[1][2] Baptised at St Michael on the Mount, Lincoln, on 13 Jan 1884 she was the daughter of William Henry Hallatt, actor, and Carrie Sydney.

A number of published sources[2] incorrectly name her as mother of the actor Neil Hallett.

Often cast in eccentric roles, within her 30-year career, she was known for Painted Boats (1945), Black Narcissus (1947) and Separate Tables (1958).

[3] In Terence Rattigan's Separate Tables, she played Miss Meacham in the original West End, Broadway productions and the film versions.

[4][5] May Hallatt died on 20 May 1969 in London, England, aged 93.