Heather Thatcher

Heather Thatcher (3 September 1896 – 15 January 1987) was an English actress in theatre and films. Dancer By 1922, Thatcher was a dancer. She was especially noted for her interpretation of an Egyptian harem dance. Her exotic clothes were designed in Russia. They featured stencil slits in the waist, trouserettes and sleeves. Her attire was billed as the boldest costume ever shown in Britain. English theatre Thatcher made her debut on the London stage in 1916 in The Girl from Cirro's at the Garrick Theatre, before going on to play the leading role in The Boy at the Adelphi Theatre. In 1923, she sang and danced in the musical revue The Beauty Prize at the Winter Garden Theatre. In March 1924, whilst travelling to the south of France on a short holiday with the actor and comedian Leslie Henson, Thatcher was a passenger on a Riviera Express train which derailed four miles outside of Lyon, killing three. She was trapped under the wreckage for almost an hour before being rescued, but suffered only minor bruising. The sleeping berth directly above her had been empty at the time of the crash and acted as a canopy when the carriages collided, protecting her from more serious injury. In August 1926, she appeared in Thy Name Is Woman at the Q Theatre. It marked her graduation from musical comedy to serious acting.