Ever heard of the magic that happens when film meets real life? That is what the Celia Johnson Blue plaque represents. This plaque marks the birthplace of a remarkable actress. It is at 46 Richmond Hill in Richmond. Today we pause to celebrate Dame Celia Johnson.
The Celia Johnson Blue plaque commemorates where she was born in 1908. She spent her first 15 years right here. Imagine young Celia. She enjoyed a happy childhood in Richmond. Her father was a local doctor. Even as a child, Celia showed her talent.
At just six years old Celia gave her first public performance. She played the beggar maid in King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid. It was a charity event to support soldiers wounded in World War One.
Later Celia Johnson honed her acting skills at RADA. Her tutor, Alice Gachet, recognized her talent. Alice sent her to Paris. There, she studied at the Comédie Française.
After RADA, Celia gained experience at the Theatre Royal in Huddersfield. Then she returned to London. She appeared at the Lyric Hammersmith. These roles caught the eye of Sir Nigel Playfair.
Celia’s career took off. She starred in The Wind and the Rain for two years. She also played Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. Another role was Mrs de Winter in Rebecca.
In 1935 Celia Johnson married Peter Fleming. He was a journalist and travel writer. He was also the brother of James Bond author Ian Fleming. During World War Two Celia joined the Women’s Auxiliary Police Corps. She also appeared in a film about the ATS called We Serve. It was directed by Carol Reed.
Family and war duties meant less theatre work. So Celia turned to radio and film. In 1941 she acted in In Which We Serve. Noël Coward and David Lean directed it. In 1943 she starred in This Happy Breed with the same team.
Brief Encounter became Celia’s most famous role. Lean and Coward adapted Coward’s play Still Life. Celia played Laura Jesson. Laura is a middle-class housewife. She falls in love with a doctor. Trevor Howard played the doctor. They meet by chance in a station buffet.
Brief Encounter is a British cinema classic. Celia received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. The film won the Palm d’Or at Cannes in 1946. The British Film Institute named it the second greatest British film in 1999.
After the war Celia focused on her family. In 1957 she returned to the stage. She starred with Ralph Richardson in The Flowering Cherry. In 1958 she received a CBE for her work in theatre.
In the 1960s Celia Johnson joined the National Theatre Company. She also appeared in the film The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. In the 1970s she found success in television drama.
In 1981 Celia Johnson became a Dame. She was the ninth theatrical Dame since World War Two. The Celia Johnson Blue plaque serves as a reminder. It is a tribute to a versatile actress. She graced both stage and screen. Next time you watch Brief Encounter remember Celia’s beginnings. They started right here at Richmond Hill.