Skip to content
MovieCove
Margaret Rutherford

Margaret Rutherford

Actor · Died May 22, 1972, aged 80 · Balham, London, England, UK

Dame Margaret Taylor Rutherford DBE (11 May 1892 – 22 May 1972) was an English character actress, who first came to prominence following World War II in the film adaptations of Noel Coward's Blithe Spirit, and Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. She is best-known for her 1960s performances as Miss Marple in several films based loosely on Agatha Christie's novels. Description above from the Wikipedia article Margaret Rutherford, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
May 11, 1892
Died
May 22, 1972 (aged 80)
From
Balham, London, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 46 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 38 days to Oct 27Up 6% in 30 days

What are Margaret Rutherford's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy18 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 81st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 56th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Morality
33%
Bonds
25%
Power
13%
Self
12%
Society
11%
Ideas
6%
Deception8 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 18 · Serious 2 · Dark 0

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 8 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 1

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 14 · Charged 6 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 1

Funny: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their funny movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 13

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 14 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 14 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 17 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

12 analyzed roles

Usually the Hero: 4 of 12 analyzed roles.

Hero
4 of 12
Threshold guardian
2 of 12
Ally
2 of 12
Shadow
1 of 12
Mentor
1 of 12
Trickster
1 of 12
Herald
1 of 12
Show the 12 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
11
Absurd
12
Warm
6
Tense
7
Romantic
3
Other
10

How their films linger

Feel-good17 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun15 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy16
  • Bittersweet4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Margaret Rutherford's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on BritBox (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Margaret Rutherford's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

46 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • To See Such Fun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Actor

  • The Virgin and the Gypsy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    as Grandma (scenes deleted)

  • The Wacky World of Mother Goose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    as Mother Goose (voice)

  • Arabella(1967)

    as Princess Ilaria

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • A Countess from Hong Kong(1967)

    as Miss Gaulswallow

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • The Alphabet Murders(1965)

    as Miss Jane Marple (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Chimes at Midnight(1965)

    as Mistress Quickly

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Murder Ahoy(1964)

    as Miss Jane Marple

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Murder Most Foul(1964)

    as Miss Jane Marple

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The V.I.P.s(1963)

    as The Duchess of Brighton

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Murder at the Gallop(1963)

    as Miss Jane Marple

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Mouse on the Moon(1963)

    as Grand Duchess Gloriana XIII

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Zero One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • Murder She Said(1961)

    as Miss Jane Marple

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • On the Double(1961)

    as Lady Vivian

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • I'm All Right Jack(1959)

    as Aunt Dolly

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Just My Luck(1957)

    as Mrs. Dooley

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Big Time Operators(1957)

    as Mrs. Fazackalee

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • An Alligator Named Daisy(1955)

    as Prudence Croquet

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Aunt Clara (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Clara Hilton

  • Mad About Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    as Nurse Carey

  • Trouble in Store (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Miss Bacon

  • Innocents in Paris (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Gwladys Inglott

  • The Runaway Bus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    as Miss Cynthia Beeston

  • Miss Robin Hood(1952)

    as Heather Honey

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • The Importance of Being Earnest(1952)

    as Miss Prism

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Castle in the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Miss Nicholson

  • Curtain Up(1952)

    as Catherine Beckwith / Jeremy St. Claire

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Magic Box (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    as Lady Pond

  • Her Favourite Husband (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)

    as Mrs. Dotherington

  • The Happiest Days of Your Life(1950)

    as Muriel Whitchurch

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Passport to Pimlico(1949)

    as Professor Hatton-Jones

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Miranda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Nurse Carey

  • Meet Me at Dawn (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Madame Vernorel

  • While the Sun Shines (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Dr. Winifred Frye

  • Blithe Spirit(1945)

    as Madame Arcati

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • English Without Tears (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)

    as Lady Christabel Beauclerk

  • Yellow Canary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Mrs. Towcester

  • The Demi-Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1943)

    as Rowena Ventnor

  • Quiet Wedding (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Second Magistrate

  • Spring Meeting (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Aunt Bijou

  • Big Fella (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1938)

    as Nanny (uncredited)

  • Catch as Catch Can (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as 'Crafty' Maggie Carberry

  • Beauty and the Barge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Mrs. Baldwin

  • Talk of the Devil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    Actor

  • Dusty Ermine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Evelyn Summers aka Miss Butterby

Career shape

Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 46 titles from 1936 to 1977; peak year 1964.

Biggest box office

The Mouse on the Moon (1963)

$416K worldwide

Highest rated

Chimes at Midnight (1965)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

A Countess from Hong Kong (1967)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
19361977

Peak 1964 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting46 of 46: 46 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score79th

By decade

1930s5 · acting1940s10 · acting1950s16 · acting1960s13 · acting1970s2 · acting

Billing

usually 3rd · top billed in 29% of 17 roles
4555

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Margaret Rutherford's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 79th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 76th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

81stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

66thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

None of their 21 titles divides audiences: 11 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed3

Most loved · actor

Chimes at Midnight (1965)

Midcredits 94th · 80% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 20 reviewed titles; fans 84, detractors 50. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Margaret Rutherford work with?

People who share at least 2 of Margaret Rutherford's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Stringer Davis shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers