Born Estelle Merle O’ Brien Thompson, in Bombay, India, on February 19, 1911, this great star was of mixed Welsh and Indian parentage, a fact which she tried to conceal. It is sadly ironic, for it is this blend of nationalities that rendered her an inimitably beautiful amalgam. Early publicity stated that she was born in Tasmania rather than India because Tasmania was considered a classier background than her true half-caste origins. Her father hailed from Britain and her mother from Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).
According to her nephew, Michael Korda, she appeared in nightclubs in Bombay while still in her early teens. She met a wealthy young Englishman and traveled with him to London where she became a star at Café de Paris. She then became the girlfriend of a black American jazz musician named Hutch.
Alexander Korda, a Hungarian Jewish movie mogul, discovered “Queenie” in the tea line of a movie studio. The year was 1933 when he changed her name to Merle Oberon and cast her as Anne Boleyn in “The Private Life of Henry the VIII.” This film has the distinction of being the very first British production ever to be nominated for an Academy Award as Best Picture. Merle Oberon and Alexander Korda married in 1939 and she became the first Lady Korda when he was knighted.
Hollywood beckoned in 1934 after her portrayal of Lady Marguerite Blakeney in “The Scarlet Pimpernel.” She earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in 1935 for her performance in the film, “Dark Angel.” She was a star both in Britain and in The United States. Her most critically acclaimed performance, which was hailed by some critics of the day as “masterful,” was as Cathy Linton in “Wuthering Heights” (1939).
During the 1940s she appeared in no less than 15 films, including “The Lodger” opposite Laird Cregar (1944) and “Berlin Express” (1948). Her final film was “Interval” (1973). She retired soon after and lived quietly until her death in November of 1979 of a massive stroke. She was only 68 years old at the time of her death and maintained her beauty until the very end. She had two children, and her daughter, Francesca, years after her mother’s death, commissioned a painting of her mother from an old photograph, instructing the painter to lighten her mother’s complexion to hide the fact that she was part Indian.
Unfortunately, some things for some people don’t change.
What are some of YOUR favorite Merle Oberon movies? Please share.