I would have to say Jean Kent as the most obvious choice. She received raves from the critics for her first, and only musical Trottie True in 1949, one actually said, "Britain has it's own Grable!"

She had experience of working in the music halls in the late 1930's, and had been one of the "Windmill Girls" when she was a teenager. She had also worked at The London Palladium with that great comic, Max Miller. After many successful films she was our 9th most popular star in 1950, and 8th in 1951.

She could sing and dance, and would have been perfect for the lead in The King and I. Instead they gave it to Deborah Kerr, who coincidentally, was born in 1921, the same year as Jean, and her voice was dubbed by Marni Nixon.

British producers just didn't seem to know how to build stars in the 1940's and '50's, which is why so many of them went to Hollywood, like Deborah, James Mason, Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger, and they all became internationals stars as a result.

Meanwhile, after one last meaty role as the ruthless wife of Michael Redgrave in The Browning Version, she drifted into second features or supporting roles in big films like The Prince and The Showgirl, with Marilyn and Laurence Olivier, and she was only 35.

She seemed to be quite content with her life on her Suffolk farm, and was very happily married from 1946 until her husband's death in 1989. She had met him on the set of her film "Caravan" in 1946, he was Stewart Granger's stand in.

She kept busy right up to her 80's, when she appeared in the theatre and on TV, in which turned up in everything from "Crossroads" to "Lovejoy."

Are there any British Stars alive today Walter who you'd travel to events or gatherings to see?

I can only think of Maggie Smith.

There is not one of todays so called "stars" that I would go the end of the street to see.

As for the hype over Cumberbatch and Redmayne, words fail me!

I was convinced you'd say Judi Dench too!!

Have you read Maggie Smiths autobiography? I'm sure it came out or was updated last year? It was all over Waterstones and WHSmith bookshops.

How old was Maggie when Hollywood started to take notice of her?

I do like Judi very much, and have her biography, but I don't know that I would travel far to see her.

I bought Maggie's biography for a friend for his birthday a couple of years ago, and read it before I gave it to him. As far as I am aware, I don't believe that Maggie had written her autobiography.

Maggie made a big impression on Hollywood in 1963 at the age of 28, when she played Rod Taylor's timid secretary in The V.I.P's, and stole the film from that dreary pair, Taylor and Burton.

Two years later she received her first Acadamy Award Nomination when she played Desdemona opposite Olivier who played the title role in Shakespeare's Othello.

She also scored another big in John Ford's Young Cassidy opposite Rod Taylor in the title role.

She confirmed her stardom forever in 1969 with her Best Actress Oscar winning performance in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. She followed that with a brilliant cameo in Richard Attenborough's Oh, What a Lovely War!

Thank you!

You'll be pleased to hear that there's lots of speculation around the Oscars and Maggie Smith is tipped by some to be receiving an Oscar Nomination for her role in "The Lady in the van "

Also Downton Abbey seemed rather popular in America especially with the critics. I don't know what it is about British upper class accents and upper class/well born lifebut Hollywood seems to have loved it and been fascinated by it for years especially the male actors!

Which British actors from the past who've made it /been successful in Hollywood would you say fitted this description?

Was Cary Grant for instance "posh " in real life?

I am delighted for Maggie, and I would love her to win, although she is far too classy to go to Hollywood and campaign for the Oscar, unlike some other Nominee's.

I LOVE Downton Abbey, but I am a sucker for any period drama set in the Victorian and Edwardian era, it is just great escapism, which is sadly missing from most of todays entertainment.

British actors have been in demand in Hollywood since the early talkies, and so many of our actors had the experience of years in the theatre. To name just a few, Sir C Aubrey Smith, Herbert Marshall, Eric Blore, Leslie Howard, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Laurence Olivier, David Niven, Stewart Granger, and my own particular favourite, James Mason.

When Olivier made his Hollywood debut at RKO opposite his first wife Jill Esmond, she was a bigger name than him. In fact she was all set to star in A Bill of Divorcement, but he persuaded her to accompany his back to London. She was replaced by a stage actress appearing in her first Hollywood film , Katharine Hepburn.

Olivier's bad luck in Hollywood continued when Garbo had him replaced by John Gilbert as her leading man in Queen Christina. It wasn't until Wuthering Heights that he was finally in demand in Hollywood, and his success was justified the following year in Hitchock's masterpiece, Rebecca. He really could have been a big Hollywood Star, but he preferred to come back to the UK to concentrate on the theatre, and his Shakespeare films, beginning with his Oscar winning production of Henry V in 1944. He followed that with Hamlet, which won him the Best Actor Oscar for 1948.

As for Cary Grant, probably the most suave of all the English imports, he was anything but "posh." He came from very humble beginnings in Bristol, his father was an alcoholic, and his mother suffered from clinical depression. He described his childhood as traumatic, and his mother kept him in infants clothing for so long, he wasn't sure whether he was a boy or a girl.

