Dignified British character actress, on stage from 1898. In films from 1916, she was usually seen in benevolent or aristocratic roles. She gave particularly strong performances in
Der Spion in Schwarz (1939) and
Die 39 Stufen (1935). Helen Haye taught for years at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, her prize pupils including
John Gielgud and
Charles Laughton.
