Some time ago, I did a blog post about the actress who played Fred's maid in the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol, known in Britain as Scrooge. I wrote that viewers loved her, but no one seemed to know who she was. Recently, commenter Paul Tollet told me that he knew: She's his sister's mother-in-law. At the time she appeared in the film, he reported, her name was Teresa Derrington.
I e-mailed Paul, who put me in touch with Teresa's son Matthew Hepenstal, and the two of them supplied some information about her life and career. Her nickname is "Trip," as she was one of triplets. She attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, and played only a few roles onstage and in films before marrying in 1951. She and her husband had five children. She was widowed and later married again; her last name is now Cozens-Hardy.
Matthew was kind enough to give me his mother's phone number and encourage me to call her. He also sent me a picture of her taken about 20 years ago (see below). I spoke with another of her sons, Tom, and then finally with Teresa Cozens-Hardy herself. She was delighted to hear that people love her work in Scrooge, and glad to talk about it.
She recalls of the audition, "I didn't have to do anything. . . . I only had to say my name." The filmmakers decided that she had the right look for the part; the only obstacle was her short hair. But with the cap she ended up wearing, that wasn't such a big problem.
Teresa worked on the film for one day. "It was all just sort of mime . . . but it took quite a long time to do," she says. The difficult part was when Scrooge was about to walk into the party. Though she was supposed to be looking at Alastair Sim, who was standing off-camera, he wasn't looking at her, which threw her off. Apparently he wasn't in a very encouraging mood; she recalls that he asked her, in a "sneering" way, "Is this your first film?" She came back with "No, it's my second film!" having previously played a goose girl in an American film version of Robin Hood that was made in England.
(Based on what she told me, and after doing some research, I think this must have been Disney's The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, released in 1952. The filming dates and location look right. But I haven't yet had a chance to watch the film and see if I can spot her!)
She "got on quite well" with other members of the cast, however, and "enjoyed doing the film." She was originally also in the party scene, walking around with drinks. (There were towels placed on the floor, she recalls, to show her where to go.) But this part didn't make it into the film. Also, she was asked to do some voiceover work for one of Bob's children -- "I think probably bits of it had gone wrong," she speculates when asked why -- but she doesn't know if her voice was actually used in the end.
Scrooge was Teresa's final film. As mentioned earlier, she married later that year, and concentrated on raising her family and teaching art. After about 13 years, she got her degree in art history and then started teaching that subject to adults. She taught well into her 70s, and though now officially retired, she still does a little teaching and lives an active life in Norfolk, England.
I had a lovely time talking with Teresa and hearing her reminiscences. I want to thank her for making time for me, and also to thank Paul Tollet, Matthew Hepenstal, and Tom Hepenstal for helping set up the interview.
(First image copyright Renown Films. Second image copyright Matthew Hepenstal.)
UPDATE:
I'm revisiting this post (in 2018!) to clear up a couple of points. First of all, I was mistaken when I said that Teresa's part of the party scene at Fred's house was cut. I recently rewatched the movie, and you can in fact see her carrying drinks at the party at Fred's house. Second, I've now seen The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men, and I did not spot her. It's possible I may have missed her, but I don't think so. So we're still not sure which version of Robin Hood she was in. If you have any information on this point, please let us know!
UPDATE #2:
I recently found out that I originally spelled Teresa's name incorrectly (as "Theresa"). I apologize for my mistake and have corrected this post.
UPDATE #3:
Thanks to Leigh Carter for pointing out a mistake in the original post -- I said Scrooge's children instead of Bob's children! I've corrected the mistake.
How random and lovely. How often do people who have bit parts get noticed and interviewed?
Posted by: Christy | May 06, 2013 at 08:17 PM
She's as much a part of Christmas as the star on the tree. You've given us all a great gift with your interview.
Posted by: Patricia Nolan-Hall (Caftan Woman) | May 07, 2013 at 11:37 AM
Wow, Gina, this is amazing - what a great interview and how lovely to hear about the maid's life and reminiscences. It will add something every time I see 'Scrooge' in the future.
