Dame Edith Mary Evans (February 8, 1888 - October 14, 1976) was a British actress. Born in London, she began a film career in 1915, but was noted mostly for her stage work until she appeared in the 1949 film The Last Days of Dolwyn . From then until 1977, she made several acclaimed films, including The Importance of Being Earnest, The Whisperers (for which she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress), Tom Jones (nominated for Best Supporting Actress), The Slipper and the Rose, The Nun's Story, The Chalk Garden (nominated for Best Supporting Actress), The Madwoman of Chaillot , Crooks and Coronets and Nasty Habits .
Evans was knighted as a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) in 1946.