Fiona Elizabeth Keet-Gaunt (born 25 May 1947) is an English actress and the mother of actress Genevieve Gaunt.

Fiona Gaunt
Born
Fiona Elizabeth Keet-Gaunt

(1947-05-25) 25 May 1947 (age 77)
Beirut, Lebanon

Personal life

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According to a 1972 newspaper profile, Gaunt was born in Beirut to Scottish Presbyterian parents and lived in Uganda until she was 16.[1] In 1985 she met the Dutch actor Frederik de Groot. Their daughter, Genevieve, was born in January 1991.[2]

Career

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Fiona Gaunt trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, graduating in 1969.[3] She subsequently played opposite Anthony Hopkins - as Hélène Kuragina, wife of Pierre Bezukhov - in the BBC's 1972 production of War and Peace.[4] She then starred as psychiatrist Helen Smith in the 1973 science fiction series Moonbase 3.[5][6] To prepare for her role, Gaunt studied tapes of the Apollo missions.[7]

Gaunt appeared in a 1973 episode of the comedy series Sykes, playing an upper-class girl who tricks Eric Sykes' character into getting engaged. She had a handful of roles in The Two Ronnies, including as a stowaway in their spoof of The Onedin Line, and starred as Grace Lovell in the 1978 TV adaptation of A Horseman Riding By.[8] She was also in the first production of Tom Stoppard's 1979 play, Undiscovered Country.[9]

Filmography

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Year Format Title Role
1978 TV series A Horseman Riding By Grace Lovell.[8]
1973 TV series Moonbase 3 Dr. Helen Smith.[5]
1973 TV series The Two Ronnies.[10] Various roles.
1973 TV series Sykes: An Engagement.[11]
1973 TV series Justice: Malicious Damage Diana Blumenthal
1972 TV series War and Peace.[12] Hélène Kuragina.[13]
1971 Miniseries Cousin Bette Leonie.[14]
1970 Anthology Series Tales of Unease Girl

Selected stage credits

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References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Gavin Weightman, 'TV star who wins their hearts', Nottingham Evening Post, 1 December 1972, p. 11.
  2. ^ "Genevieve Gaunt on her 'Amanda Knox' role... and how Cambridge acting helped her get a double first". Evening Standard. 29 August 2014.
  3. ^ 'The Ortolan', The Stage, 27 March 1969, p. 15.
  4. ^ "Saturday Television". The Pantagraph (Bloomington, Illinois). 15 October 1977. Retrieved 25 May 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ a b Butler, Andrew M. (2012). Solar Flares: Science Fiction in the 1970s. Liverpool University Press. p. 41. ISBN 9781781387986.
  6. ^ Rolinson 2010, p. 79.
  7. ^ Rolinson 2010, p. 88.
  8. ^ a b Terrace, Vincent (1985). Encyclopedia of Television Series, Pilots and Specials. Vol. 2. New York Zoetrope. p. 197. ISBN 0918432618.
  9. ^ a b Stoppard, Tom (2000). Plays 4: Dalliance, Undiscovered Country, Rough Crossing, The Seagull. Faber Contemporary Classics. ISBN 9780571197507.
  10. ^ "The Two Ronnies". BBC. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  11. ^ "Listings". Genome. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  12. ^ "TV Movie Tips". Independent Press-Telegram. 25 November 1973. Retrieved 25 May 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Educational TV". Kingsport News. 5 January 1974. Retrieved 25 May 2016 – via Newspaper Archive.
  14. ^ "Cousin Bette". Genome. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  15. ^ 'Chit Chat', The Stage, 18 December 1969, p. 8.
  16. ^ 'Chit Chat', The Stage, 3 September 1970, p. 10.
  17. ^ 'Gate: The Bedbug', The Stage, 14 February 1980, p. 24.

Sources

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