain of Events Barmaid Behind the Mask Lady Uncredited The Horse's Mouth Woman in queue at Tate Gallery Uncredited1959 Carry On Nurse Sister The 39 Steps Miss Dobson Upstairs and Downstairs Rosemary Please Turn Over Saleswoman 1960 Doctor in Love Nurse Uncredited The 3 Worlds of Gulliver Patient at Dr Gulliver's Surgery Uncredited Carry On Constable Mrs May No Kidding Cook Carry On Regardless Head Matron 1961 His and Hers Phoebe Raising the Wind Mrs Bostwick Murder She Said Mrs Kidder 1962 Crooks Anonymous Lady In the Doghouse Miss Gibbs I Thank a Fool Landlady 1963 Nurse on Wheels Mrs Wood Heavens Above! Housewife 1965 The Secret of My Success Mrs Pringle 1968 Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter Landlady 1970 Carry On Loving Mrs Grubb 1971 Friends Lady in Bookstore 1972 A Day in the Death of Joe Egg Grace 1973 Theatre of Blood Mrs Sprout Carry On Girls Mrs Dukes 1974 Confessions of a Window Cleaner Mrs Radlett 1975 One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing Mrs Gibbons 1979 Yanks Mrs Moody 1982 Gandhi Woman in court Uncredited1983 The Wicked Lady Aunt Agatha 1986 Clockwise Mrs Trellis 1990 King of the Wind Duchess of Marlborough 1993 Century Mrs Whitweather Final film role
Partial television credits Year Title Role Notes1946 The Corn is Green Mrs Watty TV movie1947 Busman's Honeymoon Miss Twitterton TV movie1950 Over the Odds Mabel Phelps TV movie1956 David Copperfield Miss Lavinia Spenlow 3 episodes1958 The Invisible Man Madame Dupont Episode: "The Mink Coat"1960 Barnaby Rudge Mrs Varden 10 episodes1963 BBC Sunday-Night Play Edith Swinney Episode: "How to Get Rid of Your Wife"1963-66 Our Man at St Mark's Mrs Peace 46 episodes1964 Thursday Theatre Mrs JenkinsEpisode: "The Cure for Love"1969 The Possessed Madame Drosdov 4 episodesSinister Street Mrs Cleghorne 3 episodesOh, Brother! Mother Joan Episode: "A Mother in Israel"1970 Bachelor Father Mrs Pugsley 8 episodesFrom a Bird's Eye View Hilda TuttleEpisode: "Family Tree"1972 ITV Saturday Night Theatre Mrs Hope-Rising Episode: "Just in Time for Christmas"1973Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Mrs ChambersEpisode: "Count Down"1974Whatever Happened to the Likely Lads?Mrs ChambersEpisode: "Heart to Heart"1975Within These WallsEdna DewfallEpisode: "A Free Woman"1976 Happy Ever After Mrs Henderson Episode: "Old Folks' Party"1981Lady KillersCarrie Esther RapleyEpisode: "My Perfect Husband"1981 Great Expectations Miss Havisham TV series1983 The Outsider Lillian Wrathdale Episode: "The Homecoming"1984 Poor Little Rich Girls Lady Harriet 5 episodes1985 Time for Murder Miss Wainwright Episode: "Mister Clay, Mister Clay"1989 Boon Della Episode: "One Reborn Every Minute"
References
External links
Performances by Joan Hickson in the Archive of the University of Bristol Joan Hickson OBE (1906–1998) at The Wivenhoe Encyclopedia