He was only 16 years old when he travelled to the USA with The Pender Acrobatic Troup, and his show business career began.

I thought Stewart Granger was American!

Additional to my shame and ignorance I've never heard of Eric Blore, Aubrey Smith or Herbert Marshall! I've heard of all the others but I'm not overfamiliar with Claude Rains.

I believe Laurence Oliviers widow Joan Plowright has recently given up acting after her eyesight succumbed to macular degeneration.

I recommend you check out Maggie Smiths latest film "The Lady in the van " She plays eccentric brilliantly and I've a feeling you'll like it more than most of todays films.

Stewart Granger was born in Kensington, you couldn't get more English than that.

His real name was James Stewart, and he had to change it for obvious reasons.

Eric Blore was a brilliant actor, and was a real asset as a fellow crook in Barbara's Lady Eve. C. Aubrey Smith was her father in law in Gambling Lady, and Herbert Marshall was her leading man in Breakfast for Two, and Always Goodbye. He was also terrific in Bette's The Letter and The Little Foxes.

Claude Rains was not only John Gielgud's drama teacher, but also Bette's favourite leading man, appearing with her three time, in Juarez, Deception, and the great tearjerker, Now Voyager.

I have seen Lady in the Van and loved it. I knew that I would, because I saw Maggie in the play in 1999.

Now for my big news, at 5 am tomorrow, a limousine will arrive at my home to whisk me off to the GMTV studio's so that I can perform The Plank, and if you don't know what that is, take a look on Google.

I have watched them doing it this week, and messaged them that I could beat most of them. My record is 8 minutes 15 seconds, and I can beat guys in my gym young enough to be my great grandchildren. I am hoping that the adrenalin will help me to beat their record of 5 minutes 27 seconds. So keep everything crossed for me, and I just hope that I can do it.

I think Rains also starred in Mr. Skeffington with Bette. I remember watching that with my mum when I was younger.

Anyway, good luck for tomorrow Walter.

Claude Rains was the original Invisible Man.

Is The Plank anything to do with Eric Sykes?

Thanks very much Dan.

Yes, you are quite right, it slipped my mind because it is one of my least favourite Bette performances. Although she was Oscar Nominated, I thought that it was one of her worst, most over the top performance. I prefer to remember her and Claude in Now Voyager, which was just sublime.

A day of work and a cold snowy day, so heating on and curtains drawn I finally managed to sit down and watch it, thoroughly enjoyed it, Barbara was brilliant in it, very charismatic, and beautiful subtlety in her acting, I had guessed what the original ending was when I read your comment, and even the amended ending made me feel sad, because you know what is going to happen going to have a look on Youtube now for some of her other films

No, it's an exercise which strengthens the core and abs.

You can see it demonstrated if you Google, "How to do the Plank", it isn't as easy as it looks, but I have been doing it four times a week for years. I really recommend it for general fitness.

So pleased that you enjoyed it, but I was confident that you would. Did you like Joan Lorring as the tragic Celestine, and the lady who inspired this thread?

I would definitely recommend My Reputation, although I believe that you can only see clips of it on Youtube, but it is available from Amazon.

I really liked her in it, I am going to look up some of her movies too, I havent seen The Corn Is Green, her one with Bette yet, hoping to see that one very soon

I loved her too, it was always a mystery to me why she didn't become a big star.

She is wonderful in The Corn is Green, and really deserved her Oscar Nomination.

I'm keeping everything crossed for you Walter and Best wishes for tomorrow on GMTV you little star!!

Yes I knew I'd seen Claude Rains in something and now I remember it was Bette Davis! He was very good.

I admire your encyclopedic memory -your a gold standard film historian!

Have a fantastic time Walter. That's amazing about your trip. Is it good morning Britain you'll be on?

Thanks for the compliment and the good wishes. I have been overwhelmed by the good luck messages on my Facebook page. I am hoping that all those loving vibes will inspire me to break the record.

Thanks very much Sorcha, yes, it is Good Morning Britain.

Oh, and my real name is Ray, just to save confusion if you happen to be watching.

I hope it's on before I leave for work at 7

Good luck tomorrow Walter/Ray everything crossed for you x

Film4 are showing Rio Grande a John Wayne western with Maureen O Hara tommorow afternoon, and The Lady from Shanghai with Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth after it, are they worth watching?

I find Film4 show a lot of the older films in the morning, it is one of the best channels to catch some great movies, it was thanks to them I started watching Gene Tierney's film as I caught a few on there are really loved them

I'm confident you'll knock em dead in the nicest possible way! 😁

Hope everything went smoothly today Walter!I was on the train early so sadly didn't catch it


Just letting the fans of Hollywoods Golden Era know that today I spotted in WHsmiths (not sure if its exclusive to them or not) a magazine type book on the shelves called

The Greatest 100 movies of Hollywoods Golden Era 1930-1960 just incase any of you film buffs are interested!