Posted by: Judy | May 08, 2013 at 04:14 PM
Phew! Waited 40 years for someone to put a name and some details to the face. Thank you so much.
Posted by: David J | May 13, 2013 at 03:52 PM
Thank you so much for generously solving this mystery of the nephew's maid. I've been waiting a long time to put a name with that sweet face and lovely smile.
She mentioned doing a bit of voiceover work for one of the children. I think you've solved another mystery for me. When young Peter is reading aloud from the Bible after Tiny Tim's death, the voice changes for a few verses when the camera moves away from him. Then the camera comes back and it's Peter's voice again. The interim voice does sound more like a young girl than a lad.....could this be her voice?
If it is hers, perhaps someone could let her know that yes, her voice was actually used.
So thanks again for your research and scholarship. it is very much appreciated.
Posted by: Carolyn D. | May 27, 2013 at 02:05 PM
For over 30 years I have been shushing friends and family when Ebenezer knocks on Fred's door. Seems a bit silly since there isn't any dialogue in the scene. Thank you for the interview and for solving the mystery of who is the wonderful lady playing Fred's maid in Scrooge.
I'm going to send this link to all those I've shushed over the years so perhaps they will forgive me or at least realize I'm not the only one that thinks highly of Theresa Derrington's performance.
Posted by: Carl W. | June 07, 2013 at 05:47 AM
Christmas came early this year! I've wondered who the lovely maid was every since i saw the movie for the first time. I am so glad she has led a wonderful life and i wish her well. Thank you so much for this info, and i can see i am not the only one that has wondered this for years....lol
Posted by: michael mcclaskey | September 05, 2013 at 01:16 PM
Bless you! Thanks for finding this woman!
What a fine, simple scene!
Posted by: Dan Schiavetta | September 25, 2013 at 12:43 AM
Fantastic! I have been wondering who this was, she is the cutest thing I have ever seen without a voice . I hope she realizes the subtle, yet important part she plays in Scrooge's conversion that would not have been complete without her. Delightful.
Posted by: Brian D | November 03, 2013 at 06:58 PM
Thank you for this wonderful insight about this very beautiful, talented, silent artist. I always enjoy the short part she had in this classic. Wishing all the best to you and to her.
Posted by: Bryan B. | December 01, 2013 at 09:45 PM
Again, thank you. Another mid-50's male who has been endeared to the lovely maid from long ago. I appreciate knowing who she is. Please pass on the kind notes from all of us.
One of her admirers in the U. S. of A.
Posted by: Chris Shepherd | December 13, 2013 at 01:48 AM
I've been watching "Christmas Carol" two or three times a year for a few decades now, and have had such a crush on the maid all this time! But beyond that, I've wondered if the director knew that sometimes people need just the slightest nudge to follow through on life-changing decisions. Just a smile and a nod gave Scrooge the courage to go through those doors. We should all mimic her encouraging spirit.
I hope Theresa finds it pleasing to know her small part has impacted so many people through the years. And, what a joy to live in a time when we can make such connections across time and distance. Thanks for the interview.
Another USA fan of Theresa.
Posted by: Todd K. | December 15, 2013 at 01:21 AM
Who is the actress that played Fred's wife?
Posted by: Julio Lastra | December 16, 2013 at 08:00 PM
Olga Edwardes, according to IMDb.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044008/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast
Posted by: Gina | December 17, 2013 at 08:29 PM
Thank you so much Gina for solving this wonderful mystery. One of many on IMDB page that really enjoyed the beautiful scene with the maid and Scrooge. I would had loved to hear Theresa's initial reaction upon learning how many hearts she touched from that one scene. Thanks again and Merry Christmas
Posted by: Tom Donohue | December 19, 2013 at 11:45 AM
Stumbled across this site by accident & so glad i did. I've loved this touching little scene for over 50 years. I'm surprised and very pleased to find I'm not the only one who has always been entranced by her sweet face. Thank you.
