Actress. A specialist in cameos, she portrayed a succession of waitresses, clerks, secretaries, nurses, and barmaids in hundreds of British movies, and will probably be best remembered for her roles in a dozen of the "Carry On" series of films from the 1960s and 1970s. Raised by her grandparents, her talent became evident in her grandmother's music school; she won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, but dropped out to work as a bank clerk. Soon, however, the stage was calling, and she earned a London County Council Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1940; there, she was to garner the Gertrude Lawrence Award for Character Acting. After working as a theatre stage manager, she made her West End debut in "The King Maker" (1945), then her silver screen bow with 1947's "When the Bough Breaks". Never short of work, she was a WAAF in "Angels One Five", a nurse in "Hell Drivers", and, in 1956, got her only top-billing as Mrs. Cusick in the 1956 "Persons Unknown". While busy with films, she still found time for the theatre, and, later, television. Stone claimed her favourite part was that of Vivian Darkbloom in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 "Lolita". Her career moved toward television as time went on, with her final appearance coming in a 1989 episode of "The Nineteenth Hole". Miss Stone was married once, to actor, author, and critic Peter Noble. She was sometimes credited as Mary Stone.
Actress. A specialist in cameos, she portrayed a succession of waitresses, clerks, secretaries, nurses, and barmaids in hundreds of British movies, and will probably be best remembered for her roles in a dozen of the "Carry On" series of films from the 1960s and 1970s. Raised by her grandparents, her talent became evident in her grandmother's music school; she won a scholarship to the Royal College of Music, but dropped out to work as a bank clerk. Soon, however, the stage was calling, and she earned a London County Council Scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1940; there, she was to garner the Gertrude Lawrence Award for Character Acting. After working as a theatre stage manager, she made her West End debut in "The King Maker" (1945), then her silver screen bow with 1947's "When the Bough Breaks". Never short of work, she was a WAAF in "Angels One Five", a nurse in "Hell Drivers", and, in 1956, got her only top-billing as Mrs. Cusick in the 1956 "Persons Unknown". While busy with films, she still found time for the theatre, and, later, television. Stone claimed her favourite part was that of Vivian Darkbloom in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 "Lolita". Her career moved toward television as time went on, with her final appearance coming in a 1989 episode of "The Nineteenth Hole". Miss Stone was married once, to actor, author, and critic Peter Noble. She was sometimes credited as Mary Stone.
Bio by: Bob Hufford
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