Celia Johnson

Her music teacher at the school was Gustav Holst (1874-1934), a relatively well-known classical composer.

One of her teachers was French actor Pierre Fresnay (1897-1975).

Celia Johnson was an English actress, once nominated for an Academy Award. Johnson was born in the town of Richmond, Surrey in 1908.

One of her classmates in London was Margaretta Scott (1912-2005)In 1928, Johnson made her professional debut, cast in a performance of the play "Major Barbara" (1905) by George Bernard Shaw.

In 1916, 8-year-old Johnson made her theatrical debut, at a performance of the play "King Cophetua and the Beggar Maid". It was a charity performance, to help raise funds for then-ongoing World War I. Nobody intended for her to become a professional actress, but she liked the stage experience.

Johnson attended St Paul's Girls' School in West London, from 1919 to 1926. She graduated at the age of 18. During her school years, Johnson often had acting parts in school plays, and played music in the school's orchestra.

In the late 1920s, Johnson studied acting at both the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and the Comédie-Française in Paris.

In 1929, she first performed in London, and in 1931 she first performed in New York City.

She made a name for herself as a theatrical actress throughout the 1930s, and married journalist Peter Fleming (1907-1971). Johnson's career and personal life were derailed by World War II. A hit role as the second Mrs.

Gave birth to her 1st child at age 30, a son Nicholas Peter Val Fleming on 3 January 1939. Child's father was her husband, Peter Fleming.

Winter in a 1940 theatrical adaptation of "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier, was cut short. The theatre where Johnson was performing was damaged through London's bombing by the Luftwaffe. Johnson's widowed sister and sister-in-law moved in with her, bringing their kids with. Having to care for 7 kids (both her own children and her nephews), left Johnson with no time to spare for theatrical tours. Seeking a way to supplement her income during the War, Johnson started appearing in theatrical films.

For most of the late 1940s, Johnson was in semi-retirement. She had given birth to two daughters and felt that she needed to devote more time to her family.

Her feature film debut, In Which We Serve (1942), was also that of both Richard Attenborough and Juliet Mills.

She started with small parts, but got her first major hit with the family drama "The Happy Breed" (1944), which followed the ups-and-downs in the life of a (fictional) family over a period of several decades. For this role, Johnson received a National Board of Review Award for Best Actress.

In 1945, Johnson was starring in another hit film, the romantic drama "Brief Encounter". It featured her in the role of Laura Jesson, a housewife trapped in a dull and monotonous marriage. Laura falls in love with a new man in her life, Dr. Alec Harvey, and he falls in love with her. With circumstances keep this relationship platonic, until Harvey leaves the country to work abroad. Laura contemplates suicide, but is forced to return to her monotonous life. The role gained Johnson a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Gave birth to her 2nd child at age 37, a daughter Kate Fleming (Kate Grimond) in 1946. Child's father was her husband, Peter Fleming.

Gave birth to her 3rd child at age 38, a daughter Eve Lucinda Fleming (aka Lucy Fleming) on 15 May 1947. Child's father was her husband, Peter Fleming.

From the 1950s to her death, Johnson was primarily appearing in theatrical plays and television roles. Her film roles were few, but critically well-received.

She was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1958 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama.

After Diana Wynyard passed away, she replaced her and appeared in "The Master Builder" with Michael Redgrave and Maggie Smith as part of the new National Theatre Company in 1964. She and Smith would later appear together in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

Richmond was incorporated into Greater London in 1965, as part of an administrative reform. Celia's parents were John Robert Johnson and Ethel Griffiths. Neither of them was involved in show business.

Her husband of 36 years was travel writer Peter Fleming, who was the elder brother of author Ian Fleming of "James Bond" fame. They had three children: son Nicol and daughters Kate Grimond and Lucy Fleming, who is also an actress, most notably in the series Survivors (1975).

She was awarded the DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 1981 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to drama.

Daughter Kate Fleming wrote her mother's biography titled "Celia Johnson" (1991).