Ethel Griffies

Ethel Griffies

Birth : 1878-04-26, Sheffield, England, UK

Death : 1975-09-09

Profile

Ethel Griffies

Movies

Bus Riley's Back in Town
Mrs. Spencer
Bus Riley returns to his small town after time in the army. On his return, his ex-girlfriend wants to resume their relationship. The only problem is she has married in the mean time. Searching for fulfilment in his life, Bus decides to get a job with his gay friend who is a mortician. When the mortician makes a pass at him, Bus quickly gets out.
Billy Liar
Grandma Florence
A young Englishman dreams of escaping from his working class family and dead-end job as an undertaker's assistant. A number of indiscretions cause him to lie in order to avoid the penalties. His life turns into a mess and he has an opportunity to run away and leave it all behind.
The Birds
Mrs. Bundy
Chic socialite Melanie Daniels enjoys a passing flirtation with an eligible attorney in a San Francisco pet shop and, on an impulse, follows him to his hometown bearing a gift of lovebirds. But upon her arrival, the bird population runs amok. Suddenly, the townsfolk face a massive avian onslaught, with the feathered fiends inexplicably attacking people all over Bodega Bay.
The Homestretch
Aunt Martha
A young couple's marriage is threatened by the husband's love of horses and the racetrack circuit.
Millie's Daughter
Aunt Katherine
An errant mother tries to teach her daughter to avoid the same errors she made by choosing a different lifestyle.
Sing While You Dance
Mrs. Abigail Smith
Susan Kent, hoping to establish herself as a song-plugger, tries to obtain a second song from a young songwriter, Johnny Crane, after his first song becomes a hit. While pursuing her objective, she falls in love with Johnny, and lands in jail, but she acquires the song, the job, and Johnny.
Devotion
Aunt Elizabeth Branwell
In Victorian England, literary siblings Emily and Charlotte Brontë vie for the affection of the Rev. Arthur Nicholls. Along with their sister Anne, Emily and Charlotte also try to help their tormented brother Branwell, a gifted artist whose life is being destroyed by alcohol.
Saratoga Trunk
Clarissa Van Steed
An opportunistic Texas gambler and the exiled Creole daughter of an aristocratic family join forces to achieve justice from the society that has ostracized them.
Molly and Me
Mrs. Lamb
A vivacious actress needing work becomes a housekeeper for a crusty retired politician, and gives his life the shaking-up that it needs.
Thrill of a Romance
Mrs. Fenway
A soldier falls in love with a newly-married woman after her husband abandons her for a business meeting on their honeymoon.
The Horn Blows at Midnight
Lady Stover
A trumpet player in a radio orchestra falls asleep during a commercial and dreams he's Athanael, an angel deputized to blow the Last Trumpet at exactly midnight on Earth, thus marking the end of the world.
Music for Millions
Mrs. McGuff
Six-year-old "Mike" goes to live with her pregnant older sister, Babs, who plays string bass in José Iturbi's orchestra. And the orchestra is rapidly turning completely female, what with the draft. As the orchestra travels around the country, Babs' fellow orchestra members intercept and hide her War Office telegram to protect the baby.
The White Cliffs of Dover
Woman on Train Opening Window (uncredited)
American Susan travels with her father to England for a vacation. Invited to a society ball, Susan meets Sir John Ashwood and marries him after a whirlwind romance. However, she never quite adjusts to life as a new member of the British gentry. At the outbreak of World War I, John is sent to the trenches and never returns. When her son goes off to fight in World War II, Susan fears the same tragic fate may befall him too.
Pardon My Rhythm
Mrs. Dean
A high school bandleader captures the interest of a popular co-ed.
It Happened Tomorrow
Mrs. O'Connor (uncredited)
A young turn-of-the-century newspaper man finds he can get hold of the next day's paper. This brings more problems than fortune, especially as his new girlfriend is part of a phony clairvoyant act.
Jane Eyre
Grace Poole
After a harsh childhood, orphan Jane Eyre is hired by Edward Rochester, the brooding lord of a mysterious manor house to care for his young daughter.
Holy Matrimony
Lady Vale
An artist returning from years abroad takes the identity of his dead valet and gets married, but then there are complications.
Forever and a Day
Wife of Man in Air Raid Shelter
In World War II, American Gates Trimble Pomfret is in London during the Blitz to sell the ancestral family house. The current tenant, Leslie Trimble, tries to dissuade him from selling by telling him the 140-year history of the place and the connections between the Trimble and Pomfret families.
Time to Kill
Mrs. Murdock
Lloyd Nolan is back as detective Michael Shayne who's in search of a stolen coin.
