updated: 29/03/2007
Anne Boleyn, 1st Marchioness of Pembroke (ca 1504—1536) was the second wife of king Henry VIII and the mother of queen Elizabeth I. King Henry’s marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, were part of the complex beginning of the considerable political and religious upheavals of the English Reformation; with Anne herself was an active player, promoting the cause of Church reform. She is remembered because she was beheaded on charges of adultery, incest and treason in 1536. Despite this, belief in her innocence was widespread and she was later celebrated as a martyr in English Protestant culture, particularly through the works of John Foxe.
As might be expected contemporary opinion was strongly divided on Anne. On one hand, she was described as ‘one common stewed whore’ (the abbot of Whitby) and ‘the scandal of Christendom’ (Catherine of Aragon); on the other, Foxe included her amongst his Protestant martyrs and Arcbishop Cranmer said of her: ‘I loved her not a little for the love which I judged her to bear towards God and His Gospel.’
Her recent biographers agree that ‘she was never described as a great beauty’ (lady Antonia Fraser) and that her ‘charm lay not so much in her physical appearance as in her vivacious personality, her gracefulness, her quick wit and other accomplishments’ (Alison Weir). A Venetian ambassador described Anne, shortly before she became queen, as:
Not one of the handsomest women in the world. She is of middling stature, with a swarthy complexion, long neck, wide mouth, bosom not much raised, and in fact has nothing but the King’s great appetite, and her eyes, which are black and beautiful – and take great effect on those who served the Queen when she was on the throne. She lives like a queen, and the King accompanies her to Mass – and everywhere.
There is an academic debate about the date of Anne’s birth; a estimates range from 1499 to 1512 with 1501 and 1507 generally being accepted as the most likely dates. So she was probably aged twenty-nine to thirty-five when she was executed, but could have been as young as twenty-four or as old as thirty-seven. Most of the actresses who have played Anne fall within this wider age range with the exception of Dorothy Tutin (who was forty, and looked too old for the part) and Merle Oberon (who was twenty-two).
The Other Boleyn Girl: with Natalie Portman as Anne. Coming soon. . .
The Tudors: mini-series with Natalie Dormer as Anne. Jennifer Hegarty was key makeup artist; Martina Byrne was makeup artist; Conor O'Sullivan was responsible for prosthetic makeup.
The Other Boleyn Girl: ultra-low budget BBC version which featured Jodhi May as Anne. Daniel Phillips was the makeup designer.
Henry VIII: mini-series which featured Helena Bonham Carter as Anne. Liz Tagg was the makeup designer.
Henry VIII and His Six Wives: a movie version of the BBC mini-series with Keith Michell reprising his role as Henry but with Charlotte Rampling as Anne. For some reason in one scene, Anne attends a ball at court in blackface as a ‘Moor’. Eric Allwright was the makeup artist.
The Six Wives of Henry VIII: classic but dated BBC mini-series featuring Dorothy Tutin as Anne; as noted above Dorothy Tutin looked noticeably too old for the role. Pam Burns was the makeup artist.
Anne of the Thousand Days: featuring Geneviève Bujold as Anne. Tom Smith was the makeup supervisor.
A Man for All Seasons: with Vanessa Redgrave, in an early and very small role, as Anne. Eric Allwright & George Frost were the makeup artists.
Young Bess: with Elaine Stewart as Anne. Coming soon. . .
The Private Life of Henry VIII: with Merle Oberon as Anne. There were no makeup credits given for this movie.