Merle Oberon publicity photo circa 1943 | Source: Wikimedia. You may request that your data not be shared with third parties here: Merle Oberon Hid Biracial Heritage throughout Her Life — inside the Hollywood Icon's Journey, The star-struck Merle joined the Calcutta Amateur Dramatic Society, born and bred in suitably exotic Tasmania, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard's Love Ended with the Actress's Death — inside Their Tragic Love Story, Jennifer Lopez Has Two Beautiful Sisters Who Call Her a 'Goofball' — Meet Leslie and Lynda, Joaquin Phoenix's Brother River Died 26 Years Ago but He Still Feels His Presence and Guidance, 'Grease' Movie Facts That Fans Might Not Know Including How Old the Cast Really Was as They Played High Schoolers, Judy Garland's Life before She Gained Nationwide Recognition in 'The Wizard of Oz', Robert Kardashian Was Married Twice after Kris Jenner — Inside the OJ Simpson Lawyer's Life and Death. Personal Facts about June Diane Raphael — Husband, Mother's Death, Postpartum Depression, And More, Demetria McKinney's Road to Fame — From a Homeless Teenage Mother to 'House of Payne' Star, Get to Know Lorraine Toussaint, 'The Equalizer' Star and Mom of a Teen Daughter. In British India, white men outnumbered white women vastly, and biracial children were seen as a betrayal of morality, the mingling of British blood with inferior races due to illicit relations, or worse, the result of love affairs. Born 1911 as Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson in Bombay, British India, British actress Merle Oberon began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). Finney was enamored, and it looked like the romance might lead to a serious commitment, until he visited her home. Charlotte had herself given birth to Constance at the age of 14, the … See more ideas about merle oberon, old hollywood, hollywood. It names her mother as Constance Selby, who was only 12 at the time of the birth. A more unlikely beginning could hardly be imagined for the girl who would one day be one of the world's most feted beauties. However, she is best remembered for playing Cathy in Wuthering Heights (1939) with Laurence Olivier as Heathcliffe. Merle Oberon, born and bred in suitably exotic Tasmania, of impeccable breeding and stunning beauty, disembarked in England. Oberon's birth certificate gave Merle's parents as Arthur Terrence O'Brien Thompson, a British mechanical engineer from Darlington, England, who worked in Indian Railways, and Charlotte Selby, a Eurasian from Ceylon with some Maori ancestry. There he met Constance, whom he thought was Merle's sister. Sam Goldwyn bought the … However, Merle's biological mother was Charlotte's 12-year-old daughter Constance. Even though Charlotte had been her constant companion until her death in 1937, Merle cut off all contact with her family. She said: "I was born in Tasmania but left there when I was a child (...) several people in odd parts of Australia have bobbed up to claim me as a relation [but] my family quarreled with them some time ago. The cinema offered Merle a brief escape into a more gracious and fascinating world. She came to London when she was 17. Oberon received a foundation scholarship to attend La Martiniere Calcutta for Girls, a well-known Calcutta private school. Her mother was named Constance. Oberon was relentlessly bullied at La Martiniere Calcutta School for Girls. Merle Oberon parents are Charlotte Selby (mother), Arthur Terrence O'Brien Thompson (father). Her already-notable porcelain beauty did not help endear her to her less well-favored though infinitely "better-born" colleagues or their mothers. Finney did do his former beloved a good turn: he wrote her a letter of introduction to Rex Ingram of Victorine Studios. In 1929, Merle met a former actor and Colonel in the British Army, Ben Finney. Merle never saw Constancem her birth-mother again. In 1917, the family moved to Calcutta, and Merle was admitted to La Martiniere Calcutta for Girls. In order to avoid scandal, Charlotte claimed Merle was her own child, sister to her mother Constance. Merle Oberon had a brief affair in 1941 with Richard Hillary, an RAF fighter pilot who had been badly burned in the Battle of Britain. Merle Oberon was born Estelle Marie Thompson on Feb. 19, 1911, but the story of her origins ranked among the most convoluted and uncertain for a Golden Age performer of her stature. Then, in 1917, they moved to better circumstances in Calcutta. Gary Cooper bio, death, daughter, wife, cause of death, what did die of, movies, films, actor, western movies, roles, the virginian, movies list, best movies … Merle Oberon's exotic features allowed her to play various ethnic rolls throughout her career and Paul Hesse captured the magic of dark eyes, red lips and raven hair in this picture of an Indian Princess. Mystery has always surrounded Merle Oberon’s early life, and recently information about it has come out in the press. Her wikipedia, biography details is given here. Browse 487 merle oberon stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. She was born in Bombay, British India. Kids Can Be So Cruel. Actress Merle Oberon, above, was an Academy Award nominated actress who appeared in several hit films with her most memorable being "Wuthering Heights." Merle’s biological maternal grandfather was named Henry Alfred Selby. In 1949 Oberon commissioned paintings of her mother from an old photograph. Her father Arthur Terrence O'Brien Thompson is a British mechanical engineer from Darlington he has worked in Indian Railways and her mother Charlotte Selby is a Eurasian from Ceylon and of Māori ancestry. 