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
Mrs. Graham
In the shanty town called the Cabbage Patch, Mrs. Wiggs scrabbles for survival with her brood of children and hopes for the return of her husband, who left many years before.
Between Us Girls
Gallagher
A 20-year-old stage actress takes on her most challenging role when she pretends to be her own mother's 12-year-old daughter. Comedy.
Castle in the Desert
Mme. Saturnia, aka Lizzie
Charlie Chan, with son Jimmy on a week's pass from the Army, takes up a request for help at a castle-home, miles from anywhere in the American desert south-west and inhabited by an eccentric, reclusive historian and his wife, a descendant of Lucrezia Borgia. Once there, he finds the request's legitimacy denied by all who are present, but still necessary as one houseguest has already been murdered, the other guests are at each other's throat, and the Borgia-related chatelain is suspected...
Remember the Day
Undetermined Role
Elderly schoolteacher Nora Trinell, waiting to meet presidential nominee Dewey Roberts, recalls him as her student back in 1916 and his relation to Dan Hopkins, the man she married and lost.
How Green Was My Valley
Mrs. Nicholas
At the turn of the century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans (he stern, she gentle) raise coal-mining sons and hope their youngest will find a better life.
Great Guns
Aunt Agatha
Laurel and Hardy join the army. They are hardly soldiers, but they believe their employer, (Dick Nelson) will need them now he's drafted.
A Yank in the R.A.F.
Lady Fitzhugh
An American pilot impulsively joins His Majesty's Royal Air Force in Britain in an attempt to impress his ex-girlfriend.
Billy the Kid
Mrs. Hanky
Billy Bonney is a hot-headed gunslinger who narrowly skirts a life of crime by being befriended and hired by a peaceful rancher, Eric Keating. When Keating is killed, Billy seeks revenge on the men who killed him, even if it means opposing his friend, Marshal Jim Sherwood.
Dead Men Tell
Miss Patience Nodbury
When the elderly woman sponsoring a treasure hunt is murdered on board her docked ship, Charlie Chan must deal with a treasure map in four pieces, the ghost of a hanged pirate, a talking parrot, a recalcitrant sea captain and several suspicious passengers - and a second murder.
Stranger on the Third Floor
Mrs. Kane
Newspaper reporter Michael Ward plunges into a nightmare of guilt, fearing that his "evidence" has sentenced the wrong man to death.
Waterloo Bridge
Mrs. Clark - Landlady (uncredited)
On the eve of World War II, a British officer revisits Waterloo Bridge and recalls the young man he was at the beginning of World War I and the young ballerina he met just before he left for the front. Myra stayed with him past curfew and is thrown out of the corps de ballet. She survives on the streets of London, falling even lower after she hears her true love has been killed in action. But he wasn't killed. Those terrible years were nothing more than a bad dream is Myra's hope after Roy finds her and takes her to his family's country estate.
Irene
Princess Minetti
Upholsterer's assistant Irene O'Dare meets wealthy Don Marshall while she is measuring chairs for Mrs. Herman Vincent at her Long Island estate. Charmed by her, Don anonymously purchases Madame Lucy's, an exclusive Manhattan boutique, and instructs newly hired manager Mr. Smith to offer Irene a job as a model. She soon catches the eye of socialite Bob Vincent, whose mother is hosting a ball at the family mansion. To promote Madame Lucy's dress line, Mr. Smith arranges for his models to be invited to the ball.
Vigil in the Night
Matron East
A good nurse ruins her career by covering up for her sister's careless mistake.
The Mysterious Mr. Davis
Mabel Wilcox
A man beset by creditors invents a fictitious partner
We Are Not Alone
Mrs. Raymond
A British doctor and his son's Austrian governess have an affair and are accused of killing his wife.
Over the Moon
Miss Bates - the Governess (uncredited)
Young Jane Benson just about manages to make ends meet running the large family house in Yorkshire. In love with local doctor Freddie Jarvis, she suggests they marry, but almost at once finds she has inherited eighteen million pounds. He makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the money and what it can buy, and Jane sets off alone on a spree pursued by two ardent suitors. Jarvis finds he has gained notoriety for turning down such a catch and his plans for ernest research are soon compromised.
Crackerjack
Annie
London has become enthralled by the antics of the contemporary Robin Hood, but when a band of bad guys start framing him for their misdeeds, the hero has to catch the criminals and clear his name.
Kathleen Mavourneen
Hannah O'Dwyer
