Ranking the Greatest Film Roles of Londoner Elsa Lanchester
From Mary Poppins to Bride of Frankenstein
London is famous for a great many things: red buses, rainy skies, and an inexplicable fondness for queueing. But among the capital’s finest exports is a wildly underrated treasure—actress, character chameleon, and all-round cinematic whirlwind: Elsa Lanchester.
Born in 1902 in Lewisham, South London, and raised in a delightfully eccentric household in Battersea, Lanchester was never going to blend quietly into the background. The daughter of a Bohemian mother who rejected marriage and corsets in equal measure, Elsa inherited a healthy disrespect for convention—and thank heavens she did. Because her career, spanning nearly five decades, left an indelible mark on film history and gave us some of the most bizarre, beguiling, and unforgettable performances in cinema. You can check out our film about Elsa below:
She may not be a household name like Audrey Hepburn or Bette Davis, but Lanchester was always the most interesting person on screen—usually eccentric, often terrifying, and never, ever dull. So let’s raise a teacup (or something stronger) to this remarkable Londoner, as we rank her greatest film roles. Prepare for wigs, winks, and one particularly famous hiss.
1. The Bride – Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
The hair. The stare. The scream. It’s impossible to top this one. Lanchester appears in the film for a grand total of three minutes as the titular Bride, but what an entrance! With her shock of black-and-white hair styled to resemble a bolt of lightning (which, coincidentally, is also how she arrives), Lanchester’s Bride became an instant icon—and remains a staple of Halloween costumes and tattoo parlours worldwide.
Lanchester, ever the sly Londoner, played two roles in this film: the Bride and Mary Shelley in the opening scene, subtly suggesting that women, not men, are the true creators of horror and beauty alike. Her hissing, bird-like performance was reportedly inspired by the swans in Regent’s Park. Only a London actress would think, “You know what this monster needs? A bit of Hyde Park menace.”
This role cemented her in the annals of film history—even if the Bride herself never got a name (or a second date).
2. Katie Nanna – Mary Poppins (1964)
Before Julie Andrews floated in on her magical umbrella, there was Katie Nanna—played with sour-faced perfection by Elsa Lanchester. She storms out of the Banks household within the film’s first five minutes, but oh, what a glorious exit. She’s cross, she’s had enough, and she’s not afraid to say it.
Lanchester turned what could’ve been a forgettable bit part into a small masterclass in comic frustration. And, as any Londoner who's battled the Underground at rush hour will tell you, her expression of “utter done-ness” is all too relatable. This role is a reminder of Lanchester’s impeccable comedic timing—an art form she honed on the West End stage long before she reached Hollywood.
3. Miss Plupp – Passport to Destiny (1944)
What’s this? Elsa Lanchester as a plucky London cleaning lady who tries to assassinate Hitler? Oh yes. You read that correctly.
In Passport to Destiny, Lanchester plays Miss Emily Peabody, a superstitious charwoman who believes a magical amulet renders her invincible. So naturally, she smuggles herself into Nazi Germany to single-handedly take out the Führer. Utter nonsense? Absolutely. But it’s also a rollicking wartime comedy that gave Lanchester her first leading role—and she grabs it with Cockney gusto.
Watching a South London cleaning lady outwit Nazi spies is possibly the most gloriously British thing ever committed to celluloid. If there’s one film that showcases the full spectrum of Elsa’s talent—from slapstick to sincerity—it’s this. London’s Blitz spirit in a teacup.
4. Anne of Cleves – The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
Long before The Tudors made history sexy, Elsa Lanchester was injecting humour into the royal bedchamber. As Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s famously underwhelming fourth wife, Lanchester plays her as a strategic genius who deliberately fails to attract the king, thereby securing a generous divorce settlement and avoiding decapitation. A modern woman ahead of her time.
Opposite her real-life husband Charles Laughton, who played Henry with gluttonous glee, Lanchester is sharp, funny, and entirely in control. It’s the kind of role that reminds you history can be hysterical—and that not all queens lose their heads.
Fun fact: This was one of the first British films to be nominated for an Oscar, putting British cinema on the international map. And you can bet your bonnet that Elsa’s scene-stealing had something to do with that.
5. Amelia – The Spiral Staircase (1946)
Time to dial up the gothic. In this chilling thriller, Lanchester plays Amelia, the neurotic housemaid with a penchant for peering suspiciously around corners. The film centres on a mute woman being stalked by a serial killer in a creaky old mansion, and Lanchester adds a dash of Hitchcockian paranoia to the proceedings.
As always, she takes a supporting role and spins it into gold. Amelia is simultaneously funny, creepy, and vaguely unhinged—the perfect trifecta. If you ever wondered what it would be like if your nosy neighbour became a horror character, this is it.
6. Ellen – Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Based on the Agatha Christie play and directed by Billy Wilder (of Some Like It Hot fame), Witness for the Prosecution features Lanchester as the eternally flustered nurse Ellen, tasked with keeping a grumpy barrister alive and hydrated.
Again acting opposite her husband, Charles Laughton, she plays the long-suffering caretaker role with such wry dignity that she earned an Academy Award nomination for it. The banter between the two is so sharp it could cut glass, and Lanchester’s withering looks are a masterclass in passive aggression.
London nurses may never have looked so exasperated—or so quietly formidable.
7. Aunt Queenie – Bell, Book and Candle (1958)
In this stylish witchy rom-com starring Kim Novak and James Stewart - in the same year that they made Vertigo. Elsa Lanchester plays Aunt Queenie, a dotty sorceress with a talent for mischief and a wardrobe that could kill. Literally.
The role allowed her to lean into full eccentricity—glittering shawls, ominous cats, and spontaneous candle lighting. It’s as if Madame Arcati from Blithe Spirit had a spin-off sitcom. Queenie is magical, in every sense, and proves once again that Lanchester was never afraid to be the weird one in the room.
8. Mrs. MacDougall – The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
Let’s wrap things up with something a little festive. In this classic Christmas film, Elsa Lanchester plays Mrs. MacDougall, a tippling society matron who enjoys a good drink and a good flirt—with Cary Grant, no less.
It’s a smaller role, but she steals every scene with her wide-eyed delight and cocktail-fuelled charm. There’s a twinkle in her eye and a slyness to her delivery that’s quintessentially Elsa. And frankly, she seems like exactly the kind of woman you’d want at your Christmas party—assuming you don’t mind someone spiking the punch.
Elsa Lanchester: A True London Original
From gothic horror to slapstick comedy, regal farce to magical mayhem, Elsa Lanchester’s career is a testament to the sheer joy of character acting. She never played the leading lady—not in the traditional sense—but she always played unforgettable women: strange, strong, smart, and just a bit mad.
Her legacy is one of versatility, wit, and an utter refusal to be ordinary. She brought a slice of London eccentricity to every role, no matter how bizarre. And though she eventually settled in Hollywood, her roots—those glorious South London roots—were always visible in her work.
In an era when most actresses were expected to smile sweetly and look decorative, Elsa Lanchester leaned into the weird, the wild, and the wonderful. And the film world is all the better for it.
So here’s to Elsa—actress, icon, and unrepentant Londoner. May her hiss echo through film history forever.
Know another Londoner who changed the face of film? Drop us a line—we’re always on the lookout for more history, heritage, and cinematic gold hiding in plain sight across our city.
