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Young Bess (1953)

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.

  • Drama
  • History
  • Romance

Top billed cast

  • Photo of Jean SimmonsJean SimmonsYoung Bess (Queen Elizabeth I)
  • Photo of Stewart GrangerStewart GrangerThomas Seymour
  • Photo of Deborah KerrDeborah KerrCatherine Parr
  • Photo of Charles LaughtonCharles LaughtonKing Henry VIII
  • Photo of Kay WalshKay WalshMrs. Ashley
  • Photo of Guy RolfeGuy RolfeNed Seymour
  • Photo of Kathleen ByronKathleen ByronAnn Seymour
  • Photo of Cecil KellawayCecil KellawayMr. Parry
  • Photo of Rex ThompsonRex ThompsonPrince Edward / King Edward VI
  • Photo of Robert ArthurRobert ArthurBarnaby

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