movie poster

Young Bess

NR

1953

112 minutes

DramaHistoryRomance

Overview

The mother died under the executioner's axe; the daughter rose to become England's greatest monarch -- the brilliant and cunning Queen Elizabeth I. Jean Simmons portrays young Bess in this rich tapestry of a film that traces the tumultuous, danger-fraught years from Elizabeth's birth to her unexpected ascension to the throne at a mere 25. Charles Laughton reprises his Academy Award®-winning* role as her formidable father Henry VIII. Deborah Kerr plays her last stepmother (and Henry's last of six wives), gentle Catherine Parr. And Simmons' then real-life husband, Stewart Granger, adds heroics as Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour. In a resplendent world of adventure, romance and court intrigue, Young Bess reigns.

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Top Cast

Jean Simmons headshot

Jean Simmons

Young Bess (Queen Elizabeth I)

Stewart Granger headshot

Stewart Granger

Thomas Seymour

Deborah Kerr headshot

Deborah Kerr

Catherine Parr

Charles Laughton headshot

Charles Laughton

King Henry VIII

Kay Walsh headshot

Kay Walsh

Mrs. Ashley

Guy Rolfe headshot

Guy Rolfe

Ned Seymour

Kathleen Byron headshot

Kathleen Byron

Ann Seymour

Cecil Kellaway headshot

Cecil Kellaway

Mr. Parry

Rex Thompson headshot

Rex Thompson

Prince Edward / King Edward VI

Robert Arthur headshot

Robert Arthur

Barnaby

Leo G. Carroll headshot

Leo G. Carroll

Mr. Mums

Norma Varden headshot

Norma Varden

Lady Tyrwhitt

Alan Napier headshot

Alan Napier

Robert Tyrwhitt

Noreen Corcoran headshot

Noreen Corcoran

Bess as a child

Ivan Triesault headshot

Ivan Triesault

Danish Envoy

Elaine Stewart headshot

Elaine Stewart

Anne Boleyn

Dawn Addams headshot

Dawn Addams

Kate Howard

Doris Lloyd headshot

Doris Lloyd

Mother Jack

Lumsden Hare headshot

Lumsden Hare

Archbishop Cranmer

Lester Matthews headshot

Lester Matthews

Sir William Paget

Patrick Whyte headshot

Patrick Whyte

Officer