Edith Evans was associated with the role of Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest for the rest of her life. It was frequently hailed as her greatest performance and some interviewers even would imitate her performance. Eventually, she came to loathe the role. She once said, "I've played her everywhere except on ice and under water, and I daresay Binkie [producer Hugh Beaumont] will suggest one of those next. I did play other parts, you know!

The Importance of Being Earnest has been remade twice. A 1992 version featured an all-black cast with Brock Peters as the Reverend Chasuble and CCH Pounder as Miss Prism.

The all-star 2002 film version featured Rupert Everett as Algernon, Colin Firth as Jack, Reese Witherspoon as Cecily, Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell, Tom Wilkinson as Reverend Chasuble and Anna Massey as Miss Prism. It was mostly panned, primarily for adding extra scenes, including slapstick chases and romantic dreams. It also included scenes cut from Wilde's original manuscript.

The play has had nine other television adaptations, including Portugal's 1959 Quanto Importa Ser Leal, the 1961 Swedish Mr. Ernest, a 1968 Spanish version, the German Bunbury in 1976 and an Australian production in 1992. The other four were British. In 1964, Patrick MacNee of The Avengers (1998) played Algernon, with Pamela Brown as Lady Bracknell and Susannah York as Cecily. Coral Browne played Lady Bracknell in 1974. In 1985, Wendy Hiller played Lady Bracknell. A 1986 version featured Paul McGann, Rupert Frazer, Alec McCowen, Joan Plowright and Gemma Jones, who had played Gwendolen in the 1974 edition, now cast as Miss Prism.

Criterion released a special DVD edition of the 1952 The Importance of Being Earnest in 2002. Extras included rare production stills and production notes by film historian Bruce Eder.

by Frank Miller