Who was Yvonne Arnaud?

French? Yes! A spy? No! If you already know who I’m talking about, I’m both surprised and impressed. Read on to learn the story behind the name.

The closest theatre to us is The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford. We’ve visited many times over the years. When our boys were little, going to the Christmas pantomime was an annual tradition. These days, we don’t go as often, but when Mr. FF had his birthday in January, a friend gave us tickets as a treat.

This visit sent me down a rabbit hole, which led to this blog post. I had a lightbulb moment when I realised I knew nothing about Yvonne Arnaud, nor why the theatre has her name. Time for some research into her background:

• Germaine Yvonne Arnaud was born in 1890 in Bordeaux
• She grew up in Paris, entering the Paris Conservatoire aged nine to study piano.
• As a teenager, she performed with major orchestras across Europe and the United States.
• Later, she became a singer and actor who graced the London stage
• From the stage, she next appeared in silent films. With the advent of sound, Yvonne acted in many British productions
• Arnaud’s final screen role was in Jacques Tati’s Oscar-winning film ‘Mon Oncle’ in 1958
• In 1920, Arnaud married Hugh McLellan, an English actor and theatre manager
• They relocated from London to Effingham, Surrey, in 1937, moving to central Guildford in 1956
• She suffered a stroke in 1958, from which she never recovered
• Her ashes were scattered in St. Martha’s churchyard, in the Surrey Hills

The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre opened in 1965. The actress had formed a connection with Guildford and Surrey, and the theatre is a memorial to her life and work.

Finding copyright-free images of Yvonne Arnaud was interesting! My search led me to a collection at the National Portrait Gallery. For a donation, I was able to download some images all taken by Bassano Ltd, in the twenties.

Below is a rare clip of Yvonne performing in a 1933 film!

I hope you have enjoyed my – slightly self-indulgent – post into a local legend!