A hugely popular, much-adapted comedy in which a Liverpool lass visits family in rural Ireland and finds she has several rivals for her affections
Twice Branded
Mrs. Etta Hamilton
A young business man (James Mason) is being duped by business swindlers but his gaol bird father is determined to save him.
The Return Of Peter Grimm
Mrs. Martha Bartholomew
The ghost of a recently deceased family patriarch tries to help his surviving relatives, in part by preventing a marriage that he knows will go wrong.
Anna Karenina
Mme. Kartasoff
In 19th century Russia a woman in a respectable marriage to a senior statesman must grapple with her love for a dashing soldier.
Werewolf of London
Mrs. Whack
A strange animal attack turns a botanist into a bloodthirsty monster.
Vanessa: Her Love Story
Winifred Trent
The Victorian wife of a mad baron waits years for a British soldier sent to Egypt.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Miss Twinkleton
A choirmaster addicted to opium and obsessed with a beautiful young woman will stop at nothing to possess her.
Enchanted April
Mrs. Hawkins (uncredited)
Mrs. Lotty Wilkins is an unhappily wife whom's life husband and romance have departed. In order to possibly salvage some of the missing elements in her life she rents an old Italian mansion and sharing it with three women. Here the four women plan to spend the month of April away from the cares of home, husbands and the everyday monotony.
The Painted Veil
Lady Coldchester (uncredited)
The wife of a doctor in China falls in love with a diplomat.
We Live Again
Aunt Marie
Nekhludoff, a Russian nobleman serving on a jury, discovers that the young girl on trial, Katusha, is someone he once seduced and abandoned and that he himself bears responsibility for reducing her to crime. He sets out to redeem her and himself in the process.
Bulldog Drummond Strikes Back
Mrs. Field
Bulldog Drummond finds himself immersed in another adventure when he stumbles upon a corpse in the mysterious London mansion of Prince Achmed. Enlisting the help of his old friend Algy and the beautiful Lola, Drummond uncovers a scheme to ship illegal cargo into the country. He must rely on his cunning to survive when the prince offers a reward for his capture.
Jane Eyre
Grace Poole
Jane Eyre is an orphan who was raised by her aunt until she came to Thornfield Hall as governess to the young ward of Edward Rochester. But Jane is attracted by the intelligent and energetic Sir Rochester, a man of almost twice her age. But just when Sir Rochester seems to pay attention to her, he invites the beautiful and wealthy Blanche Ingram to stay at his house.
Stolen Sweets
Ship Passenger
Wealthy but unhappy Patricia Belmont meets fun-loving insurance salesman Bill Smith (and his fun-loving friends Sam Ragland and Betty Harkness)on a ship cruise and falls in love, much to the annoyance of her high-society, fortune-hunting fiance Barrington Thorne.
Four Frightened People
Mrs. Ainger's Mother
Malaya tropical island romantic love triangle adventure thriller, about a cruise ship where Bubonic plague breaks out. Four people are able to leave the ship in a tiny boat and make it to a desert island, where many adventures ensue and, of course, the two men fight over the beautiful young schoolteacher who is with them.
Alice in Wonderland
Miss Simpson (uncredited)
In Victorian England, a bored young girl dreams that she has entered a fantasy world called Wonderland populated by even more fantastic characters.
White Woman
Mrs. Chisholm
A nightclub singer marries the rich owner of a rubber plantation. When she returns with him to his estate in Malaysia, she finds out that he is cruel, vicious and insanely jealous. She and the plantation's overseer develop a mutual attraction, but are terrified at what will happen if her husband finds out.
Bombshell
Mrs. Ward - Orphanage Representative (uncredited)
A glamorous film star rebels against the studio, her pushy press agent and a family of hangers-on.
Doctor Bull
Miss Ace
In this engaging adaptation of James Gould Cozzen's novel The Last Adam, film icon Will Rogers portrays Dr. George Bull, a compassionate, highly regarded small-town physician who often prescribes a healthy dose of common sense! But when Bull begins dating a widow (Vera Allen), the local gossips misconstrue the story. To make matters worse, Bull's plainspoken manner earns him an enemy in the wealthy owner of a nearby construction camp. But once it's learned that the camp has caused illness by polluting the local water supply, the good doctor steps in to try to restore the town's health - and his reputation!
Torch Singer
Agatha Alden
When she can't support her illegitimate child, an abandoned young woman puts her up for adoption and pursues a career as a torch singer. Years later, she then searches for the child she gave up.
Midnight Club
The Duchess
