Merle Oberon

Also known as Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson

British actress (1911-1979)

Film & TV

Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India [now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India]

Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 1911 – 23 November 1979) was a British actress of Anglo-Indian origin. Her career spanned from the 1920s to the 1970s, and she was a major leading lady during the Golden Age of Hollywood. Born and raised in British India, she began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in The Private Life of…

Known for

Charmed Lives: A Family Romance — Self (archive footage)2028
Churchill and the Movie Mogul — Self (archive footage)2019
The Trouble with Merle — Self2002
Korda: I Don't Grow on Trees: Part One — Self1993
Interval — Serena Moore1973
The American Film Institute Salute to ... — Self1973
The Epic That Never Was — Self - Interviewee / Messalina (archive footage)1969
Hotel — The Duchess Caroline1967
The Oscar — Merle Oberon1966
Of Love and Desire — Katherine Beckmann1963

via TMDB

Key facts

Born: Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson , ( 1911-02-19 ) 19 February 1911, Bombay , British India
Died: 23 November 1979 (1979-11-23) (aged 68), Malibu, California , U.S.
Occupation: Actress
Years active: 1928–1973

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Gender: female
Citizenship: United States
Place of birth: Mumbai
Place of death: Malibu
Spouse: Alexander Korda
Occupation: actor
Languages spoken: English language
Award: star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Image: Merle Oberon-publicity.JPG
Work location: United Kingdom

Show 11 more facts

place of burial: Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Commons category: Merle Oberon
date of birth: 1911-02-19
date of death: 1979-11-23
cause of death: stroke
nominated for: Academy Award for Best Actress
manner of death: natural causes
Commons gallery: Merle Oberon
start of work period: 1928-00-00
name in native language: Merle Oberon
notable role: Joséphine de Beauharnais

Sources (9)

via Wikidata · CC0

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Encyclopedic overview

Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 1911 – 23 November 1979) was a British actress of Sri Lankan Burgher origin. Her career spanned the 1920s to the 1970s, and she was a major leading lady during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Born and raised in British India, she began her acting career in British cinema in the early 1930s, with a breakout role in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). She later moved to Hollywood, where she became an international star, earning acclaim for films such as The Dark Angel (1935), Wuthering Heights (1939), and That Uncertain Feeling (1941). Her performance as Kitty Vane in The Dark Angel earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Merle Oberon” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.