Hazel Court English actress Date of Birth: 10.02.1926 Country: USA

Biography of Hazel Court

Hazel Court was an English actress, best known for her roles in horror films of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was born in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. Her father, J. V. Court, was a renowned cricket player for the 'Durham CCC' team. At the age of fourteen, she began studying dramatic arts at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the Alexandra Theatre, both located in Birmingham. At sixteen, Hazel met director Anthony Asquith in London, who gave her a small role in the 1944 film 'Champagne Charlie'.

In 1946, Court received the British Film Critics' Award for her role as a disfigured girl in the film 'Carnival'. She went on to star in 'Holiday Camp' in 1947 and 'Bond Street' in 1948. In 1952, Hazel ventured into fantasy for the first time in the film 'Ghost Ship'. Two years later, she appeared in 'Devil Girl from Mars', followed by 'Doctor Blood's Coffin' in 1961. While Court had a fondness for comedy films, she continued to act in horror films, including 'The Curse of Frankenstein' in 1957, which solidified her reputation as the "queen of scream" due to her memorable appearances with revealing necklines.

During the 1957-1958 season, Hazel was primarily occupied with her role as Jane Starrett, an English aristocrat married to an insurance investigator, played by Patrick O'Neal, in the comedy series 'Dick and the Duchess'. Court frequently traveled between England and Hollywood, and she also appeared in four episodes of the classic series 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. Additionally, she starred in films such as 'A Woman of Mystery' and 'The Man Who Could Cheat Death'.

By the early 1960s, Court had permanently relocated to the United States. She had the opportunity to star in three horror films based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe: 'The Premature Burial', 'The Raven', and 'The Masque of the Red Death', the latter two featuring Vincent Price as her co-star. Hazel was married to Irish actor Dermot Walsh from 1949 to 1963, and they had a daughter named Sally Walsh, who appeared in her mother's film 'The Curse of Frankenstein'. In 1964, she married American actor Don Taylor, whom she met during the filming of an episode of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents'. They had two children together, Jonathan and Courtney.

After her second marriage, Court decided to focus on her husband and children, leaving the film industry in 1964. However, she made a brief appearance in the 1981 film 'Omen 3: The Final Conflict'. She also appeared in several television series, including 'Mission: Impossible', 'Dr. Kildare', and 'The Twilight Zone'. Apart from acting, Hazel had a passion for drawing and sculpture, which she studied in Italy. In 2007, her autobiography 'Hazel Court - Horror Queen' was published in the United Kingdom. She passed away from a heart attack on April 15, 2008, at the age of eighty-two.