Sonia Dresdel(1909-1976)

Sharp-featured Shakespearean stage actress of commanding presence. She first made headlines on the London stage as "Hedda Gabbler" at the Westminster Theatre in 1943. Her subsequent roles confined her to intense or neurotic characters in classic plays, often at the Old Vic. On screen, she was typically cast as villainesses - most memorably as Ralph Richardson's evil wife in The Fallen Idol (1948). Her most productive period was in the early 1950's. She later declined a number of job offers she felt were unworthy of her talents and switched her attention to theatre management and direction.