With a sparkling script by Leslie Charteris, creator of "The Saint" - the latest crime wave has Scotland Yard baffled. Commissioner Hope (Sir Guy Standing) sends two of his officers (Billy Bevan and Charles McNaughton) to the Midnight Club to check up on a couple of shady characters - Colin Grant (Clive Brook) and Arthur Bradley (Allan Mowbray) and a girl, Iris Witney (Helen Vinson). There have been a number of jewel robberies around town recently, but, unknown to the police, these three have the perfect alibis!!! They have found "doubles", and while they are out committing the robberies, their doubles spend the night at the club, confusing the two officers who are on their tail.
Horse Play
Emily
Ranchowner Slim Perkins is in love with his neighbor's niece, Angelica Wayne, but her aunt and uncle throw him off their property because he is a poor bumbler. One day a stranger buys Slim's ranch for one million dollars because the land contains valuable minerals. Slim and his partner, Andy Jones, are overwhelmed by their new found wealth, but it does not help to soothe Slim's hurt feelings when he finds out that Angelica has gone to England to stay with her other aunt. He decides to bring her his horse, "Cynthia Ann," as a gift, and with Andy and the horse, he sets sail.
A Lady's Profession
Lady McDougal
A couple of down-and-out British aristocrats buy an American roadhouse.
Tonight Is Ours
Zana
A princess is torn between her royal obligations and her love for a handsome Frenchman.
Love Me Tonight
Second Aunt
A Parisian tailor finds himself posing as a baron in order to collect a sizeable bill from an aristocrat, only to fall in love with an aloof young princess.
Westward Passage
Lady Caverly
A struggling writer divorces his wife to pursue his career without interference, but they meet in Europe years later after she has remarried.
Are You Listening?
Mrs. Peters
WBLA is on the air, presenting the live music, the sudsy dramas and the sell-sell-sell of commercial interludes that keep consumers buying and sponsors smiling. But one sponsor, a producer of plumbing supplies, isn’t happy. So WBLA scriptwriter Bill Grimes is bounced from his job, setting in motion this movie’s turn from comedic to darkly tragic. William Haines, two years removed from being Tinseltown’s top male star, plays Grimes in a melodrama noted for its glimpses of live radio production and for a Depression-era ethos that includes peroxide cuties eager to land a job, a sugar daddy or both.
The Impatient Maiden
Nurse Lovett
A maid's dream comes true but are not quite what she expected.
Union Depot
Cross Woman at Magazine Stand (uncredited)
Among the travelers of varied backgrounds that meet and interact on one night at Union Depot, a metropolitan train station, are Chick and his friend Scrap Iron, both newly released from prison after serving time for vagrancy. Hungry and desperate for a break, Chick fortuitously comes across across a valise abandoned by a drunken traveler. In it he finds a shaving kit and a suit of clothes with a bankroll, which help transform the affable tramp into a dashing gent. After buying himself a meal, Chick seeks some female companionship among the many hustlers who walk the station. He propositions Ruth Collins, a stranded, out-of-work showgirl and takes her to the station's hotel.
Manhattan Parade
Mrs. Beacon
Director Lloyd Bacon's 1931 drama takes a different look at the Broadway arena by focusing on the owners of a theatrical costume shop.
Once a Lady
Miss Bleeker
A young Russian woman marries a wealthy Englishman, and has a daughter with him. After she has an affair with one of his friends, she is forced to leave Britain and moves to Paris. Many years later, her daughter approaches her, needing her help.
The Road to Singapore
Mrs. Everard
A woman's life falls to pieces when she's caught cheating on her husband.
Waterloo Bridge
Mrs. Hobley
In World War I London, Myra is an American out-of-work chorus girl making ends meet by picking up men on Waterloo Bridge. During a Zeppelin air raid she meets Roy, a naive young American who enlisted in the Canadian army. After they fall for each other, Roy tricks Myra into visiting his family, who live in a country estate outside London, his mother having remarried to a retired British Major. Myra is reluctant to continue the relationship with Roy, he not aware of her past.
Chances
Drunken Flower Vendor in Pub (uncredited)
Two brothers, Jack and Tom, are in love with the same woman, Molly. While the two brothers go off to war and Molly does her part in the effort, Tom believes that Rose is waiting for him, while in fact, she loves Jack and only turned to Tom on the rebound. Jack and Molly meet while he is on leave, and when he returns to battle, he doesn't know how to handle the situation with his brother.
Old English
Adela Heythorp
An old man unethically provides an income for his two grandchildren.