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Hobart historian Bob Casey came closest to the truth with his 2008 book, Merle Oberon: Face of Mystery . Robert Wolders (28 September 1936 – 12 July 2018) was a Dutch television actor known for his role in the television series Laredo and appearing in series such as The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Bewitched, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.He was married to Merle Oberon, and was the longtime partner of … But mystery has always surrounded Merle Oberon’s early life, not least because of the version of events given by the actress herself. She was hideous to her mother, who was Indian. The lighting in this photo captured the sparkle in Oberon's eyes, her smile and the energy she exuded. She later said: "I was born in Tasmania but left there when I was a child (...) several people in odd parts of Australia have bobbed up to claim me as a relation.". Oberon's birth certificate gave Merle's parents as Arthur Terrence O'Brien Thompson, a British mechanical engineer from Darlington, England, who worked in Indian Railways, and Charlotte Selby, a Eurasian from Ceylon with some Maori ancestry. Merle got her break in 1933 when director Alexander Korda cast her in the small but memorable part of the seductive Anne Boleyn in "The Private Life of Henry VIII." Oberon's father was British and her mother was East Indian. by Anonymous: reply 7: 02/20/2013: R7 even if her mother played around if Oberon did … Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Only Son in Pictures — Little Archie Turns Two! Apparently the records of … 50 Gorgeous Photos of British Actress Merle Oberon in the 1930s and ’40s. Film actress Merle O'Brien was born in Bombay of an Anglo-Indian mother and an Australian father. I personally, don’t care one bit whether Merle Oberon was East Indian or British; I would love her … Oberon went to great lengths to disguise her mixed-race background and when her dark-skinned mother moved in with her, she masqueraded as Oberon's maid. Selby's mother, Charlotte, raised Oberon … However, she was actually born in Mumbai to Constance Selby, a Eurasian girl who was only 15 years old at the time, and British engineer Arthur Thompson. Merle Oberon publicity photo circa 1936 | Source: Wikimedia. In 1934, Korda cast her again as his leading lady in "The Private Life of Don Juan" opposite screen icon, Douglas Fairbanks -- and married her. Harry was Irish, and was a foreman at a tea plantation. British Indian society was ruled by the English class system, intolerant of people of mixed race. So Merle grew up thinking Constance Selby was her sister, not her mother She was one of the great stars of Hollywood’s golden age and shared a kiss with Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights. Actress Merle Oberon spent her entire life hiding away her biracial heritage in fear that discrimination would end her movie career. Merle Oberon was a British actress. To understand the reason Merle would cling to her lies about her heritage, it is perhaps necessary to understand the world into which she was born in 1910. She also has a secret: she’s passing for white—with her black mother by her side, masquerading as her maid—much as Oberon’s mother, Charlotte Selby, did when the … Oberon went on to become one of the greatest movie stars of the era, and an Academy Award-nominated actress, but do so she rewrote her past and spurned all contact with her family, her identity, and her past. Charlotte died in 1937. Who was Merle Oberon Born Estelle Merle O’Brien Thompson in Bombay to a mother of mixed origin and a white father, Merle Oberon was actually a member of India’s large Anglo-Indian community. The identity of Merle’s biological father is not known. However, Merle's biological mother was Charlotte's 12-year-old daughter Constance. Actress Merle Oberon was born in Mumbai, Indiaon the 19 February 1911 to Charlotte Selby and In order to avoid scandal, Charlotte claimed Merle was her own child, sister to her mother Constance. In director William Wyler’s These Three (1936) the relationship between Miriam Hopkin’s Martha and Merle Oberon’s Karen was delicately subtle and though to mainstream audiences might be seemingly obvious to interpret as two women attracted to the male lead, Joel McCrea. Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson was dead, and no-one would be permitted to resurrect her and until the very end of her life, as Merle Oberon, she hid and denied her true self. She had a rocky school life, because she was born out of wedlock to a 12 year old mother. Oberon’s birth certificate hid a twisted secret—Charlotte Selby, the woman listed as her mother, was actually her grandmother. Julianne Phillips Is Bruce Springsteen's 1st Wife — Facts about Her and Their Failed Marriage, Daily Joke: Jesus Walks into a Bar and Meets a Russian Man, Melinda Gates — Daughter of an Apollo-Program Engineer and Bill Gates' Soon-to-Be Ex-wife, Inside Cori Broadus' Lupus Battle That Saved Parents Snoop Dogg and Shante Broadus' Marriage, Story of the Day: Man Kicks His Mom Out of His Wedding for Calling His Wife Unworthy, Story of the Day: I Got Fired 2 Months After My Parents Died. One day be one of the bitter brew of her mother Constance was just 12 years old who would day. Experience for our customers to spare her unwanted male attention and possible rape all contact with her.... A more gracious and fascinating world O'Brien Thompson in 1911 harry was,... 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