Posted by: jaye stahnke | December 19, 2013 at 08:00 PM
I just watched the film Theresa plays in prompting me to perform my annual search for the elusive name of what has become known as "Fred's maid." I am happy to not only see the actress's name has been found but that she is alive, very well and happy. My yule season is not cheery unless I see this Alistair version, along with Holiday Affair, original Miracle/34th St, the Bishop's Wife, but I also stay focused through those few seconds Miss Theresa comes and leaves her scene. Such a charming, simply beautiful face requiring no lines to elicit easy acceptance of a former grouch's conversion to kind welcoming soul.
I applaud this researcher and interviewer for successfully ferreting out this important character for so many of us. If we had an address for Miss (now Mrs) Theresa I'd send her a holiday greeting but since we do not I wish her, her family and friends a Wonderful and Merry Christmas along with a Happy, Healthy New Year of good blessings and favorable abundance.
I wish to thank her for being a simple spark within a fine holiday classic. Her magic moment continues for these 60 years now!
And I send Gina holiday wishes and a big thank you for this Christmas gift you provided us.
Thank you so much.
DonL
Posted by: Don Lively | December 20, 2013 at 12:04 AM
It's true! "Fred's Maid" character made that scene. For such a humble and obscure role, her credits should be up there with the Ghost because her innocence, beauty, and knowing smile are as fleeting as souls long lost.
Posted by: Phil | December 20, 2013 at 01:34 AM
I love her face - impish, sweet, kind, gentle - she conveyed so much in such a short amount of time. Thanks ever so much for this story.
Posted by: Maria Tomkins | December 20, 2013 at 02:08 PM
All these years, I thought I was ALONE in my love of this wonderful maid,and, her beautiful smile.
Thanks to you , my friend, for finding this IMPORTANT information
Posted by: j. Scott Smart | December 21, 2013 at 05:40 PM
Great work, I've been wondering too for about 40 years! Also, for those of you interested in identifying the actress playing Martha Cratchit, it appears to be Moiya Kelly (note interesting spelling of her first name), as mentioned at the following website:
http://www.aveleyman.com/FilmCredit.aspx?FilmID=3401
which also has the names of the actresses playing the two other Crachit girls.
Note also that a Google image search of "Moiya Kelly" produces the following jpeg image:
https://www.argentaimages.com/media/image/q/Moiya+Kelly/page/1
It appears that the young woman on the left is indeed the actress who played Martha Cratchit. It identifies her as a 22 year old student at Park Teachers' College, Cockfosters, London originally from Edgeware.
Posted by: Greg | December 21, 2013 at 09:59 PM
such a beautiful young lady with a lovely smile.I think previous commenters have said it [email protected]
Posted by: johnny hardaker | December 22, 2013 at 08:25 PM
Been a Christmas tradition to watch "Scrooge" since I was a child and I am now 65. Merry Christmas to all from Canada.
Posted by: Wendy Johnston | December 22, 2013 at 09:39 PM
I'll add my voice to the many who have already posted here. Theresa touched so many with her short, silent scene, and like other posters I hope she knows how highly so many of us value her performance. And thank you, Gina. While the mystery and mystique have been dispelled, you've more than made up for it with the information you've given us. Best wishes to you and to Theresa.
Posted by: Wayne Swiers | December 23, 2013 at 07:49 PM
As with so many others I have watched that wonderful movie more than once a year but especially at Christmas.Theresas smile and nod have made me feel warm and fuzzy for more than fifty years. Thank you Gina for giving her face a name and the wonderful background.
Posted by: R. Kilvinsky | December 24, 2013 at 02:43 PM
Just finished watching again this year, and was amazed to get on this site and find the young maid's identity and interview! I always remember this scene and how heart-warming it was, thanks to Theresa. God bless you for finding her, and bless Theresa for giving me these memories. (I'm now 59).
Posted by: J.Mack | December 24, 2013 at 11:36 PM
We watched the Sim Scrooge again last night, as we do every Christmas, and it was an extra pleasure to know the maid's name at last. I agree that her smile is the final nudge in Scrooge's "reclamation". It was also a delight to notice, for the first time ever, that the maid appears twice more - once serving drinks in the first scene of Fred's party (clearly the appearance she thought was edited out) and finally closing the doors just before the polka. She was doing what all good servants did at that time - being invisible - but no longer.
