Dorinda Stevens

Dorinda Stevens (16 August 1932 – 25 October 2012) was a British television and film actress of the 1950s and 1960s.[1][2][3]

Dorinda Stevens
Dorinda Stevens in Danger Man in 1964
Born	Doreen May Stevens 16 August 1932 Southampton, England
Died	25 October 2012(2012-10-25) (aged 80) Winchester, Hampshire, England
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1952 – 1965

Biography

Stevens was born Doreen May Stevens in Southampton in the UK,[4] the daughter of Henry C. Stevens and Winifred (née Lucas).[5] During World War II aged ten she was evacuated to Houghton in Hampshire where she appeared in amateur dramatics to entertain the troops. She studied elocution and was teaching it by age 13. She joined the Southampton Repertory Company where she was spotted for her good looks and was booked to appear in London aged 17.[6]

Stevens was reportedly briefly married to the actor Peter Wyngarde in the early 1950s[7][8] and later married Canadian cinematographer William Michael Boultbee (1933–2005) in Nairobi in 1957[9] while filming for African Patrol.

Stevens retired from acting in 1965. Reviewing her final theatrical film, Night Train to Paris (1964), in which she co-starred with Leslie Nielsen, New York Times critic Howard Thompson wrote that "the most attractive thing about the whole picture is a nifty blonde named Dorinda Stevens. The woman can act, too, which is more than can be said for most of the others."[10]

Stevens died aged 80 in 2012 in Winchester in Hampshire as a result of complications of a stroke and was cremated at Bournemouth Crematorium.[11]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1952	Lady in the Fog	Girl at film studio	uncredited
1952	It Started in Paradise	Flo, 1st barmaid	uncredited
1954	The Golden Link	Norma Sheridan
1955	Confession [2]	Blonde	US title: The Deadliest Sin
1955	Handcuffs, London [lower-alpha 1]	Lady Edith Garven
1957	A King in New York [12][13]	(Unconfirmed role)	uncredited
1957	Not Wanted on Voyage [14]	Pat
1958	Man with a Gun	Club Receptionist
1959	Jack the Ripper [15]	Margaret
1959	Operation Bullshine	A.T.S. Girl
1959	Horrors of the Black Museum [16]	Pat Dunlap
1959	The Shakedown	Grace
1960	Carry On Constable	Young woman
1960	The Gentle Trap [17]	Mary
1960	Make Mine Mink	Jean	uncredited
1961	His and Hers	Dora
1961	Raising the Wind	Doris
1961	Night Without Pity	Girlfriend
1962	Hair of the Dog	Ann Tickle
1963	Carry on Jack	Girl at Dirty Dick's	uncredited
1964	The Verdict [lower-alpha 2]	Molly
1964	Night Train to Paris	Olive Davies

Selected television appearances

Year	Programme	Episode	Role
1953	Sunday Night Theatre	"Once in a Lifetime"	Coat-check girl
1955	Fabian of the Yard	"The King's Hat"[lower-alpha 1]	Lady Edith Garven
1955	Confidentially		Receptionist
1956	Sixpenny Corner		Miss Golightly
1959	Dial 999	"50,000 Hands" "Old Soldiers Sometimes Die"	Madge Bingham Helen
1958-59	African Patrol	"Man and Beast" "Missing Doctor" "The Baboon Laughed"	Lila Ruth Helen Gibson
1959	Crime Sheet	"The Superintendent Hedges a Bet"	Carol Betterton
1960	International Detective	"The Barnaby Case"	Glory
1959-60	Interpol Calling	"In The Swim" "Air Switch"	Millicent Helen
1961	The Pursuers	"Inside Job"	Belle
1962	The Cheaters	"The Safe Way"	Girl
1959-1962	No Hiding Place	"Thirty Seconds From Now" "Process of Elimination" "Murder with Witnesses"	Carol Betty Lola la Salle
1962	The Saint	"The Careful Terrorist"	Verna
1963	The Scales of Justice	"The Undesirable Neighbour"	Mary Bennet
1964	The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theatre	"The Verdict"[lower-alpha 2]	Molly
1964	The Avengers	"Concerto"	Darleen
1964	Hugh and I	"Emergency Ward"
1965	Danger Man	"Such Men are Dangerous"	Miss Jackson

Notes

1. Handcuffs, London was a feature-length compilation of episodes from TV's Fabian of the Yard (televised in the U.S. as Patrol Car), including "The King's Hat".
2. The Verdict was released theatrically in the UK as a second feature, and later televised in the U.S. as an episode of The Edgar Wallace Mystery Theater.

References

1. "Last Night's Cable Flashes". The Argus. Melbourne, Australia. 24 November 1956. p. 6 – via Trove.
2. "Alan Hodgson on ITV". Daily Herald. 9 June 1956. p. 4 – via British Newspaper Archive. (subscription required)
3. "Spring Decorating". Winnipeg Free Press. Winnipeg, Canada. 6 June 1956. p. 38 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
4. Doreen M Stevens in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1916-2005
5. Henry C Stevens and Winifred Lucas in the England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 (1923)
6. Interview with Dorinda Stevens - 'The Siren', TVTimes - 20–26 November 1955
7. Shelley, Gary (8 May 1972). "Peter Wyngarde – An Incurable Romantic". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 9.
8. Peter Wyngarde in the London, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1965 - Ancestry.com (subscription required)
9. Partridge, Janet (20 April 1957). "Town Talk". The Vancouver Sun. p. 27.
10. Thompson, Howard (3 December 1964). "'Night Train to Paris' at Local Theaters". The New York Times.
11. Baker, Richard Anthony (5 November 2012). "Obituaries: Dorinda Stevens". The Stage. Archived from the original on 13 June 2018.
12. "Film Gossip". The Sydney Morning Herald. Sydney, Australia. 12 August 1956. p. 51 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Holmes, Su (2005). British TV and Film Culture of the 1950s: Coming to a TV Near You. UK: Intellect Books. p. 191. ISBN 9781841501215.
14. "Film Reviews: Not Wanted on Voyage". Variety. 13 November 1957. p. 20.
15. Grieg, Michael (14 February 1960). "A New Twist for a Ripping Old Horror Story". San Francisco Examiner. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
16. Watmough, David (7 June 1959). "Film Hypnosis - A New Kick for Horror Fans". San Francisco Examiner. pp. 20–21 – via Newspapers.com.
17. Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2017). The British 'B' Film. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 185. ISBN 9781844575749.

External links

• Dorinda Stevens on IMDb
• Dorinda Stevens at British Film Institute
• Dorinda Stevens at Aveleyman