Muriel Pavlow was born on June 27 1921 in Lewisham, South East London. Her father, Boris Pavlov, was a Russian immigrant. Her mother, Germaine, was Swiss-French. Her father changed the last name to Pavlow so the name would sound more British. She began acting while very young. She made her film debut in 1934 in the Gracie Fields musical Sing As We Go!. In the Thirties she also appeared in the films A Romance in Flanders (1937) and John Halifax (1938). She made her television debut in 1937 as Gretel in a television production of Hansel and Gretel.
In the Forties Miss Pavlow appeared in the films Quiet Wedding (1941), Night Boat to Dublin (1946), and The Shop at Sly Corner (1947). On television she appeared in the TV movies Peter and Paul and Weep for the Cyclops, as well as a multi-part television production of Hamlet.
In the Fifties Muriel Pavlow played Joy Gibson, the love interest of Simon Sparrow (played by Sir Dirk Benedict), in the movies Doctor in the House (1954) and Doctor at Large (1957). She also appeared in the films It Started in Paradise (1952), The Net (1953), Malta Story (1953), Conflict of Wings (1954), Simon and Laura (1955), Reach for the Sky (1956), Eyewitness (1956), Tiger in the Smoke (1956), Rooney (1958), and Whirlpool (1959). On television she guest started on the TV programmes BBC Sunday-Night Theatre and Douglas Fairbanks Presents. She appeared in the TV movies Spring at Marino, Breakers Ahead, and The Mollusc.
In the Sixties Miss Pavlow appeared in the film Murder She Said (1961). She guest starred on the TV shows BBC Sunday-Night Play, Jezebel ex UK, Zero One, R3, and The Brian Rix Theatre of Laughter. In the Seventies she appeared in several episodes of Emmerdale Farm. She guest starred on the shows Dixon of Dock Green and The Ravelled Thread. In the Eighties she guest starred on The Last Evensong and Boon.
In the Nineties Muriel Pavlow guest starred on Surgical Spirit, Screen Two, The Bill, May to December, Crown Prosecutor, Men Behaving Badly, Poirot, and Black Books. She appeared in the mini-series The Rector's Wife, Oliver's Travels, and The Final Cut. She appeared in the TV movies Daisies in December and Heaven on Earth.
In the Naughts she appeared in the mini-series Perfect Strangers. She appeared in the TV movies Hotel! and Belonging. She guest starred on the TV show Coupling. Her last appearance on screen was in the movie Glorious 39 (2009).
Although she was not English in descent, Muriel Pavlow was often cast as the quintessential Englishwoman, always bravely standing by the man in her life. It was a role she played in Reach for the Sky, and even the two "Doctor" movies in which she appeared. And there can be little doubt she was suited to such roles. Pretty, but at the same time capable of looking prim, Miss Pavlow excelled in playing such heroines. That is not to say that she was not capable of other roles. On television she played everything from Ophelia in Hamlet to Queen Victoria on the TV show The Ravelled Thread. Muriel Pavlow was a remarkable actress who was always a pleasure to watch.
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