Marjie Lawrence

Marjie Lawrence (21 January 1932 – 16 June 2010) was an English theatre, film and television actress. She spoke the first words uttered on ITV. Early life Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Marjie undertook weekend acting classes from age 12 at the Birmingham Theatre School. After completing her schooling, she was accepted to be trained at the Birmingham School of Speech & Drama on a three-year undergraduate course. Career On graduating, she undertook work with George Dare's touring company in Norfolk, learning and acting in 36 plays over eight weeks. After the company returned to Bacton, she left the company with another actress and started working at the local sanitorium to earn enough money to afford the train fare to London. After leaving the hospital on finding out that most of the staff had TB, her former landlady introduced her to Lady Rawlinson, wife of Sir Alfred Rawlinson, 4th Baronet, at North Walsham, who employed her as a cook. Unable to cook, Marjie stayed for the summer of 1953 as the children's nanny. Theatre Workshop Moving to Swiss Cottage, London in October 1953, she undertook work as a filing clerk in Victoria, London during the day, while watching for acting opportunities in The Stage. On New Year's Day 1954, she was one of 200 people who attended an audition at the Theatre Royal in Stratford for Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop company. The facilitator for the audition was Harry Greene. Littlewood put her through a two-hour audition before accepting her into the company. Greene and Lawrence quickly became a couple.