Caterina Irene Elena Maria Boyle, Lady Saunders (née Imperiali dei Principi di Francavilla; 29 May 1926 – 20 March 2018), usually known as Katie Boyle, was an Italian-born British actress, writer, radio announcer and television personality. She became best known for presenting the Eurovision Song Contest on a record four occasions: in 1960, 1963, 1968 and 1974; the first three in London and the last in Brighton, England. She was also an agony aunt, answering problems that had been posted by readers of the TVTimes.
Katie Boyle | |
|---|---|
 Boyle appearing on After Dark, July 1988 | |
| Born | Caterina Irene Elena Maria Imperiali dei Principi di Francavilla 29 May 1926 |
| Died | 20 March 2018 (aged 91) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names | Lady Saunders |
| Occupation(s) | Actress, presenter, writer |
| Known for | What's My Line? Eurovision Song Contest |
| Spouses | Hon. Richard Bentinck Boyle
(m. 1947; div. 1955)Greville Baylis
(m. 1955; died 1976) |
Early life, modelling and film career
editShe was born on 29 May 1926 in a royal palace in Florence, Tuscany, Italy, which had once belonged to the Italian royal family, the daughter of an Italian marquis (the Marchese Demetrio Imperiali di Francavilla), and his English wife, Dorothy Kate Ramsden.[1] She came to the United Kingdom in 1946 and started a modelling career, which included work for such publications as Vogue. She also appeared in several 1950s films, the first being Old Mother Riley Headmistress (1950) in which she was billed as Catherine Carleton,[2] followed by I'll Never Forget You (uncredited, 1951), The Diary of Major Thompson (filmed in France in 1955), Not Wanted on Voyage (1957), The Truth About Women (also 1957), and Intent to Kill (1958).[3]
Radio and television
editBoyle was an on-screen continuity announcer for the BBC in the 1950s. A decade later she became a television personality, regularly appearing on panel games and programmes such as What's My Line?, Juke Box Jury and the medical game show Lance That Boyle, on which she appeared with comedian Lance Percival.[4][5] Boyle was the presenter for the 1960, 1963, 1968 and 1974 Eurovision Song Contests (all of which were hosted in the UK), making her the person who presented the most editions of the contest.[6] She hosted the 1974 contest wearing no underwear; it had been cut off from under her satin dress moments before the broadcast began.[7] She also hosted the UK qualifying heat, A Song for Europe, in 1961. In the 1960s she appeared in a long-running series of television advertisements for Camay soap.[8][9]
Boyle was the subject of This Is Your Life in 1982, when she was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while in Rome.[citation needed] That same year she played herself in the BBC radio play The Competition, which told the story of a fictitious international song contest being staged in Bridlington. Boyle was guest of honour at the Eurovision fan club conventions staged in 1988 and 1992, and appeared at the Eurovision Song Contest 1998 held in Birmingham as a special guest of the BBC. Her other work has included theatre, television (What's Up Dog?) and radio (Katie and Friends). In 2004 Boyle was a guest on a special Eurovision-themed celebrity version of Weakest Link on BBC One, hosted by Anne Robinson.[10] Boyle became the first, and to date the only, contestant ever to vote herself off the programme.[11]
Personal life
editIn 1947, she married The Hon. Richard Bentinck Boyle, a captain in the Irish Guards and heir to the 8th Earl of Shannon; the marriage was dissolved in 1955 but she kept his surname, Boyle.[12] Later that year, she married Greville Baylis, a racehorse owner, who died in 1976. In 1979, she married theatre impresario Sir Peter Saunders, who died in 2003. In Queen Elizabeth II: A Woman Who Is Not Amused by Nicholas Davies it is alleged that Boyle had a long-standing relationship with Prince Philip in the 1950s.[13] Boyle told Gyles Brandreth: "It's ludicrous, pure fabrication. When it appears in print, people believe it. You can't take legal action because it fans the flames, so you just have to accept people telling complete lies about you."[14] She was represented for most of her working life by agent Bunny Lewis. A keen owner of Yorkshire terriers, she was a committee member of Battersea Dogs Home for more than 25 years. She died at home in London on 20 March 2018, aged 91, from pneumonia and cerebrovascular disease.[1][15][16]
Alternative crediting
editShe was also credited as Catherine Boyle and Catherine Boyl.[citation needed]
Filmography
edit
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Old Mother Riley Headmistress | Miss Ashton | |
| 1951 | I'll Never Forget You | Girl | Uncredited |
| 1955 | The French, They Are a Funny Race | Minor Role | |
| 1957 | The Truth About Women | Diana | |
| Not Wanted on Voyage | Julie Haines | ||
| 1958 | Intent to Kill | Margaret McLaurin | |
| 1959 | First Love | Luciana |
Bibliography
editShe also wrote four books:
- Dear Katie – tips from her days as agony aunt for TV Times, 1975, ISBN 978-0552990783
- What This Katie Did – autobiography, 1980, ISBN 978-0297778141
- Boyle's Law - household tips, 1982, ISBN 978-0297781486
- Battersea Tales – stories of rescues from the Battersea Dogs Home, 1997[2]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Mellor, Roger Philip (2022). "Boyle, Caterina Irene Elena Maria [Katie; née Imperiali dei Principi di Francavilla] (1926–2018), fashion model and media personality". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/odnb/9780198614128.013.90000380436. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ a b "Former Eurovision host Katie Boyle, Lady Saunders dies aged 91". Irish News. 20 March 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Boyle, Katie, What This Katie Did: An Autobiography.Littlehampton Book Services Ltd, 1st edition (9 October 1980); ISBN 978-0-297-77814-1.
- ^ "Former Eurovision Presenter Katie Boyle Has Died, At The Age Of 91". HuffPost UK. 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Terry Leahy's retail career in two acts". www.ft.com.
- ^ "Katie Boyle, iconic Eurovision Song Contest host, dies at 91". Eurovision.tv. EBU. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
- ^ O'Connor, John Kennedy. The Eurovision Song Contest – The Official History. Carlton Books, UK. 2007; ISBN 978-1-84442-994-3
- ^ "Camay 'Letter To Katie Boyle' TV ad – 45 sec advert". www.tellyads.com. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: findaclip (4 August 2013). "017 Camay Katie Boyle European Soap Contest 1". Retrieved 24 September 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ Osborn, Michael (13 May 2009). "The A to Z of Eurovision". BBC News.
- ^ Welsh, Daniel (20 March 2018). "Katie Boyle Dead: Eurovision Song Contest Host Lady Saunders Dies, Aged 91". HuffPost. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ "Obituary: Katie Boyle". BBC News. 20 March 2018.
- ^ Davies, Nicholas. Queen Elizabeth II: A Woman Who Is Not Amused. Birch Lane Press; ISBN 1-55972-217-7
- ^ Brandreth, Gyles (5 September 2004). "Portrait of a marriage". The Sunday Telegraph. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
- ^ "Press statement: Katie Boyle, Lady Saunders, dies peacefully at home". The Corner Shop. 20 March 2018. Archived from the original on 17 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ Barker, Dennis (20 March 2018). "Katie Boyle obituary". The Guardian.
External links
edit
- Katie Boyle at the British Film Institute
- Katie Boyle at IMDb
