Merle Oberon (born Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson; 19 February 1911 – 23 November 1979) was a British actress who began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in
The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933). After her success in
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), she travelled to the United States to make films for Samuel Goldwyn. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in
The Dark Angel (1935). Oberon hid her mixed heritage out of fear of discrimination and the impact it would have had on her career. She was perhaps best known for her portrayal of Catherine Earnshaw in the 1939 film adaptation of the novel
Wuthering Heights, directed by William Wyler. Her other notable films are
These Three (1936),
A Song to Remember (1945),
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