Background
Jenkins was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, the daughter of a construction engineer
Jenkins was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, the daughter of a construction engineer
She originally trained to be a ballet dancer. Although born in England, she often played Welsh characters. She made her first noticeable film debut in Millions Like Us (1943) as the Welsh room-mate and confidante of the main character (played by Patricia Roc).
She appeared in such classics as Green for Danger (1946), The History of Mr.
Polly (1949), The Cruel Sea (1953), and Oliver! (1968). She played the housekeeper Mrs Grose in two adaptations of Henry James"s The Turn of the Screw: the film The Innocents (1961), and a 1974 television adaptation.
From 1933, Jenkins also had a long stage career, and appeared in several plays by Emlyn Williams.