Hermione Baddeley

A little lady who was often larger than life...! She was born on November 13, 1906... Her talent brought her from Broadway to the silver screen and then the small screen... In 1927 she appeared in her first film - A Daugher in Revolt. In 1951 she played Mrs. Cratchit in A Christmas Carol. Some of her other films include No Room at the Inn, Midnight Lace, Mary Poppins, Marriage on the Rocks, Do Not Disturb, The Happiest Millionaire and The AristoCats. In 1959 she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress following her work in the film Room at the Top. While she didn't win, she does hold a record. She is only featured on screen for less than THREE minutes making that the shortest timed role ever to be nominated. Her television career made her known to many...among her credits she was a regular on "The Good Life" from 1971 to 1972 and on "South Riding" in 1974. Some other television credits include "The Merv Griffin Show", "The Hollywood Squares", "Dinah!", "The Virginia Graham Show", "Playhouse 90", "The Cara Williams Show", "The Patty Duke Show", "Bewitched", "Batman", "Night Gallery", "The Bionic Woman", "The Love Boat", "Charlie Angel's", "Little House on the Prairie", "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman", "Vega$", "Fantasy Island", "Trapper John, M.D." and "Magnum, P.I." It was on September 30, 1974 that she became a weekly guest in America's living rooms. That is the day in which she first appeared on the hit sitcom "Maude" starring Beatrice Arthur and Bill Macy. She played Mrs. Nell Naugatuck, a fiesty British housekeeper who was constantly doing battle with the liberated Maude Findlay. As time went on Mrs. Naugatuck found love with a graveyard nightwatchmen named Bert Beasley played by J.Pat O'Malley. Mrs. Naugatuck and Bert married in the November 22, 1976 episode. After three seasons of battle with Maude, Mrs. Naugatuck said good bye at the end of the 1976-1977 season....she and Bert had to move to Ireland to care for his 96-year-old mother. The episode featuring their final appearance was entitled "The Household Feud" and originally aired on CBS on March 28, 1977... One of the more serious episodes focusing on Mrs. Naugatuck was "Mrs. Naugatuck's Citizenship" originally aired February 16, 1976. On the eve of her final citizenship exam Mrs. Naugatuck suffers a mild stroke and ends up in the hospital...fortunately there is a happy ending as she is able to become a citizen despite the setback. Her final film was The Last Leaf in 1983 and her final television role was a guest appearance on "Shadow Chasers" on November 28, 1985... She passed away on August 19, 1986... In Memoriam Remembers: Hermione Baddeley