Gwendoline Alexandra Nelson (30 June 1901 – 15 October 1990) was an English actress who was a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre Company.[1]
Gwen Nelson | |
---|---|
Born | Gwendoline Alexandra Nelson 30 June 1901 |
Died | 15 October 1990 Long Melford, Suffolk, England | (aged 89)
Occupation | Actress |
Born in Muswell Hill, Middlesex, she originally intended to be a singer, and made her West End musical debut in Tough at the Top at the Adelphi Theatre in July 1949.[2][3] She went on to act in Eleanor Farjeon's The Silver Curlew at London's Arts Theatre (1949), And So To Bed at the New Theatre (1951), Oh, My Papa at the Garrick Theatre (1957), Virtue in Danger (1963), All in Love at The May Fair Theatre (1964), and Saved at the Royal Court Theatre (1965).[1] In 1976 she appeared in a revival of Arnold Ridley's The Ghost Train at the Old Vic Theatre in London with Wilfrid Brambell, James Villiers, Geoffrey Davies, Allan Cuthbertson and Judy Buxton.[4] In 1981 she acted in Rose by Andrew Davies at the Richmond Theatre in Surrey with Honor Blackman and Hilda Braid.
Her television appearances included Z-Cars (1962–72), No Hiding Place (1960–64), ITV Playhouse (1969-1980), Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1970) (in the episode The Trouble with Women), Catweazle (1970–71), Jude the Obscure (1971), Callan (1972), Clochemerle (1972), Steptoe and Son (1974), Looking For Clancy (1975), Juliet Bravo (1981), Terry and June (1983), Shine on Harvey Moon (1984), Casualty (1988), Clarence (1988), Hill Street Blues (1989), and Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1989).[5][6][7]
She acted in the films Ah, Wilderness! (1938), Laugh With Me (1938), The Teckman Mystery (1954), Tunes of Glory (1960), A Kind of Loving (1962), Stolen Hours (1963), Doctor Zhivago (1965), The Reckoning (1969), Staircase (1969), Say Hello to Yesterday (1971), Love Among the Ruins (1975), It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1976), The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977), National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) and 84 Charing Cross (1987).[8] Her last appearance was in an episode of The Bill in 1989.[8] She died of natural causes in Long Melford, Suffolk, aged 89.[9][8]
Filmography
editFilm
edit- Ah, Wilderness! (1938) - Aunt Lily (1939 TV play)[10]
- Laugh With Me (1938) - Ann Bonnington (TV play)[11]
- The Teckman Mystery (1954) - Duty woman
- The Entertainer (1960)
- Tunes of Glory (1960) - Provost's Wife
- The Kitchen (1961) - 8th Waitress
- A Kind of Loving (1962) - Mrs. Brown
- Don't Talk to Strange Men (1962) - Mrs. Mason
- Stolen Hours (1963) - Hospital Sister
- The Three Lives of Thomasina (1963) - Ms. McCloud
- Doctor Zhivago (1965) - Female Janitor
- Staircase (1969) - Matron
- The Reckoning (1970) - Marler's Mother
- Say Hello to Yesterday (1971) - Char
- Something to Hide (1972) - 2nd Old Lady
- Love Among the Ruins (1975) - Hermione Davis
- It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1976) - Mrs. Kirby
- The Last Remake of Beau Geste (1977) - Lady in Courtroom
- National Lampoon's European Vacation (1985) - Hotel Manager's Mother
- 84 Charing Cross (1987) - Bill's Great Aunt
Television
edit- Z-Cars (1962–72)
- No Hiding Place (1960–64)
- ITV Playhouse (1969-1980)
- Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1970) (episode: "The Trouble with Women") - Mrs. Halloway
- Catweazle (1970–71)
- Jude the Obscure (1971)
- Callan (1972)
- Clochemerle (1972)
- Steptoe and Son (1974)
- Looking For Clancy (1975) - Meg Mace
- Juliet Bravo (1981)
- Terry and June (1983)
- Shine on Harvey Moon (1984)
- Casualty (1988)
- Clarence (1988) (episode 6) - Mrs Titheridge
- Hill Street Blues (1989)
- Ruth Rendell Mysteries (1989)
- The Bill (1989)
Theatre
edit- Tough at the Top (1949) at the Adelphi Theatre
- The Silver Curlew (1949) at London's Arts Theatre
- And So to Bed (1951) at New Theatre
- Oh, My Papa (1957) at Garrick Theatre
- Virtue in Danger (1963)
- All in Love (1964) at The May Fair Theatre
- Saved (1965) at Royal Court Theatre
- The Ghost Train (1976! at Old Vic Theatre
- Rose (1961) at Richmond Theatre, Surrey
- The Chairs (1980) at Royal Exchange, Manchester
References
edit- ^ a b "Nelson on musical-theatre.net". Archived from the original on 24 August 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Gwen Nelson | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
- ^ "Gwen Nelson | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
- ^ "Production of The Ghost Train | Theatricalia". theatricalia.com.
- ^ Nelson on the Internet Movie Database
- ^ "Gwen Nelson". TV.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
- ^ "Gwen Nelson". www.aveleyman.com.
- ^ a b c "Gwen Nelson". BFI. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017.
- ^ McFarlane, Brian; Slide, Anthony (16 May 2016). The Encyclopedia of British Film: Fourth edition. Manchester University Press. ISBN 9781526111968 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Ah, Wilderness!". 17 June 1939. p. 17 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ "The Birmingham Repertory Company: Laugh with Me". 2 October 1938. p. 16 – via BBC Genome.
External links
edit- Gwen Nelson at IMDb