About Joan Henley
Lived 1904 – 1986 (aged 81). Joan Henley was an Irish actor.
Joan Henley (2 September 1904 – 10 February 1986) was an Irish actress and radio presenter. She was active on the London stage since at least 1927 in ingenue roles, and appeared there throughout the 1930s. Her first film role was a supporting part in Purse Strings in 1933. She had a career of over 50 years in film and television, but her appearances were seldom and mostly small because she concentrated on the stage and her private life. She is probably best known for her role as the friendly spinster Teresa Alan in the Oscar-winning romance film A Room with a View, which was released less than a year before her death.
Joan Henley married Bruce Belfrage in 1930 and they had a son, Julian Belfrage, who became an actor's agent. After her divorce from Belfrage, she was married to author Laurence Meynell from 1956 until her death.
Filmography Purse Strings (1933) as Ida Bentley Charley's Aunt (1938, TV Movie) as Donna Lucia School for Randle (1949) Reluctant Heroes (1951) (uncredited) The Common Room (1959, TV Series) as Miss Grenville Peridot Flight (1960, TV Series) as Lady Stilton The Reckoning (1970) as Mrs. Reynolds The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes (1971, TV Series) as Mrs. Wycherly Follow Me! (1972) as Dinner Guest (uncredited) Hadleigh (1973, TV Series) as Enid Broughton Dial M for Murder (1974, TV Series) as Dowager Days of Hope (1975, TV Mini-Series) as Lady Wimborne Armchair Thriller (1978, TV Series) as Lady at Garden Party The Thirty Nine Steps (1978) as Lady Nettleship A Room with a View (1985) as Miss Teresa Alan The Good Doctor Bodkin-Adams (1986, TV Movie) as Mrs. Morrell Shades of Love: Sincerely, Violet (1987) as Maggie (final film role)
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Important facts
People in Joan Henley's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Joan Henley's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Joan Henley?
Irish actress and radio presenter
When was Joan Henley born?
Joan Henley was born on 2 September 1904 in Dublin.
When did Joan Henley die?
Joan Henley died on 10 February 1986 in London.
What was Joan Henley's occupation?
Joan Henley was an actor.
What nationality was Joan Henley?
Joan Henley was Irish.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Joan Henley. https://biography.guide/joan-henley/
MLA: "Joan Henley." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/joan-henley/.
Chicago: "Joan Henley." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/joan-henley/.
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