Today, ACT is led by working actors including former beneficiaries. We don’t seek out stars and VIPs, we consider every actor-parent equally, whoever they are. But, because we are asked, here are just a few of the people involved in our history:
Anthony Ainley (1932 – 2004) – grew up at Silverlands and became a successful actor.
Sir George Alexander (1858 – 1918) – actor, trustee and then vice president of the charity.
Gemma Arterton (1986 – present) – patron, actor.
Lord Attenborough Kt CBE (1923 – 2014) – committee member 1949+, chairman 1954+ and President 1989-2014, actor, director, businessman.
Rakie Ayola (1968 – present) – trustee, actor.
Angela Baddeley CBE (1904 – 1976) – committee member, actor.
Marie Wilton, Lady Bancroft (1839 – 1921) – committee member, renowned Victorian actor.
Hugh ‘Binkie’ Beaumont (1908 – 1973) – committee member, theatre manager and producer.
Isla Blair (1944 — present) – chair of ACT’s welfare committee, vice president, actor.
Tony Britton (1924 – 2019) – committee member, actor.
Jim Broadbent (1949 – present) – patron, actor.
Jack Buchanan (1891 – 1957) – committee member, Scottish actor.
Sheila Burrell (1922 – 2011) – committee member, political campaigner, actor.
Douglas Byng (1893 – 1987) – committee member, singer, drag artiste.
Judy Campbell (1916 – 2004) – committee member, a favourite actor of Noël Coward.
Joyce Carey OBE (1898 – 1993) – committee member, actor, friend of Noël Coward.
Kittie Carson – wife of the editor of The Stage newspaper, vital to the charity’s foundation in 1896.
André Charlot (1882 – 1956) – committee member, impresario.
Peter Collinson (1936 – 1980) – grew up at Silverlands and became a successful film director.
Fay Compton CBE (1894 – 1978) – committee member, actor.
Dame Gladys Cooper (1888 – 1971) – committee member, actor.
Dame Cicely Courtneidge (1893 – 1980) – committee member, actor.
Sir Noël Coward (1899 – 1973) – committee member from 1922, President 1934 – 1956.
Brian Cox (1946 – present) – patron, actor.
Joan Crawford (1904 – 1977) – benefactor, actor.
Constance Cummings CBE (1910 – 2005) – committee member, actor.
Peggy Cummins (1925 – 2017) – committee member, actor.
Niamh Cusack (1959 – present) – patron, actor.
Marlene Dietrich (1901 – 1992) – patron and regular visitor to our orphanage, Silverlands.
Noma Dumezweni (1969 – present) – ambassador, actor.
Christopher Eccleston (1964 – present) – patron, actor.
Jill Esmond (1908 – 1990) – chair of the Fund’s welfare committee, actor.
Dame Edith Evans (1888 – 1976) – committee member and vice president, actor.
Robert Flemyng OBE MC (1912 – 1995) – committee member and treasurer, actor.
Lady Freud (1927 – present) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Mel Giedroyc (1968 – present) – patron, actor.
Sir John Gielgud OM CH (1904 – 2000) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Lord Grade (1906 – 1999) – patron, vice president, impresario.
Dulcie Gray CBE (1915 – 2011) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Elspet Gray, The Lady Rix (1929 – 2013) – committee member, actor.
Sir Alex Guinness CH CBE (1914 – 2000) – vice president, benefactor, actor.
Robert Harris (1900 – 1995) – vice president, actor.
Sir Rex Harrison (1908 – 1990) – committee member, actor.
Doreen Hawkins (1919 – 2013) – committee member, actor (as Doreen Lawrence).
Jack Hawkins CBE (1910 – 1973) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Charles Hawtrey (1914 – 1988) – committee member, actor.
Audrey Hepburn (1929 – 1993) – patron and fundraiser.
Stanley Holloway OBE (1890 – 1982) – committee member, actor.
Max Howard (1952 –present) – committee member, film producer and studio executive.
Thomas Scott-Ellis, 8th Baron Howard de Walden – patron and chair of AGMs.
Jack Hulbert (1892 – 1978) – committee member, actor.
Sir Henry Irving (1838 – 1905) – founder and our first President, 1896 – 1905.
Glenda Jackson CBE (1936 – 2023) – committee member, actor.
Geraldine James OBE (1950 – present) – committee member, vice president, actor.
HRH Prince George, Duke of Kent (1902 – 1942) – patron and chair of an AGM.
HRH Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (1906 – 1968) – patron and fundraiser.
Felicity Kendal CBE (1946 – present) – patron, actor.
Frank Lawton (1904 – 1969) – grew up at our Langley orphanage, actor.
Evelyn Laye CBE (1900 – 1996) – committee member, vice president, actor & singer.
Vivien Leigh (1913 – 1967) – committee member, actor.
Sir Emile Littler (1903 – 1985) – committee member, vice president, impresario.
