Asherson, Renée (1915—)
Asherson, Renée (1915—)
English actress. Born Renée Ascherson in London, England, in 1915; daughter of Charles Stephen Ascherman and Dorothy Lilian (Wiseman); educated in Maltman's Green, Gerrard's Cross, Switzerland, and Anjou, France; studied for the stage at the Webber-Douglas Dramatic School; married Robert Donat (an actor).
Renée Asherson made her stage debut at age 15, playing a walk-on in John Gielgud's production of Romeo and Juliet. Mostly known for her theatrical and television career, she played Katherine in Laurence Olivier's film of Henry V in 1944. Her other films include The Way Ahead (1944), The Way to the Stars (1944), Caesar and Cleopatra (1945), Once a Jolly Swagman (also titled Maniacs on Wheels, 1948), The Cure for Love (1949), The Small Back Room (1949), Pool of London (1950), Malta Story (1953), The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1962), Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966), Theatre of Blood (1973), and A Man Called Intrepid (1979).