Search the Collection

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

(1900-1996), Actress and singer

Sitter associated with 58 portraits
Evelyn Laye first appeared in a minor role at The Gaiety Theatre in The Beauty Spot (1917), but the following year she achieved stardom in Going Up!, one of the first aviation musicals. In 1920 she was Bessie Brent in a revival of the first Gaiety musical-comedy, The Shop Girl. A favourite on both sides of the Atlantic, when she made her Broadway debut in the first American production of Noël Coward's Bitter Sweet in 1929, a New York critic described her as 'the loveliest prima donna this side of heaven'. One of her last appearances was in Sondheim's A Little Night Music in 1979.

1 Like voting
is closed

Thanks for Liking

Please Like other favourites!
If they inspire you please support our work.

Make a donation Close

List Thumbnail

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x26886

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 12 July 1917
NPG x26886

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x26885

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 12 July 1917
NPG x26885

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x26887

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 12 July 1917
NPG x26887

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x16549

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 7 June 1918
NPG x16549

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x16545

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, June 1918
NPG x16545

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Edmund Harrington - NPG x133220

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Edmund Harrington
chlorobromide print, 1920s
NPG x133220

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd, published by  Rotary Photographic Co Ltd - NPG x193885

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd, published by Rotary Photographic Co Ltd
bromide postcard print, 1920s
NPG x193885

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Dudley Glanfield - NPG x198700

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Dudley Glanfield
half-plate glass negative, late 1920s
NPG x198700

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Dudley Glanfield - NPG x198702

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Dudley Glanfield
half-plate glass negative, late 1920s
NPG x198702

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Janet Jevons - NPG x198125

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Janet Jevons
bromide postcard print, 1920s
NPG x198125

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x26892

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 7 September 1922
NPG x26892

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x127841

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 1 February 1924
NPG x127841

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x127842

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 1 February 1924
NPG x127842

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x127843

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 1 February 1924
NPG x127843

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x127844

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 15 February 1924
NPG x127844

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x127845

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 15 February 1924
NPG x127845

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Bassano Ltd - NPG x127846

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, 15 February 1924
NPG x127846

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Dudley Glanfield - NPG x45491

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Dudley Glanfield
toned bromide print, early 1930s
NPG x45491

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, published by J. Millhoff & Co Ltd - NPG x196369

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

published by J. Millhoff & Co Ltd
bromide cigarette card, published circa 1930
NPG x196369

Clifford Lely Mollison; (Elsie) Evelyn Laye; Sir Gerald Du Maurier; Nelson Keep; Gertrude Lawrence, by George Woodbine, for  Daily Herald - NPG x136412

Clifford Lely Mollison; (Elsie) Evelyn Laye; Sir Gerald Du Maurier; Nelson Keep; Gertrude Lawrence

by George Woodbine, for Daily Herald
modern bromide print from original negative, 23 February 1932
NPG x136412

Ramon Novarro; (Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Harold Tomlin, for  Daily Herald - NPG x135039

Ramon Novarro; (Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Harold Tomlin, for Daily Herald
modern bromide print from original negative, 13 July 1933
NPG x135039

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Clarence Sinclair Bull - NPG x34531

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Clarence Sinclair Bull
bromide print, 1934
NPG x34531

Evelyn Laye; Isobel Morag (née Marshall), Lady Barnet, by P.A. Reuter Photos Ltd - NPG x182350

Evelyn Laye; Isobel Morag (née Marshall), Lady Barnet

by P.A. Reuter Photos Ltd
bromide press print, 17 June 1954
NPG x182350

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye; Stanley Baxter, by Anthony Buckley - NPG x76221

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye; Stanley Baxter

by Anthony Buckley
modern bromide print from original negative, 1959
NPG x76221

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Anthony Buckley - NPG x76451

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Anthony Buckley
modern bromide print from original negative, 1961
NPG x76451

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Michael Ward - NPG x88844

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Michael Ward
bromide print, 15 March 1966
NPG x88844

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye; Dinah Sheridan, by Anthony Buckley - NPG x76251

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye; Dinah Sheridan

by Anthony Buckley
modern bromide print from original negative, 1967
NPG x76251

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Cecil Beaton - NPG x40251

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Cecil Beaton
bromide print, April 1973
NPG x40251

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye, by Robert Stewart Sherriffs - NPG D18338

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Robert Stewart Sherriffs
pencil, 1928
NPG D18338

Web image not currently available

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, January 1918
NPG x16546

Web image not currently available

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, January 1918
NPG x16547

Web image not currently available

(Elsie) Evelyn Laye

by Bassano Ltd
whole-plate glass negative, January 1918
NPG x16548

Related People

Comments back to top

We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.

If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.