Blanche Marvin

Blanche Marvin MBE (née Schein; also known as Blanche Zohar;[1][2][3] 17 January 1925 – 13 January 2026), was an American-born British theatre critic, producer, writer, actress and dancer, long-based in London.

Life and career

Marvin was born Blanche Schein[1] in New York City on 17 January 1925.[2][3] According to her daughter, she became estranged from her parents and siblings, and by her own account, she left home at age 14.[1] She became a dancer and actor under the stage name Blanche Zohar, and appeared in small roles on Broadway in Lute Song (1946) and other productions, as well as in films.[1][4]

According to Marvin, she once rebuffed a pass from Marlon Brando. She became a close friend of Tennessee Williams, whom she met through Margo Jones, who directed the Broadway production of The Glass Menagerie. Marvin later claimed Williams had named his lead character in A Streetcar Named Desire, Blanche DuBois, after her. She married American producer Mark Marvin, 17 years her senior.[5]

Marvin began reviewing plays in 1987 and continued working as a theatre critic until she was 99 years old.[1] She created the Empty Space Peter Brook Award in 1991, and endowed it personally.[5] She was made an Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2010, for services to theatre,[5] and appeared as a "castaway" on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 16 November 2012.[6]

A widow since 1958,[5] she lived in St John's Wood, north London. She had two children by her marriage to Mark Marvin.[7] Blanche Marvin died at her home in London on 13 January 2026, four days before her 101st birthday.[1][8][9][2]

Bibliography

  • —— (1990). Four Plays for Children. Merri-Mimes. ISBN 978-1872693002.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Longman, Jeré (4 February 2026). "Blanche Marvin, 100, Dies; Critic Was, Maybe, 'Streetcar' Inspiration". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 February 2026.
  2. ^ a b c "Blanche Marvin obituary: indefatigable London theatre critic". The Times. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b Blume, Mary (12 June 2007). "Blanche Marvin: London's best-loved theater critic". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  4. ^ "Lute Song". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved 16 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b c d Clark, Nick (27 July 2014). "Critic claims 'I was the inspiration for Blanche DuBois'". The Independent. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Desert Island Discs - Castaway : Blanche Marvin". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
  7. ^ Cooke, Rachel (8 July 2007). "Queen of the curtain-up". The Observer. Retrieved 29 August 2014.
  8. ^ Hemley, Matthew (15 January 2026). "Tributes paid to 'doyenne of theatre critics' Blanche Marvin who has died aged 100". The Stage. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  9. ^ "Theatre world pays tribute to Blanche Marvin, who has died aged 100". Whats on Stage. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
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