Curigwen Lewis (born Martha Curigwen Lewis) was a Welsh stage and screen actress, born in Llandrindod Wells, Radnorshire, on 1 November 1905. She built her career as a leading lady with the Birmingham Repertory Company and the Old Vic Company, and her television work included 'Choir Practice' (1949) and 'Pride and Prejudice' (1938). In 1949 she took the leading role of Bathsheba Everdene in a BBC radio dramatisation of 'Far From the Madding Crowd', and in the 1954 film 'John Wesley' she played Susanna Wesley, mother of John and Charles Wesley.
In 1939 she married the Scottish actor Andrew Cruickshank, though she continued to perform professionally under her own name, Curigwen Lewis, rather than as Cruickshank. The couple had three children and later appeared together in two episodes of 'Dr Finlay's Casebook'. Legacy content on this page long claimed she played Desdemona opposite Laurence Olivier and Ralph Richardson in a 1938 production of Othello, and appeared in the first West End production of Jane Eyre — this specific claim could not be independently verified from available sources, though it does fall within her known Old Vic period, so it is recorded here as unconfirmed rather than repeated as fact. She died in Westminster, London, on 17 February 1992, aged 86.
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Welsh stage and screen actress from Llandrindod Wells, a leading lady with the Birmingham Repertory Company and the Old Vic Company
Curigwen Lewis
Stage and Screen Actress
Born and raised in Llandrindod Wells, Radnorshire (now Powys), Wales.
Married to fellow actor Andrew Cruickshank from 1939, Curigwen Lewis kept her maiden name for professional purposes throughout her career, and the pair later shared the screen in two episodes of 'Dr Finlay's Casebook'. Her radio work included the title role of Bathsheba Everdene in a 1949 BBC dramatisation of Thomas Hardy's 'Far From the Madding Crowd', while on screen she portrayed Susanna Wesley, mother of the Methodist founders John and Charles Wesley, in the 1954 biographical film 'John Wesley'.
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Career Highlights
Leading lady with the Birmingham Repertory Company and the Old Vic Company
Played Susanna Wesley in the 1954 film John Wesley
Starred as Bathsheba Everdene in the BBC radio dramatisation of Far From the Madding Crowd (1949)
Appeared alongside husband Andrew Cruickshank in two episodes of Dr Finlay's Casebook
Television work included Choir Practice (1949) and Pride and Prejudice (1938)
ℹ️ Curigwen was born Martha Curigwen Lewis on the 1st of November, 1905, in Llandrindod Wells, Wales.
ℹ️ Curigwen died on the 17th of February, 1992.
Born and raised in Llandrindod Wells, Radnorshire (now Powys), Wales.
From: blueemma
She had three children and four grand children, she was an amazing granny and lived out her days in London. She told everyone about her proud welsh roots, especially her grandchildren!