Renée Houston

Renée Houston

1902-07-24 – 1980-02-09 (age 77) Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland, UK
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Biography

Renée Houston (24 July 1902 - 9 February 1980) was a Scottish comedy actress and revue artist who appeared in television and film roles.

Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, as Katherina Houston Gribbin she toured music halls and revues with her sister Billie Houston as the "Houston Sisters".

In 1926, the sisters made a short musical film, the script of which Renée had written. It was produced by Lee De Forest, whose process, Phonofilm, enabled a soundtrack to be played alongside the film (a year before The Jazz Singer).

Houston married three times, the second was to the actor Pat Aherne, the brother of Brian Aherne. Her third husband was the actor Donald Stewart.

In her later years, she specialised in "battleaxe" roles, notably as shop steward Vic Spanner's (Kenneth Cope) formidable mother in Carry On at Your Convenience (1971). She published her autobiography in 1974 which was entitled Don't Fence Me In.

Houston was also in the early episodes of radio's The Clitheroe Kid and a regular guest on radio panel show The Petticoat Line chaired by Anona Winn.

She died in London at the age of 77 on 9 February 1980.

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Known For

Repulsion
Repulsion

1965

as Mme Balch

The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera

1962

as Mrs. Tucker

Cul-de-sac
Cul-de-sac

1966

as Christopher's Mother

Radio Parade
Time Without Pity
Time Without Pity

1957

as Mrs. Harker

🎦
The Comic

1969

as Olive

Lady Godiva Rides Again
The Flesh and the Fiends
The Flesh and the Fiends

1960

as Helen Burke

The Belles of St Trinian's
The Belles of St Trinian's

1954

as Miss Brimmer

The Key
The Key

1958

as Canteen Worker (uncredited)

A Town Like Alice
A Town Like Alice

1956

as Ebbey

Legend of the Werewolf
Legend of the Werewolf

1975

as Chou-Chou

Carry On at Your Convenience
Carry On at Your Convenience

1971

as Agatha Spanner

Carry On Cabby
Carry On Cabby

1963

as Molly

Carry On Spying
Carry On Spying

1964

as Funhouse Madame

The Horse's Mouth
The Horse's Mouth

1958

as Sara Monday

The Spy with a Cold Nose
The Spy with a Cold Nose

1966

as Lady Blanchflower

Watch It, Sailor!
Watch It, Sailor!

1961

as Mrs. Mottram

Twice Round the Daffodils
Two Thousand Women
Two Thousand Women

1944

as Maud Wright