Kathleen Rose SMALE, mother of World Famous "Film Star" (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Friday, October 25, 2013, 00:28 (3835 days ago) @ Jefff

Kathleen Smale was born in Lydney in December 1893, from GlosBMD:

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
SMALE Kathleen Rose SMALE SMALE WIDDOWSON 1893 Forest of Dean Chepstow, Lydney 22 345

From this site's PRs, she was Baptised alongside younger sister Phyllis:

Record_ID: 120367
Entry_Number: 2057
Year: 1909
Month: Jan
Day: 10
Parents_Surname: SMALE
Child_Forenames: Kathleen Rose
Fathers_Forenames: Charles Blackwell
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lydney
Occupation: Grocer
Officiating_Minister: J.C.E.Besant Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: 851113
Page_Number: 258
Parish_Chapel: Lydney
Soundex: S540

After attending Lydney Grammar School, Kathleen married Arthur "Jack" Trimmer born Highweek near Newton Abbot, Devon. He was an Army Captain who had lost a leg during WW1 at the Somme and became a naval architect and civil engineer.

Record_ID: 106756
Entry_Number: 59
Year: 1919
Month: Aug
Day: 21
Grooms_Surname: TRIMMER
Grooms_Forenames: Arthur Charles
Grooms_Age: 25
Groom_Condition: Bachelor
Grooms_Occupation: Captain in Army
Grooms_Residence: Harronden
Grooms_Fathers_Surname: Trimmer
Grooms_Fathers_Forenames: Arthur Kerr
Grooms_Fathers_Occupation: Civil Engineer
Brides_Surname: SMALE
Brides_Forenames: Kathleen Rose
Brides_Age: 25
Brides_Condition: Spinster
Brides_Occupation:
Brides_Residence: Lydney
Brides_Fathers_Surname: Smale
Brides_Fathers_Forenames: Charles Blacknell
Brides_Fathers_Occupation: Grocer
Licence_or_Banns: Licence
Date_of_Banns:
Signature_or_Mark: both sign
Witness_1: John Arthur Smale
Witness_2: Phyllis Jane Smale
Other_Witnesses:
Officiating_Minister: John C E Besant Vicar
Event: Marriage
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: P209 IN 1/18
Page_Number: 30
Parish_Chapel: Lydney
Soundex_Groom: T656
Soundex_Bride: S540

They had one daughter, Deborah Jane Kerr Trimmer, born in Glasgow on 30th Sep 1921.
Deborah had a difficult childhood growing up in the West Country. In the 1930s, she became a pupil at Northumberland House boarding school, Westbury Park, Bristol. A fellow pupil recalled her as a "thin, freckled nine-year-old" who was shy and often bullied, yet she still played lead roles in school plays such as the Mad Hatter in "Alice in Wonderland" and Maid Marion in "Robin Hood". "Alice" was produced by drama teacher Joan Sanderson (born & subsequently at Northumberland House in 1912) who later starred as a fearsome teacher in TV's "Please Sir!". http://www.anp-archief.nl/page/197057/nl
Far from happy at school, Deborah spent her holidays with her grandparents in Weston; "I hated that boarding school, and I wasn't very happy in the holidays at Weston because granny was very strict. I'm sure it was good for me - it certainly taught me discipline - but I didn't enjoy it very much."

When father Jack became ill she moved in with her grandparents, attending Rossholme School, Weston-super-Mare. When Jack died they were joined by mother Kathleen and younger brother Ted. Under Aunt Phyllis's guidance she forged a career in entertainment, reading stories for BBC Local Radio's "Children's Hour" in 1936 aged 15. Her "professional" theatre début was at Weston in 1937, as "Harlequin" in the mime play "Harlequin and Columbine". She soon won a Scholarship at Sadler's Wells ballet school, London, making her début in the Corps de Ballet in "Prometheus" in 1938.
However Deborah soon realised she was too tall to succeed as ballerina and pursued her lifelong love & childhood refuge, acting. She had walk-on parts in various Shakespeare productions at the Open-Air Theatre, Regent's Park, before joining the Oxford Playhouse rep company in 1940.

Her first film role was in the British film "Contraband" in 1940 but her scenes never made the final cut. Between films she also performed for the British Armed Forces in France, Belgium and Holland with ENSA. Her fifth film, playing a Norwegian resistance fighter in "The Day Will Dawn" (1942), ensured her success. She was an immediate hit with the public, being voted the most popular local female star at the British box office.

By now she had adopted the name Deborah Kerr; "Kerr" was a family name going back to the maternal grandmother of her grandfather Arthur Kerr-Trimmer.

This was the start of a long and glittering career, standouts include "From Here to Eternity" opposite Burt Lancaster (1953), and her British Governess "Mrs Anna" in "The King and I" with Yul Brynner (1956). For her contributions to the Hollywood film industry she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Although she never won a BAFTA, Oscar or Cannes Film Festival award in a competitive category, all three organizations gave her honorary awards: in 1984 a Cannes Film Festival Tribute, in 1991 a BAFTA Special Award and in 1994 the Academy Honorary Award in recognition of "an artist of impeccable grace and beauty, a dedicated actress whose motion picture career has always stood for perfection, discipline and elegance". Deborah was awarded a CBE in the 1997/8 New Years Honours List.

Kerr's first marriage was to RAF Squadron Leader Anthony Bartley on 29 November 1945, from FreeBMD:

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
---------------------------------------------------------------
Marriages Dec 1945 (>99%)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Bartley Anthony C Kerr-Trimmer Westminster 1a 1051
Kerr-Trimmer Deborah J Bartley Westminster 1a 1051
Trimmer Deborah J K Bartley Westminster 1a 1051

They had two daughters, Melanie Jane and Francesca Ann. However their marriage was troubled, Anthony disliking her success and long periods away from home; they divorced in 1959. Her second marriage was to author Peter Viertel on 23 July 1960. In marrying Viertel she acquired a stepdaughter, Christine Viertel. She eventually moved back to Britain to be near her own children as her health began to deteriorate. Viertel, however, stayed in their Marbella home.

Deborah Kerr CBE died from the effects of Parkinson's disease on 16 October 2007, aged 86, in Botesdale, Suffolk. Peter Viertel died of cancer less than three weeks later.

[Compiled from several sources, both online & literary]