Photo: Studio / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Merle Oberon is one of those Golden Age Hollywood figures who deserves far more attention than she tends to get today. Born in Bombay in 1911 and raised in colonial India, she reinvented herself in British cinema and then crossed the Atlantic to become a genuine leading lady in 1930s and 1940s Hollywood — which, for a woman of mixed Sri Lankan Burgher heritage in that era, was a remarkable and complicated achievement. Her turn opposite Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights (1939) is still electric, and her Oscar nomination for The Dark Angel (1935) shows she was no mere ornament. She was also quietly one of the savvier survivors in an industry that chewed people up. The way she navigated questions about her origins — having to obscure her background for decades just to work — makes her story feel both deeply sad and genuinely fascinating.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Merle Oberon
- Name (Japanese)
- マール・オベロン
- Reading
- まーる・おべろん
- Born
- February 19, 1911 – November 23, 1979
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Boar
- Origin
- Mumbai, Bombay State, India
- Occupation
- screenwriter / film actor / actor
2. Background
Awards & achievements
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Merle Oberon born?
February 19, 1911 – November 23, 1979.
Where is Merle Oberon from?
Merle Oberon is from Mumbai, Bombay State, India.
What does Merle Oberon do?
Merle Oberon works as screenwriter, film actor, actor.
Screenwriter — see all → · Film actor — see all → · More people from India →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.