Margaret Rutherford’s true life story is much more eccentric than the most famous fictional role she ever played, her role of a lifetime. A role which appeared tailor-made for her: Miss Jane Marple – Agatha Christie’s amateur detective. In the four black and white interpretations of Agatha Christie’s international bestsellers, Rutherford wore her own costumes and put on her own make-up. Perhaps an indication of why Rutherford’s characterisation of Miss Marple has become so definitive, classic and unmistakeably English. In more than 40 films and over 100 stage plays, Oscar & Gold Globe winner Margaret Rutherford realised she possessed an incredible gift for timing and with this a natural talent for comedy. Secretly she always wanted to play Shakespeare’s Julia, but knew that with her idiosyncratic looks, jutting chin and portly figure she was just not destined to play romantic heroines. In fact, far more interesting roles lay ahead. Margaret Rutherford’s final resting place is in the cemetery at Gerrards Cross, where she shares a grave with Stringer Davis who passed away a year after his beloved wife. Her gravestone is inscribed with the words: DAME MARGARET TAYLOR RUTHERFORD - A BLITHE SPIRIT - a fitting epitaph because she really was that.
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. This includes i.a. the embedded social media, but also a tracking tool that provides us with information about the ergonomics of our website and user behavior. If you click on "Accept all cookies", you agree to the use of technically necessary cookies and those to optimize our website. See "Cookie Settings" for more information.
Control settings
Please select your preferences. You can change these at any time.
In order for our website to function optimally, we use cookies for some of our applications. These cannot be deactivated, otherwise you will not be able to use all applications.
In order to make our website as user-friendly as possible, we have i.a. social media embedded on our website. This allows you to share content with your loved ones on the appropriate network with just a few clicks. We also use anonymous tracking technology, which gives us information about e.g. the user behavior, but also the effectiveness and ergonomics of our website. For this purpose, we also use services that may be based outside the European Union (especially in the USA), where the level of data protection may be lower than in Germany.
