Philippa Bevans

Philippa Mary Bevans (February 10, 1913 – May 10, 1968) was an English actress who worked extensively in stage and screen throughout a career spanning several decades. Born in London, she was the daughter of actors Lionel Bevans and Viola Roache, and she was raised in Boston, where she attended the Woodward School for Girls. Her early exposure to the theatrical profession through her parents led her to pursue acting from childhood, and she made her first stage appearances as a child actress.

By 1931, Bevans was performing with the Jitney Players, and a notice in the Baltimore Sun singled her out as the most gifted and accomplished young actress to appear with that company during their production of Caste. Her Broadway career extended from 1930 to 1967 and encompassed a wide range of productions, including the musical The Dream Girl, A Temporary Island, the play Harriet, the comedy Look After Lulu, and The Starcross Story.

Among her most prominent Broadway credits was her participation in the original 1956 production of My Fair Lady, which starred Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews. Bevans appeared in that production alongside her mother and is featured on the original cast recording. The production remains one of the landmark musicals in Broadway history.

Beyond the stage, Bevans maintained an active presence in television. She held a regular role on the daytime serial Search for Tomorrow and appeared in a recurring capacity on the Sergeant Bilko Show. In 1962, she portrayed Mrs. Landers, the housekeeper of Professor Ellis Fowler, played by Donald Pleasence, in the Twilight Zone episode "The Changing of the Guard," which aired on May 31, 1962, during the series' third season.

Bevans died on May 10, 1968, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City at the age of 55.