Virginia McKenna Net Worth

Virginia McKenna's Quotes

• "There are some roles you can put out of your mind the moment you get home. But not this one. (Violette Szabo in Carve Her Name with Pride (1958)) It's the part of a life time.
• [on Peter Finch] Everybody adored Peter so much that he would just come on to the set and everyone would start smiling.
• We saw the results of the film's influence at the time, which is as strong today as it ever was. It doesn't go out of fashion. -- VM, regarding her most popular film Born Free (1966).
• [I have no favorite] wild animals. They are all equally fascinating. And to be respected. I don't believe in domination.
• [on Denholm Elliott] He was a fine actor and a delightful person, but I suppose I have to admit that, for both of us, our marriage was a mistake. I knew in my heart it wouldn't work. So I had to leave.

Interesting Facts about Virginia McKenna

1. She and her husband co-starred in a number of films, most memorably as the conservationists Joy Adamson and George Adamson in Born Free (1966).
2. Helped found The Born Free Foundation in 1984 with husband Bill Travers.
3. Recently opened a museum dedicated to Violette Szabo in Hereford - www.violette-szabo-museum.co.uk
4. She was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2004 Queen's New Year's Honours List for her services to wildlife and to the arts.
5. Her half-French mother Anne de Nys wrote "An Englishman Needs Time", which was a hit for Eartha Kitt.
6. She has three sons, one daughter, and six grandchildren
7. One of her sons is named Bill Travers Jr..
8. Gained acting experience in Dundee Repertory Theatre.
9. Sister-in-law of Linden Travers.
10. Aunt of Susan Travers, Richard Morant and Penelope Wilton.
11. Never enjoyed watching herself on screen but would attend rushes just to see what she did wrong and how to correct it.
12. A major cultural influence, Born Free (1966) changed the perception the world had on wildlife. People were inspired to become veterinarians, preservationists or zoologists.
13. Has a strong love for writing and reading poetry with special passions for Shakespeare, Emily Bronte and Maya Angelou.
14. Virginia and Bill were asked to reprise their "Born Free" roles as the Adamsons in the sequel Living Free (1972) but they declined. Susan Hampshire and Nigel Davenport assumed the roles. The subsequent reviews and box office receipts for the sequel were underwhelming.
15. Has written several books: "On Playing with Lions" (1976), "Some of My Friends Have Tails" (1970), "Beyond the Bars: The Zoo Dilemma" (1987), "Into the Blue (1992), "Journey to Freedom" (1997) and, most recently, her autobiography, "The Life in My Years" (2009).
16. Due to family obligations, she once had to turn down the title role in a stage production of "Peter Pan" that would have co-starred husband Bill Travers as Captain Hook. Virginia later played Mrs. Darling in an American TV series version of Peter Pan (1976) starring Mia Farrow and Danny Kaye.
17. According to Laura Waskin's in-depth article of Virginia in Classic Images film magazine, February 2013, after the filming of Born Free (1966), the real Joy Adamson invited Virginia to go with her and camp at Meru, the location where the story was based. She also presented Virginia and Bill with a painting she'd done of Elsa the lion on a camp bed accompanied by a touching personal message that read, "I thought the film and the way the story was told, brought the message to a wider audience. Books do one thing, and films do something else".
18. Horsham, West Sussex, England [May 2009]
19. Was awarded the prestigious Laurence Olivier Best Actress in a Musical Award on London's West End Stage for 'The King and I'.
20. In 2012 she was presented with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science from Nottingham Trent University.