Aileen Marson

Slim and naturally gifted, Aileen Marson was a British actress whose career spanned stage and screen. Born in Cairo, Egypt, she was the daughter of a consular official, and her early years were marked by extensive travel, including a stay in Bucharest. She spoke five languages, including Arabic. When she was 13, her family moved to England. There, she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She performed in regional and West End plays, sometimes mounting her own productions, and took leading roles in British films. In 1937, she married Jack Scott, a Johannesburg businessman, after meeting him while touring South Africa with Seymour Hicks. Tragically, she died at age 26 in a London nursing home, less than a day after giving birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Her active years, from 1933 to 1938, left a lasting impression.