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Eileen Bennett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eileen Bennett
Born
Eileen Mary Bennett

(1919-07-08)8 July 1919
London, England
Died9 March 2025(2025-03-09) (aged 105)
Occupation(s)Actress, model
Years active1939–1943
SpouseThomas Hammond West Jr.
Children2, including Nicholas Hammond

Eileen Mary Bennett (8 July 1919 – 9 March 2025) was a British film and West End stage actress who was active in the industry in the late 1930s and early 1940s. She was the mother of actor Nicholas Hammond.

Early life

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Eileen Mary Bennett was born in London, England on 8 July 1919.[1] She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and started her career as a model.[2]

Film career

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Bennett made her uncredited screen debut in the 1939 film The Outsider. Later that year, she played Eve in the thriller Trunk Crime. 1939 also saw her deputise as a television announcer for Jasmine Bligh when she was on leave.[3] Bennett was described as "Britain's new screen star" in 1942.[4] She had significant roles in the comedy Much Too Shy (1942) and Thursday's Child (1943).[5]

Personal life and death

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Bennett married Thomas Hammond West Jr. during World War II. The couple had two sons: David Hammond, and actor Nicholas Hammond.[5] Bennett turned 100 on 8 July 2019, and she died on 9 March 2025, at the age of 105.[1]

Filmography

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Year Title Role
1939 The Outsider Uncredited
Q Planes Uncredited
The Gang's All Here Cigarette seller
Trunk Crime Eve
Cæsar's Friend (TV movie) Marcella
1941 He Found a Star Sleepy
1942 Back-Room Boy Uncredited
Breach of Promise Uncredited
Much Too Shy Jackie Somers
1943 Thursday's Child Phoebe Wilson

References

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  1. ^ a b "Eileen Bennett, actress who starred with George Formby on screen and lit up the West End in the war". The Telegraph. 14 March 2025. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
  2. ^ "Sequel to Fantasia". Evening Standard. 6 April 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 22 September 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Corbishley, H (April 1939). "Scannings and Reflections" (PDF). Television and Short-Wave World. 12 (134): 209–210 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ "Untitled". Coventry Evening Telegraph. 3 August 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 22 September 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b "Eileen Bennett". The George Formby Society. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
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