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Muguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins (21 April 1917 – 5 October 1998) was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes.
Life and career
Jenkins was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, the daughter of a construction engineer. She originally trained to be a ballet dancer. Although born in England, she often played Welsh characters.
She made her first noticeable film debut in Millions Like Us (1943) as the Welsh room-mate and confidante of the main character (played by Patricia Roc). She appeared in such classics as Green for Danger (1946), The History of Mr. Polly (1949), The Cruel Sea (1953), and Oliver! (1968). She played the housekeeper Mrs Grose in two adaptations of Henry James's The Turn of the Screw: the film The Innocents (1961), and a 1974 television adaptation. She frequently played comic roles, and in later life was a regular in the sitcom, Oh No, It's Selwyn Froggitt!, and the children's series, Worzel Gummidge.
From 1933, Jenkins also had a long stage career, and appeared in several plays by Emlyn Williams. In 1956 she won the Clarence Derwent Award for best supporting performance in Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1939 | The Silent Battle | Louise | Released as Continental Express in USA | |
| Secret Journey | Reception girl in glasses | Uncredited | ||
| Poison Pen | Barmaid | |||
| Inspector Hornleigh on Holiday | Maid | Uncredited | ||
| 1943 | Millions Like Us | Gwen | ||
| The Lamp Still Burns | Nurse | Uncredited | ||
| 1944 | It's in the Bag | Peach St. Clair | ||
| 1945 | 29 Acacia Avenue | Shirley | Released as The Facts of Love in USA | |
| Painted Boats | Barmaid | |||
| 1947 | Green for Danger | Nurse Woods | ||
| The Brothers | Augustina McFarish | |||
| 1948 | Saraband for Dead Lovers | Frau Busche | ||
| The Monkey's Paw | Mrs Trelawne | |||
| 1949 | The History of Mr. Polly | The Innkeeper | ||
| A Boy, a Girl and a Bike | Nan Ritchie | |||
| 1950 | No Place for Jennifer | Mrs Marshall | ||
| Mr. Gillie | Mrs Gillie | Live TV drama | ||
| 1951 | White Corridors | Mrs. Briggs | ||
| 1952 | Secret People | Penny | ||
| Ivanhoe | Servant to Isaac | |||
| 1953 | The Cruel Sea | Tallow's sister | ||
| Rough Shoot | Mrs. Powell | |||
| Personal Affair | Vi Vining | |||
| Trouble in Store | Miss Gibson | |||
| 1954 | The Gay Dog | Maggie Gay | ||
| 1955 | Out of the Clouds | The Landlady | ||
| John and Julie | Mrs Pritchett | |||
| 1957 | The Man in the Sky | Mrs. Snowden | ||
| The Passionate Stranger | Millie | |||
| The Story of Esther Costello | Nurse Evans | |||
| 1958 | Indiscreet | Doris Banks | ||
| 1959 | Tiger Bay | Mrs Philips | ||
| Jet Storm | Rose Brock | |||
| Friends and Neighbours | Lily Grimshaw | |||
| 1960 | Conspiracy of Hearts | Sister Constance | ||
| 1961 | The Green Helmet | Kitty Launder | ||
| The Innocents | Mrs Grose | |||
| 1962 | The Barber of Stamford Hill | Mrs. Werner | ||
| Life for Ruth | Mrs. Gordon | |||
| The Wild and the Willing | Mrs. Corbett | |||
| 1964 | Murder Most Foul | Mrs Gladys Thomas | ||
| 1965 | Bunny Lake Is Missing | Sister | ||
| 1967 | Stranger in the House | Mrs. Christoforides | ||
| 1968 | Oliver! | Mrs Bedwin | ||
| 1969 | The Smashing Bird I Used to Know | Matron | ||
| 1972 | Asylum | Miss Higgins | (segment: "Lucy Comes to Stay") | |
| 1975 | The Amorous Milkman | Iris |
Television
- Jenny Meade (1951, TV film)
- Dark Summer (1951, TV film)
- David Copperfield (1969, TV film)
- The Befrienders (1970, TV film) - Janet
- The Turn of the Screw (1974, TV film) - Mrs. Grose
- Young at Heart (1980–1982, TV sitcom) - Ethel Collyer
- A Woman of Substance (1985 TV film) - Mrs. Turner
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