Rachel Thomas was born in the Welsh village of Alltwen, near Pontardawe, Glamorgan,[1] the daughter of Emily Thomas. She was raised by her aunt and uncle, Mary Thomas Roberts and David Roberts; her uncle was a tinworker and coal miner.[2][3]
Career
Thomas taught school as a young woman, competed in eisteddfodau, and was a reader at her church in Cardiff. She came to wider attention when her voice was heard on a BBC radio broadcast in 1933, reading from the Bible. She was cast in the first Welsh-language radio comedy, Y Practis, the following year.[2]
Thomas almost always played the stereotypical Welsh mam, a miner's wife or mother (or grandmother in her later years)[5] and appeared in both Welsh and English-language productions.[2] In 1968 she was awarded the OBE for her services to Wales.[6] She received a special BAFTA Cymru award for her body of work in 1991, and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Music and Drama in Cardiff in 1993.[2]
Personal life
Rachel Thomas married educator Howell John Thomas in 1931; they had a daughter, Delyth Mariel Thomas (1937–2006).[2] Rachel Thomas died two days before her 90th birthday, following a fall in her home in Cardiff.[7]
References
^ abc"Obituary: Rachel Thomas", The Independent, 10 February 1995. Accessed 5 September 2015
^Hughes, Nerys. Welsh Greats: Rachel Thomas BBC One series (2010).
^"Rachel Thomas; Actress, 90", The New York Times, 10 February 1995. Accessed 5 September 2015
^Ffrancon, Gwenno. "'The Angel in the Home?: Rachel Thomas, Siân Phillips and the on-screen embodiment of the Welsh Mam'" The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion 2009, vol. 16 (2010), 110-22.
^McFarlane, Brian (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Oxford University Press. ISBN9781526111968 – via Google Books.
rachel, thomas, actress, rachel, thomas, february, 1905, february, 1995, welsh, character, actress, rachel, thomasobeborn, 1905, february, 1905alltwen, walesdied8, february, 1995, 1995, aged, cardiff, walesother, namesrachel, allt, bardic, name, occupationactr. Rachel Thomas OBE 10 February 1905 8 February 1995 was a Welsh character actress Rachel ThomasOBEBorn 1905 02 10 10 February 1905Alltwen WalesDied8 February 1995 1995 02 08 aged 89 Cardiff WalesOther namesRachel o r Allt bardic name OccupationActressAwardsOBE 1968 BAFTA Cymru Award 1991 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life 4 References 5 External linksEarly life EditRachel Thomas was born in the Welsh village of Alltwen near Pontardawe Glamorgan 1 the daughter of Emily Thomas She was raised by her aunt and uncle Mary Thomas Roberts and David Roberts her uncle was a tinworker and coal miner 2 3 Career EditThomas taught school as a young woman competed in eisteddfodau and was a reader at her church in Cardiff She came to wider attention when her voice was heard on a BBC radio broadcast in 1933 reading from the Bible She was cast in the first Welsh language radio comedy Y Practis the following year 2 As an actress Thomas worked mainly in Wales 1 and appeared in such classic films as The Proud Valley 1940 with Paul Robeson Blue Scar 1949 Valley of Song 1953 and Tiger Bay 1959 In 1943 she appeared as Maria Petrovitch in the Ealing war film Undercover an account of the guerrilla resistance movement in Yugoslavia during the Second World War In 1954 she was part of the original BBC Radio cast of Dylan Thomas radio play Under Milk Wood playing the roles of Rosie Probert Mary Ann Sailors and Mrs Willy Nilly She played Mary Ann Sailors in the 1972 film version 4 She appeared on television in a lost 1960 production of How Green Was My Valley in another production of the same work in 1975 and in a soap opera Pobol y Cwm People of the Valley 1 In 1978 she played Betty Parry in the BBC series Off to Philadelphia in the Morning Thomas almost always played the stereotypical Welsh mam a miner s wife or mother or grandmother in her later years 5 and appeared in both Welsh and English language productions 2 In 1968 she was awarded the OBE for her services to Wales 6 She received a special BAFTA Cymru award for her body of work in 1991 and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Music and Drama in Cardiff in 1993 2 Personal life EditRachel Thomas married educator Howell John Thomas in 1931 they had a daughter Delyth Mariel Thomas 1937 2006 2 Rachel Thomas died two days before her 90th birthday following a fall in her home in Cardiff 7 References Edit a b c Obituary Rachel Thomas The Independent 10 February 1995 Accessed 5 September 2015 a b c d e Ffrancon Gwenno 2016 Rachel Thomas Dictionary of Welsh Biography National Library of Wales Hughes Nerys Welsh Greats Rachel Thomas BBC One series 2010 Rachel Thomas Actress 90 The New York Times 10 February 1995 Accessed 5 September 2015 Ffrancon Gwenno The Angel in the Home Rachel Thomas Sian Phillips and the on screen embodiment of the Welsh Mam The Transactions of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion 2009 vol 16 2010 110 22 McFarlane Brian 16 May 2016 The Encyclopedia of British Film Fourth edition Oxford University Press ISBN 9781526111968 via Google Books Variety Staff 20 March 1995 Rachel Thomas External links EditRachel Thomas at IMDb Rachel Thomas at the British Film Institute Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rachel Thomas actress amp oldid 1056774095, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
