Wendy Hiller

"George Bernard Shaw wasn't like an old man. He was very upright: very elegant, beautifully groomed, very fresh-looking. He had sparkling blue eyes with a very wicked look in them. He flirted with me disgracefully. I fell deeply in love with him. Looking back, if only I'd been a little less diffident . . . He really did hold out the hand of friendship. He insisted I play Eliza. I didn't know."

"At that age, you take things so much for granted. It was just as though every girl had an offer from GBS. Thinking back, I don't know how I had the courage. That's one of the unkindest things nature does; it takes away your courage." --Wendy Hiller quoted in the London Times, June 29, 1992

She once sent Shaw some socks and gloves while she was on stage in the United States. He acknowledged the gift with a postcard, writing: "The postman knocks/with gloves and socks/from Wendy Hiller/what a thriller."