Lawrence, Gertrude

Lawrence, Gertrude, 1902?–1952, English actress and singer. Her original name was Gertrud Alexandra Dagmar Lawrence-Klasen. Performing on the musical stage from childhood, Lawrence made her New York debut (1924) in Charlot's Revue, together with Beatrice Lillie. A childhood friend of Noel Coward, she appeared with him in his Private Lives (1931) and Tonight at 8:30 (1936). Her charm and magnetic personality in Susan and God (1937) and in such musicals as Lady in the Dark (1941) and The King and I (1951) endeared her to the public. In 1950 she played Amanda in a film version of The Glass Menagerie.

Bibliography

See her memoirs, A Star Danced (1945); biography by her husband, R. S. Aldrich (1955).

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Lawrence, Gertrude

 orig. Gertrud Alexandra Dagmar Lawrence Klasen

(born July 4, 1898, London, Eng.—died Sept. 6, 1952, New York, N.Y., U.S.) British actress. She began appearing on stage as a child, and she starred in musical revues such as Noël Coward's London Calling (1923) and George Gershwin's Oh, Kay! (1926). A longtime friend of Coward's, she performed in many of his comedies, notably Private Lives (1930); both the play and the stars set the tone that would characterize comedies of manners for a decade or more: sophistication, brittle wit, and chic. She was also acclaimed for her roles in the musicals Lady in the Dark (1941) and The King and I (1951).