Ethyle Batley

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Ethyle Batley (born Alice Ethel Murray; 3 December 1876[1] – 23 April 1917) was a British film director, actress and screenwriter.[2] She made nearly 70 films between 1912 and her early death in 1917.[3][4]

Batley was born in December 1876 in Wigan, northwest England, the second daughter of an iron merchant. In the late 1890s, she travelled to London to work as a theatre actress, performing under the name Ethyle Gordon Murray.[2]

While working with a touring theatre company, Murray met Ernest Batley, an actor from East London. They were married on 22 June 1901 at a registry office ceremony in Wandsworth, and began their married life living in Battersea.[2] In 1902, Ernest and Ethyle had their first child, actress Dorothy Audrey Batley, who was born on 18 January.[5]

Film career

Ethyle's first directing credit was in October 1912, with the film Peggy Gets Rid of the Baby, which starred Dorothy in the lead role.[5] During the First World War, Batley was one of the most active directors of patriotic films.[6]

Legacy

References

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