Here’s Edina Ronay, photographed for Birds of Britain by John d Green in his Kensington studio on 13 July 1966. She came to see us at the gallery in October 2016, fifty years on, and she still looks great.
The daughter of the renowned food critic Egon Ronay, Hungarian-born Edina is a fashion designer and former actress.
She was born in Budapest, Hungary, where her family owned several restaurants, the most famous of which was the highly elegant Belvarosi. Her family lost everything during the Second World War so moved to London where her father opened a new restaurant, opposite Harrods in Knightsbridge.
Starring in films and television from 1960, Ronay’s numerous roles included The Avengers, No Hiding Place, Special Branch, The Champions and Jason King as well as uncredited parts in The Beatles’ first film A Hard Days Night (1964).
She retired from acting in the mid-1970s to take up fashion design, specializing in knitwear and set up her own company in 1984.
