Biographies: Valerie Hobson - Actor

Biographies

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An Irish actress, born in Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK. She married producer Anthony Havelock-Allan (1939-1952) and had two children. After the divorce, she married politician John Profumo (1954-1998), had her third child, and remained with him until her death. Her works include Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949), The Rocking Horse Winner (1949), and Great Expectations (1946). She studied dance at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and appeared on the stage at the age of 16, but an infection with scarlet fever made her give up dancing in favor of acting. She appeared in several British films and left for Hollywood, appearing in a number of American films. She returned to work in British cinema, often in aristocratic roles. She married producer Anthony Havelock-Allan and appeared in many of his films but separated from him in 1952, then she was married in 1954 to politician John Profumo. She then retired from acting. She stood firmly by her husband Profumo, who was Secretary of State for War and a member of the House of Commons, when in 1963 he faced a sexual scandal after the discovery of his sexual relationship with British model Christine Keeler, who was in a relationship at the same time with the Soviet naval attache. Profumo was forced to resign his posts. In her later years, she devoted herself to charitable work. She died in London, England, United Kingdom on November 13, 1998 of a heart attack after she stopped taking heart medications.

• 20 October 2021
• Christina Aziz