GINGOLD, HERMIONE

GINGOLD, HERMIONE (1897–1987), British actress. Born in London, the daughter of a stockbroker from Austria, Hermione Gingold had a varied career on the London and New York stage, lasting over 60 years, from 1908 until 1973, usually appearing in comedies and reviews. A second career in Hollywood saw her star in such films as Gigi (1958), and a further career in American television found her typecast as a delightful eccentric. Twice married, her first husband was the British Jewish literary agent and publisher MICHAEL JOSEPH (1897–1958), whom she married in 1918 and divorced in 1926.   His firm, Michael Joseph Ltd., published the works of such famous writers as Michael Arlen, Daphne DuMaurier, and Dick Francis. Gingold wrote a posthumously published autobiography, How to Grow Old Gracefully (1988). There is a biography of her husband, Michael Joseph: Master of Words (1986), which never mentions the fact that he was Jewish. (William D. Rubinstein (2nd ed.)