biography
Born on February 10, 1926, in Handsworth, Birmingham, England, actress Hazel Court took an interest in acting as a young girl. Starting with
school plays, by the time she was a teenager she had gained experience on the legitimate stage. The stunning actress with green eyes and auburn hair was signed by the J. Arthur Rank Organization while still in her teens. She also
became a popular pin-up in the 1940s. With roles in comedies, dramas, and noir thrillers, Court's film career was on the rise in the late 1940s. In 1949, Court married her frequent
co-star, Irish actor Dermot Walsh. After the birth of their daughter in 1950, Court took a couple of years off, returning to acting in 1952 in her first horror film, Ghost Ship
(1952), in which she starred with her husband.
The release of the campy sci-fi feature Devil Girl from Mars (1954; with Patricia Laffan and Hugh McDermott) earned Court good notices. While remembered as a scream queen, in fact she acted in a number of second-feature crime dramas, including Scarlet Web (1954) and The Narrowing Circle (1956), but these films did her career no favors. So, in 1956, she signed a picture deal with Hammer Film Productions and became the studio's first breakout star. Court's first Hammer film was The Curse of Frankenstein (1957; with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee), which was the first Frankenstein film to be shot in color. Later, she shocked audiences with a topless scene in the European version of Hammer's The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959; with Anton Diffring). The initial release saw the film banned in many locales, and the scene was cut from the U.S. print and is now lost. 
In the late 1950s, Court starred in a short-lived sitcom titled Dick and the Duchess (CBS/ITV 1957–1958) alongside Patrick O'Neal. But she was soon drawn back into the horror genre with a role in Dr. Blood's Coffin (1961; with Kieron Moore), which further cemented her horror reputation. With her marriage on the rocks and her career in need of a boost, Court left Britain in 1961, settling in the Los Angeles area. She soon found many roles on popular television shows such as Thriller and The Twilight Zone and in a few American International horror films, including The Premature Burial (1962; with Ray Milland). |
the films of hazel courtMeet Me at Dawn (1947)
With William Eythe in the 20th Century Fox comedy Meet Me at DawnUndercover Agent (1953)
From the drama Undercover AgentDevil Girl from Mars (1954)
With 'Devil Girl' Patricia Laffan in the campy British Lion science fiction flick Devil Girl from MarsThe Curse of Frankenstein (1957)Breakout (1959)
From the low-budget drama Breakout. In 1961, the film aired on U.S. television on Kraft Mystery TheaterThe Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)
From the Hammer horror release The Man Who Could Cheat Death with Anton DiffringMarkham (1959-1960 CBS TV Series)
Court guest-starred in a September 1959 episode of the CBS series Markham titled Double Negative. Also pictured is series star Ray MillandModel for Murder (1959)The Shakedown (1960)
From the Rank crime drama The ShakedownDr. Blood's Coffin (1961)
From the entertaining United Artists horror flick Dr. Blood's Coffin with Kieron MooreMary Had a Little... (1961)
From the sex comedy Mary Had a Little... with John Bentley and Agnes LaurentThe Premature Burial (1962)
From the AIP Poe-inspired release The Premature Burial with Ray MillandThe Masque of the Red Death (1964)
With Jane Asher in the American International horror flick The Masque of the Red Death. This was Court's final filmThe Twilight Zone (1959-1964 CBS TV Series)
From a May 1964 episode of The Twilight Zone titled The Fear with Peter Mark Richmanlater yearsRoger Corman's American International horror favorite The Raven (1963; with Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and Peter Lorre) also proved to be Court's favorite film appearance due to the stellar cast. In 1963, Court and Walsh finalized their long separation with a divorce, and Court married her second husband, American actor and director Don Taylor, shortly thereafter. Court and Taylor met while they were shooting a 1958 episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  LEFT: Late 1940s Rank photo of Court's first husband, actor Dermot Walsh. RIGHT: Universal photo of Court's second husband, actor and director Don Taylor, from 1954Hazel Court's last film was the American International horror flick The Masque of the Red Death (1964; with Vincent Price and Jane Asher). With the 1965 birth of her daughter and the 1967 birth of her son, Court eventually gave up her acting career with her final television appearance on a 1972 episode of McMillan & Wife. Afterward, she supported Taylor's directing career and took up sculpting and painting, studying her new craft in Italy. Taylor passed away in 1998, and Court passed away on April 15, 2008 at age 82 in Lake Tahoe following a heart attack. She was survived by her two daughters, a son, and two stepdaughters. |
filmographyFILM
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This page premiered February 22, 2012.
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