Prince Littler CBE (1903 – 1985) – fundraiser, impresario, TV executive.
Finbar Lynch (1959 – present) – patron, actor.
Dame Joanna Lumley (1946 – present) – actor, member.
Geraldine McEwan (1932 – 2015) – committee member, actor.
Julia McKenzie CBE (1941 – present) – committee member, actor.
Doreen Mantle (1926 – 2023) – chair of ACT’s welfare committee, vice president, actor.
Raymond Massey (1896 – 1983) – committee member, fundraiser.
Cyril Maude (1862 – 1951) – our second President, 1905 – 1914, actor-manager.
Dame Daphne du Maurier (1907 – 1989) – an occasional minute taker at our meetings, when her father was President!
Sir Gerald du Maurier (1873 – 1934) – our third President, 1914 – 1934, actor-manager.
Sir Ronald Millar (1919 – 1998) – committee member, playwright & Thatcher speech writer.
Rodney Millington – a founding director of the Spotlight, committee member.
Sir John Mills CBE (1908 – 2005) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Mary Hayley Bell, Lady Mills (1911 – 2005) – committee member, dramatist.
Kenneth More CBE (1914 – 1982) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Lord Mountbatten of Burma (1900 – 1979) – patron, chair of an AGM.
David Niven (1910 – 1983) – committee member, actor.
Ivor Novello (1893 – 1951) – committee member, vice president, actor-composer.
Lord Nugent (1907 – 1994) – committee member, vice president, chair of AGMs, politician.
Lord Olivier OM (1907 – 1989) – committee member, President 1956 – 1989, actor-director.
Daphne Oxenford (1919 – 2012) – committee member, actor.
Muriel Pavlow (1921 – 2019) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Pablo Picasso (1881 – 1973) – perhaps our most unexpected donor, giving Francs to Sheila Attenboroughfor the orphanage.
Edith Piaf (1915 – 1963) – fundraiser, singer & actor.
Mary Pickford (1892 – 1979) – committee member, early screen actor.
Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (1855 – 1934) – committee member, vice president, actor & dramatist.
Sir Michael Redgrave CBE (1908 – 1985) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Dame Vanessa Redgrave (1937 – present) – committee member, actor.
Meriel Forbes, Lady Richardson (1913 – 2000) – committee member, actor.
Dame Diana Rigg (1937 – 2020) – committee member, actor.
David Rintoul (1948 – present) – trustee, Chair, actor.
Dame Flora Robson (1902 – 1984) – committee member, vice president, actor.
The Baroness Jeanne de Rothschild (1908 – 2003) – vice president, benefactor. acted as Jeanne Stuart.
Margaretta Scott (1912 – 2005) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Sir Peter Shaffer CBE (1926 – 2016) – benefactor, playwright.
George Bernard Shaw (1856 – 1950) – patron, vice president, playwright.
Sheila Sim, The Lady Attenborough (1922 – 2016) – chair of the welfare committee, vice president, actor.
Michael Somes CBE (1917 – 1994) – fundraiser, Royal Ballet principal dancer.
Juliet Stevenson CBE (1956 – present) – ambassador, actor.
Sir David Suchet (1946 – present) – member, actor.
Dame Marie Tempest (1864 – 1942) – committee member, singer & actor.
William Terriss (1847 – 1897) – early patron, actor.
Edward Terry (1844 – 1912) – committee member, actor.
Dame Ellen Terry GBE (1847 – 1928) – committee member, vice president, actor.
Sophie Thompson (1962 – present) – patron, actor.
Dame Sybil Thorndike CH (1882 – 1976) – committee member, actor.
Angela Thorne (1939 – 2023) – joint chairman 1989 – 2005, vice president, actor.
Madge Titheradge (1887 – 1961) – committee member, actor.
Wendy Toye CBE (1917 – 2010) – committee member, vice president, dancer & director.
Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1852 – 1917) – committee member, vice president, actor-manager.
Dame Irene Vanbrugh (1872 – 1949) – committee member, actor.
Indira Varma (1973 – present) – patron, actor.
Lalla Ward (1951 – present) – committee member and past chair, actor and artist.
Naomi Waters (1910 – 1997) – actor, socialite & heiress, editor of “Our Favourite Dish”.
Elizabeth Welch (1904 – 2003) – fundraiser, singer.
Emlyn Williams CBE (1905 – 1987) – committee member, vice president, actor & dramatist.
Hugh Williams (1904 – 1969) – committee member, vice president, actor & dramatist.
Lia Williams (1964 – present) – patron, actor.
Simon Williams (1946 – present) – joint chairman 1989 – 2005, vice president, ambassador, actor & writer.
Jessie Winter (1886 – 1971) – committee member, actor.
Arthur Wontner (1875 – 1960) – committee member, actor.
Jack Young – former orphan who became an England test cricketer.
