Renée Houston (24 July 1902 - 9 February 1980) was a Scottish comedy actress and revue artist who appeared in television and film roles. Born in Johnstone, Renfrewshire, as Katherina Houston Gribbin she toured music halls and revues with her sister Billie Houston as the "Houston Sisters". In 1926, the sisters made a short musical film, the script of which Renée had written. It was produced by Lee De Forest, whose process, Phonofilm, enabled a soundtrack to be played alongside the film (a year before The Jazz Singer). Houston married three times, the second was to the actor Pat Aherne, the brother of Brian Aherne. Her third husband was the actor Donald Stewart. In her later years, she specialised in "battleaxe" roles, notably as shop steward Vic Spanner's (Kenneth Cope) formidable mother in Carry On at Your Convenience (1971). She published her autobiography in 1974 which was entitled Don't Fence Me In. Houston was also in the early episodes of radio's The Clitheroe Kid and a regular guest on radio panel show The Petticoat Line chaired by Anona Winn. She died in London at the age of 77 on 9 February 1980. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Filmography

• 1975Legend of the Werewolf — Chou-Chou
• 1971Carry On at Your Convenience — Agatha Spanner
• Doctor in the House
• 1969The Comic — Olive
• W. Somerset Maugham — "Frank" Hickson
• ITV Playhouse
• 1967River Rivals — Mrs. Fredericks
• 1966Cul-de-sac — Christopher's Mother
• 1966Secrets of a Windmill Girl
• 1966The Idol — 1st Woman at Party
• 1966The Spy with a Cold Nose — Lady Blanchflower
• 1965Repulsion — Mme Balch
• 1964Carry On Spying — Funhouse Madame
• Theatre 625 — Madame Remy
• 1963Carry On Cabby — Molly
• 1963Nurse on Wheels — Mrs. Beacon
• 1963The Rescue Squad — Mrs Manse, Mrs. Manse
• 1963Tomorrow at Ten — Masie Maddox
• Dr. Finlay's Casebook
• Man of the World — Mrs Van Kempson
• 1962Out of the Fog — Ma
• 1962The Phantom of the Opera — Mrs. Tucker
• The Saint — Ida Warshed, Mrs. McAlister
• 1962Twice Round the Daffodils — Matron
• 1961No, My Darling Daughter — Miss Yardley
• 1961Three on a Spree — Mrs. Gray
• 1961Watch It, Sailor! — Mrs. Mottram
• 1960And the Same to You — Mildred Pomphret
• Maigret — Ja-Ja
• 1960The Flesh and the Fiends — Helen Burke
• No Hiding Place
• 1958The Big Money — Bobbie
• 1958The Horse's Mouth — Sara Monday
• 1958The Key — Canteen Worker (uncredited)
• 1958The Nice Americans — Mrs. Adams
• 1957Time Without Pity — Mrs. Harker
• 1956A Town Like Alice — Ebbey
• Armchair Theatre — Ethel Watts
• The Adventures of Robin Hood — Mother
• 1955Track the Man Down — Pat Sherwood
• 1954The Belles of St Trinian's — Miss Brimmer
• 1951Lady Godiva Rides Again — Beattie
• 1944Two Thousand Women — Maud Wright
• 1943The Peterville Diamond — Lady Margaret
• 1941Old Bill and Son — Stella Malloy
• 1939A Girl Must Live — Gloria Lind
• 1937Fine Feathers — Teenie McPherson
• 1936Happy Days Are Here Again — Kitty Seymour, Story
• 1935Mister Cinders — Mrs. Phipps
• 1935No Monkey Business
• 1934Lost In The Legion — Mary McFee
• 1933Radio Parade
• 1933Their Night Out — Maggie Oliphant
• 1932Come Into My Parlour — Jenny MacDonald

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 1943Down Melody Lane — Self