Thank you and Merry Christmas
Posted by: Scott Sullivan | December 25, 2013 at 10:01 AM
This is so wonderful :).
I just finished watching the 'Sim version' for the very first time, and I loved it (despite it's being rather badly edited by an American television company).
So struck was I by the encouraging maid that appeared the end of the film, I took to the net to discover her identity. In one sitting I became aware of both a long running mystery and it's happy and interesting conclusion. How fantastic that her family was so helpful in arranging a conversation, and that she herself is still with us and willing to share her experiences.
Sincere thanks to Gina Dalfonzo for providing an answer to those new to the mystery, and to those who've been long wondering. Great job - truly. Special thx too to Paul Tollet for taking the time and interest to write in in the first place. Thx Gina and Paul!
Many others have said it all so well already... Patricia Nolan-Hall, Maria Tomkins, Todd K, 'Carl the Shusher' (lol! great story) and everyone else... so I will simply add this: While I would never criticize or second guess a person's decision to raise a family, one can't help but wonder what might have been. A performance and bearing that inspired so many to search for so long might have been the first (well... second) appearance of one of the greats, had things gone differently. I'm sure she has no regrets, but I'll bet the charisma she exuded in that seemingly simple scene would have carried her on to a brilliant acting career. As things are, she must have more fans per moment of screen time than anyone in film history!
Thanks again - Can't wait to check out the rest of the site once the holidays wind down.
Love, happy holidays, and best wishes to all from the snowy mountains of West Virginia.
Posted by: Michael Compton | December 25, 2013 at 04:49 PM
So happy you identified this girl. Perhaps Mr. Sim didn't look at her, but feel his attention to the character's seeking acceptance in the next scene a reason. And the glances so subtle and self-effacing - well, it is just perfect. Her nod is his encouragement and confirmation of what he has learned the night before.
How lovely that she can be so well remembered.
Posted by: Peggy Smith | December 26, 2013 at 08:07 AM
Wow! Michael Compton writes: "...she must have more fans per moment of screen time than anyone in film history!" I think this is true. Just those few seconds, more than six decades ago, and here are people all around the world who admit to being struck right to the heart by her. Congratulations to the writer who put it in, to the director who orchestrated her performance, and to Theresa herself for infusing it with real magic.
In a film that's great in every way, she's right up there with the best.
Posted by: Carolyn D. | December 26, 2013 at 04:55 PM
I'm so happy to hear about this actress; it's probably my favourite move scene of all time. Mr. Scrooge wouldn't have acknowledged a maid before the transformation and he actually looked to her for approval before entering the room. Her encouragement was beautifully portrayed.
Thanks so very much!
Posted by: Steve Werlick | December 28, 2013 at 09:08 AM
`I also felt lucky to come across this article, and thank you, I love to find out "what happened to..." esp actors who made an impact in movies such as Theresa. Over the years I have thought how much of an impact those few minutes made in that movie on scrooge, and yes admittedly so, I had a small crush on this cute actress -lol.
Posted by: Jeff Berry | December 30, 2013 at 09:37 AM
Just a note to say that I sent this comment thread to Theresa's family, and her son Tom showed it to her. He reports that she was "really thrilled"!
Also, while I'm truly grateful for all the kind words about the interview, I couldn't possibly have done it without the kind and generous help of her family members, so I want to express my thanks to them once again.
Posted by: Gina | December 30, 2013 at 01:54 PM
Thank you for sharing this. Her quiet encouragement to Scrooge to go into the parlour is a gentle, unassuming moment of acting brilliance. It's nice to have a name to go with her performance.
Posted by: John Horner | January 12, 2014 at 04:16 AM
My wife & I speak of this actress every time we watch our own DVD. Without any dialogue, she still does a wonderful job in her very small part in this classic film. I hope she realizes just how many people still speak of her, 61 years after that performance.
