From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, as Katherina Houston Gribbin she toured music halls and revues with her sister Billie Houston as the "Houston Sisters". In 1926, the sisters made a short musical film, the script of which Renée had written. It was produced by Lee De Forest, whose process, Phonofilm, enabled a soundtrack to be played alongside the film (a year before The Jazz Singer). Houston married three times, the second was to the actor Pat Aherne, the brother of Brian Aherne. Her third husband was the actor Donald Stewart. In her later years, she specialised in "battleaxe" roles, notably as shop steward Vic Spanner's (Kenneth Cope) formidable mother in Carry On at Your Convenience (1971). She published her autobiography in 1974 which was entitled Don't Fence Me In. Houston was also in the early episodes of radio's The Clitheroe Kid and a regular guest on radio panel show The Petticoat Line chaired by Anona Winn. She died in London at the age of 77 on 9 February 1980.
Movie | Legend of the Werewolf | Chou-Chou | 1975-08-06 |
Movie | Carry On at Your Convenience | Agatha Spanner | 1971-12-10 |
Movie | The Comic | Olive | 1969-11-29 |
Movie | River Rivals | Mrs. Fredericks | 1967-01-01 |
Movie | Secrets of a Windmill Girl | 1966-01-02 | |
Movie | The Idol | 1st Woman at Party | 1966-02-01 |
Movie | Cul-de-sac | Christopher's Mother | 1966-06-17 |
Movie | The Spy with a Cold Nose | Lady Blanchflower | 1966-12-19 |
Movie | Repulsion | Mme Balch | 1965-06-01 |
Movie | Carry On Spying | Funhouse Madame | 1964-06-01 |
Movie | The Rescue Squad | 1963-01-01 | |
Movie | Nurse on Wheels | Mrs. Beacon | 1963-01-03 |
Movie | Carry On Cabby | Molly | 1963-06-01 |
Movie | Twice Round the Daffodils | Matron | 1962-04-02 |
Series | Dr. Finlay's Casebook | Unknown | 1962-08-16 |
Movie | The Phantom of the Opera | Mrs. Tucker | 1962-06-25 |
Movie | Tomorrow at Ten | Masie Maddox | 1962-09-01 |
Movie | Out of the Fog | Ma | 1962-09-01 |
Series | The Saint | Unknown | 1962-10-04 |
Movie | Three on a Spree | Mrs. Gray | 1961-06-28 |
Movie | No, My Darling Daughter | Miss Yardley | 1961-08-22 |
Movie | Watch It, Sailor! | Mrs. Mottram | 1961-08-14 |
Movie | And the Same to You | Mildred Pomphret | 1960-02-01 |
Movie | The Flesh and the Fiends | Helen Burke | 1960-02-02 |
Series | No Hiding Place | Unknown | 1959-09-16 |
Movie | The Key | Canteen Worker (uncredited) | 1958-05-28 |
Movie | The Nice Americans | Mrs. Adams | 1958-01-01 |
Movie | The Big Money | Bobbie | 1958-06-09 |
Movie | The Horse's Mouth | Sara Monday | 1958-11-11 |
Movie | Time Without Pity | Mrs. Harker | 1957-03-21 |
Movie | A Town Like Alice | Ebbey | 1956-03-01 |
Movie | Track the Man Down | Pat Sherwood | 1955-06-06 |
Movie | The Belles of St. Trinian's | Miss Brimmer | 1954-09-28 |
Movie | Lady Godiva Rides Again | Beattie | 1951-10-25 |
Movie | Two Thousand Women | Maud Wright | 1944-11-06 |
Movie | The Peterville Diamond | Lady Margaret | 1943-01-11 |
Movie | Down Melody Lane | Self | 1943-01-01 |
Movie | Old Bill and Son | Stella Malloy | 1941-03-01 |
Movie | A Girl Must Live | Gloria Lind | 1939-09-24 |
Movie | Happy Days Are Here Again | Kitty Seymour | 1936-08-10 |
Movie | Lost In The Legion | Mary McFee | 1934-07-13 |
Movie | Mister Cinders | Mrs. Phipps | 1934-01-01 |
Movie | Their Night Out | Maggie Oliphant | 1933-03-01 |
Movie | Radio Parade | 1933-10-01 | |
Movie | Come Into My Parlour | Jenny MacDonald | 1932-03-01 |