Viola Keats

Viola Keats (1911–1998) was a British stage, film, and television actress born in Doune, Scotland. After completing her training at RADA, she made her first appearance on the London stage at the Apollo Theatre in 1933, performing in The Distaff Side. The following year she brought the same production to Broadway, marking her American debut.

Keats maintained an active Broadway presence from 1934 to 1948, appearing in a range of productions that included Once is Enough, Macbeth, the drama Murder Without Crime, The Linden Tree, and Anne of the Thousand Days. Her stage work extended well beyond Broadway, and she later undertook an Australian tour of A Streetcar Named Desire, playing the role of Blanche. In 1958 she appeared in Agatha Christie's play Verdict at the Strand Theatre in London.

Her screen career began in 1933 with Too Many Wives, and she went on to take starring roles in films including A Woman Alone. From the 1950s onward, her work in front of the camera shifted primarily to television, though she continued performing in theatre throughout that period. Keats spent her retirement in Brighton. An obituary published in The Independent described her as an actress of vigour and conviction.