Posted by: Bruce Risher | January 12, 2014 at 08:03 PM
I agree with all the comments above. I love that scene. She exhibits such a sweetness as if she knows about Scrooge's transformation and she is helping his transition. Thank you for the research and this post.
Posted by: Bob Morris | February 04, 2014 at 04:59 PM
I also have waited a long time to see who this woman was - what an interesting smile! I also had an interest in finding out (for years!) who sang the part of the young Ebenezer Scrooge in the Mr. Magoo version - turned out to be a girl named Marie Matthews, who I was lucky enough to email about 4 months ago after purchasing the "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" book - which she autographed! It's great to get these riddles solved. Thank you for your efforts.
Posted by: Paul | April 03, 2014 at 05:19 PM
It's so cool that you did that, Paul! Nice work!
Posted by: Gina | April 28, 2014 at 10:31 PM
How wonder to find this story. Recently I watched an episode of "Bonanza" and saw a woman I was sure was Miss.Derrington. Thanks to your blog I now know I was mistaken I love "Scrooge" and watch it every year at Christmas. Her Smiling face is alway a joy to see after Scrooges dreadful night. I would like to add that I have been a fan of Dickens since at the age of 14 I discovered "A Tale of Two Cities"
Thank you.
Posted by: Annie Flyte | August 26, 2014 at 09:49 AM
Seeing this movie all through my childhood; hers was the face that launched a thousand ships for me. She is the fourth spirit of Christmas.
Posted by: Joe | October 04, 2014 at 08:13 PM
Bless yourself and Miss.Derrington! Like so many others, it's been about forty years to read about who she was.
Posted by: Molly | November 03, 2014 at 04:14 PM
Fantastic article. I have been watching this film since I was 10 years old, but only in the last twenty years or so have noticed the beautiful, innocent and delightful young maid. How I wish she'd done more work so the world as well as myself could be captivated.
Posted by: Kevin Ledlie | November 09, 2014 at 05:06 PM
Did you find out how old she was when she made Scrooge?
Posted by: Jason | November 21, 2014 at 06:09 PM
Agree with all the other comments..beautiful actress and a great scene..that encouraging nod of the head. Like other posts I have also wanted to find out who played the lovely looking house maid.
Posted by: Michael W | December 08, 2014 at 02:07 PM
Well done! Watching this version of Dicken's work EVERY YEAR since it showed up on TV and having purchased a VHS copy as soon as it was released, it is clearly my all time favorite. I agree with so many of the comments... I often wondered about the lovely innocent that played Fred's maid-- she did make the scene. Thank you for all of the hard work and to Theresa for sharing her experiences!
Posted by: Pam Gallagher | December 11, 2014 at 01:16 PM
Finding this blog is a wonderful surprize. I'm now nearly 66 years old but when I was still a little boy and saw SCROOGE for the first time,I was melted by the gentle smile of Theresa Derrington. All these many years I've wondered about who she was.........so pretty.
Posted by: Daniel Burke | December 24, 2014 at 08:34 PM
Anyone know what became of Moiya Kelly who portrayed Martha Cratchit? Haven't been able to find out anything about her. Thanks.
Posted by: Doug King | December 26, 2014 at 08:59 PM
I'm another who watches this version of "Carol" every year. Like so many others, I've always loved the way the maid both encourages and calms Scrooge with her affirmation that he should go on in and join the festivities. Nice to finally know who did such a wonderful job!
Posted by: Bob McGahey | December 26, 2014 at 11:21 PM
So happy to have found this and read all the comments. Wonder if anyone else ever noticed the resemblance to Audrey Hepburn. They both have such lovely, innocent faces and expressions.
Posted by: Paula | December 31, 2014 at 10:46 PM
I also thank you so much for identifying Fred's maid! Every year I have watched the movie and sometimes up to three times and always wondered who she was. She looked familiar and reason was probably because of comment I read; that she looks so much like Audrey Hepburn. Mario, 3-2-15
Posted by: Mario Dena | March 02, 2015 at 06:28 PM