Biography for
Hazel Court More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

10 February 1926, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, England, UK

Date of Death

15 April 2008, Lake Tahoe, California, USA (heart attack)

Nickname

Queen of Scream

Mini Biography

Born in Birmingham, England, Hazel Court carried on a love affair with the world of movies and make-believe that made her a leading student at her hometown's School of Drama and later helped her land a contract with the J. Arthur Rank Organisation. Graduating from bits to supporting roles to leads, Court worked in English films from the mid-'40s until the early 1960s, when she relocated to Hollywood. The flame-haired Court was married to Irish actor Dermot Walsh before she married American actor-director Don Taylor.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Tom Weaver

Spouse

Don Taylor	(25 March 1963 - 29 December 1998) (his death) 2 children
Dermot Walsh	(1949 - 7 February 1963) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Twice in her career, Hazel Court played women whose bucolic vacations were interrupted by unfriendly space aliens, first in the feature film Devil Girl from Mars (1954) and a decade later in "The Twilight Zone" (1959) episode "The Fear" (ep. 5.35, (05-29-64)).

Her "horror queen" popularity officially started with her role as Elizabeth in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). Real-life daughter Sally Walsh played Elizabeth as a child.

Following husband Don Taylor's death in 1998, she would still appear on the cult movie conventions circuit.

As a teenager she was appearing on the stage when she was spotted and signed by the J. Arthur Rank Organization.

Participated in five Roger Corman pictures.

Had three children: Sally Walsh, Courtney Taylor and Jonathan Taylor.

Daughter of a professional cricket player.

While she had a substantial acting career both in England and on American TV, Court was perhaps best known for her work in such films as 1963's The Raven (1963). She co-starred with 'Vincent Price', Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre in a Roger Corman take on the classic Edgar Allan Poe poem. Corman directed her in five movies. Like other "scream queens" of the era, Court's roles often relied on her cleavage and her ability to shriek in fear and die horrible deaths. Premature Burial (1962), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Devil Girl from Mars (1954) helped propel her to cult status and brought her fan mail even in her later years. Court had finished an autobiography, "Hazel Court - Horror Queen", which will be published in Britain, said her daughter, Sally Walsh.

According to friend Ingrid Pitt, Court was Hammer Films' first major star.

One of Court's biggest fans was writer Stephen King who mentions her in his various novels.

Personal Quotes

Just in case I should pop off to Heaven in the night, I always remember to wash up, punch up the cushions, and straighten up after a dinner party. I wouldn't want everyone to come in and find it a mess. It's very English of me."

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