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May Whitty

May Whitty

Actor · Died May 29, 1948, aged 82 · Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Dame Mary Louise Webster, DBE (19 June 1865 – 29 May 1948), known professionally as May Whitty and later, for her charity work, Dame May Whitty, was an English stage and film actress. She was one of the first two women entertainers to become a Dame. The British actors union Equity was established in her home. After a successful career she moved over to Hollywood films at the age of 72. She went to live in America, where she won awards for her film roles. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
June 19, 1865
Died
May 29, 1948 (aged 82)
From
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK
Works as
Actor
Titles
20 on MovieCove · 32 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 16% in 30 days

What are May Whitty's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Drama11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 75th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 70th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime 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
Bonds
36%
Morality
22%
Self
14%
Society
13%
Ideas
6%
Survival
5%
Power
3%
Romantic love9 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFate2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 7 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 12 · Intense 5

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

Steady 6 · Shifting 13 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 14 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 8 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 3

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

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

5 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.

Ally
2 of 5
Threshold guardian
1 of 5
Mentor
1 of 5
Shadow
1 of 5

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
12
Romantic
8
Melancholic
9
Bittersweet
5
Dread
4
Other
16

How their films linger

Bittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet10
  • Ambiguous2

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 May Whitty's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 20 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for May Whitty'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

32 credits, 20 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Return of October (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Aunt Martha Grant

  • The Sign of the Ram (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    as Clara Brastock

  • If Winter Comes(1947)

    as Mrs. Perch

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • This Time for Keeps (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1947)

    as Grandmother Cambaretti

  • Green Dolphin Street(1947)

    as Mother Superior

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Devotion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1946)

    as Lady Thornton

  • My Name Is Julia Ross(1945)

    as Mrs. Hughes

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The White Cliffs of Dover(1944)

    as Nanny

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Gaslight(1944)

    as Miss Thwaites

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Madame Curie(1943)

    as Madame Eugene Curie

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Lassie Come Home(1943)

    as Dally

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Flesh and Fantasy(1943)

    as Pamela Hardwick (segment 2)

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Stage Door Canteen(1943)

    as Dame May Whitty

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Constant Nymph(1943)

    as Lady Constance Longborough

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Crash Dive(1943)

    as Grandmother

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Slightly Dangerous(1943)

    as Baba

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Forever and a Day(1943)

    as Lucy Trimble

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Thunder Birds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    as Lady Jane Stackhouse

  • Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood No. 6 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1942)

    Actor

  • Mrs. Miniver(1942)

    as Lady Beldon

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Suspicion(1941)

    as Mrs. McLaidlaw

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • One Night In Lisbon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1941)

    as Florence

  • A Bill of Divorcement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Aunt Hester Fairfield

  • Return to Yesterday (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1940)

    as Mrs Emily Truscott

  • Raffles(1939)

    as Lady Melrose

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • The Lady Vanishes(1938)

    as Miss Froy

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • I Met My Love Again(1938)

    as Aunt William

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Conquest(1937)

    as Laetitia Bonaparte

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Thirteenth Chair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1937)

    as Mrs O'Neill aka Madame Rosalie la Grange

  • Night Must Fall(1937)

    as Mrs. Bramson

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Keep Your Seats, Please (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1936)

    as Aunt Georgina Withers

  • The Little Minister (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1915)

    as Nanny Webster

Career shape

Star power in the 94th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 32 titles from 1915 to 1948.

Biggest box office

The Lady Vanishes (1938)

$128K worldwide

Highest rated

Gaslight (1944)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

Top draw in 1 MovieCove title.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting32 of 32: 32 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score77th

By decade

1910s1 · acting1930s7 · acting1940s24 · acting

Billing

usually 4th · top billed in 0% of 10 roles

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.

How do May Whitty's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 77th percentile, the median of all 20; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 78th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 20 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th8
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 20 titles divides audiences: 16 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Crowd Pleaser16
  • Broadly Agreed1

Most loved · actor

Gaslight (1944)

Midcredits 97th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the acting 77/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles; fans 82, detractors 54. 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.

Is May Whitty's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 18 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 1 · minimalMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 5 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does May Whitty work with?

People who share at least 2 of May Whitty's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Reginald Owen shares the most, 5.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers

Mixed roles