BLUE PLAQUES - ACTORS WHO'VE LIVED IN CROYDON OR KENSINGTON AND CHELSEA

The first blue plaque was erected in London in 1867, and since then, many, many more have been placed throughout the UK in order to commemorate a link between said location and a famous person, event, or former building that existed within the vicinity. Today, we've come to the London boroughs, Croydon and Kensington and Chelsea, where we can discover a blue plaque for each of the following celebrities.

Alfred Hitchcock
(Filmmaker / Screenwriter / Actor)

Born: August 13, 1899, in Leytonstone, Essex, England
Died: April 29, 1980, in Los Angeles, California, USA (aged 80)
Some of their notable films: Vertigo (1958), North by Northwest (1959), and Psycho (1960)
Address: 153 Cromwell Road, South Kensington, London, SW5 0TQ, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Lived here from 1926 to 1939
Trivia: The same year he married Alma Reville, 1926, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife moved into their first home together, located on 153 Cromwell Road, South Kensington. It was a fairly modest two-bedroom top-floor flat that was part of a mid-Victorian terrace house, and by all accounts, it was furnished with furniture and fittings designed by the main man himself.

Will Hay
(Actor / Director)

Born: December 6, 1888, in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham, England
Died: April 18, 1949, in Chelsea, London, England (aged 60)
Some of their notable films: Oh, Mr. Porter! (1937), The Ghost of St. Michael's (1941), and The Goose Steps Out (1942)
Address: 45 The Chase, Norbury, London, SW16 3AE, London Borough of Croydon
Lived here from 1927 to 1934
Trivia: Will Hay was an English comedic actor who's probably best known for working at Elstree Studios, Gainsborough Pictures, and Ealing Studios. But while he was living in Croydon, he also became an astronomer, an amateur astronomer, as he joined the British Astronomical Association and became a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society. In 1933, Will even discovered (observed) the Great White Spot on the planet Saturn.

Tony Hancock
(Actor)

Born: May 12, 1924, in Hall Green, Birmingham, England
Died: June 25, 1968, in Bellevue Hill, Sydney, Australia (aged 44)
Some of their notable films: The Rebel (1961), The Punch and Judy Man (1963), and Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines (1965)
Address: 20 Queen's Gate Place, South Kensington, London, SW7 5NY, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
Lived here from 1952 to 1958
Trivia: Tony Hancock and his first wife, Cicely Romanis, lived at 20 Queen's Gate Place, South Kensington, during the most successful years of his career. Their flat was situated on the fourth floor and part of a Grade II-listed mid-19th-century building (just to the west of the Natural History Museum). But to access their flat, visitors had to walk up a long flight of stairs, and according to Dennis Main Wilson, who produced most of Hancock's radio shows, once inside, people will notice that it's decorated with several pieces of furniture, such as an old leather club armchair and a put-you-up settee. Their flat also had underfelt on the floor (but no carpet).

Peter Cushing
(Actor)

Born: May 26, 1913, in Kenley, Surrey, England
Died: August 11, 1994, in Canterbury, Kent, England (aged 81)
Some of their notable films: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1958), and Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Address: 32 St James' Road, Purley, London, CR8 2DL, London Borough of Croydon
Lived here from 1925 to 1936
Trivia: While he was living at 32 St James' Road, Purley, Peter Cushing made his first stage appearance as a hobgoblin in a play at kindergarten, and years later, performed in many of the dramatic productions staged at his local secondary school, named the Purley County Secondary School. His father, however, didn't support his acting ambitions, but undeterred, Peter attended evening classes at the Guildhall School, London, until he eventually managed to become an assistant stage manager at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing, which helped him develop his career as an actor.

For further information, please feel free to visit the English Heritage Website, Instagram, and Twitter pages. Or if you prefer, click here to see some of the other celebrities who've been commemorated with a blue plaque.