Aileen Armitage

Last updated

Aileen Armitage
Born1930
Luton, Bedfordshire, England
Alma mater Hull University
Known forbeing depicted in
Wide-Eyed and Legless
and Lost for Words
Spouses
Peter Quigley
​
​
(m. 1954,divorced)​
​
​
(m. 1990;died 2013)​
Children4 children and 2 stepchildren
Writing career
Pen name
  • Ruth Fabian
  • Erica Lindley
  • Aileen Quigley
LanguageEnglish
GenreHistorical novel

Aileen Longden (pen names Ruth Fabian, Erica Lindley, Aileen Quigley and better known by her maiden name Aileen Armitage) is a British writer and public speaker. She is the author of more than thirty-five historical novels. [1] She is partially-sighted and legally blind. [1] [2]

Contents

Life and career

Armitage was born in Luton, Bedfordshire in 1930, [3] daughter of Eric Armitage and Evelyn Armitage (née Colgan) who were married in 1929. [4] She grew up in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, where her father's family had already lived for about 400 years. The family house was in Lindley Moor near Huddersfield. Her grandfather owned a mill in this area. Armitage studied Modern Languages at Hull University gaining a BA. She became a teacher, but ten years later, due to failing eyesight she had to give up teaching. [1] In 1967, she took a creative writing class through night school and began writing at night with a felt tip pen. She had numerous magazine articles and short stories published before she turned to longer fiction. [5] [6] [7]

Armitage's first novel was accepted by a publisher, [5] who asked her to write more. [5] She has since been widely published in the UK and in the US. She has written under the names Ruth Fabian, Erica Lindley, Aileen Quigley and Aileen Armitage and has had more than thirty-five historical novels published. [8] In the UK, Armitage is a high Public Lending Right earner. [1]

Personal life

In 1954 Armitage married Peter Quigley, with whom she had four children, two sons and two daughters. The marriage later ended in divorce. [5]

In 1984, she met writer Deric Longden (who at that time was married to his first wife Diana), at a writers' conference. At the conference they discussed writing a television script together about disability, with Longden's wife Diana, at the heart of the story. Diana Longden had an illness which baffled doctors, left her wheelchair-reliant and in almost constant pain. The illness was later believed to be chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Armitage and Diana became devoted friends, notwithstanding the evident attraction Deric Longden and Armitage felt for one another; indeed, Diana hoped that they would marry after her death. Diana Longden died in 1985.

Armitage and Longden moved to Huddersfield. Armitage married Longden in 1990. [1]

On 19 November 2012, Longden was diagnosed with terminal cancer [9] and died of cancer of the oesophagus on 23 June 2013. [10]

Books and TV films

Wide Eyed and Legless a.k.a. The Wedding Gift

Armitage's life from when she first met Deric Longden is included in Longden's 1989 novel Diana's Story, later made into a TV film Wide-Eyed and Legless (1993) (known in the US as The Wedding Gift). Armitage is played by actress Sian Thomas whilst Longden is played by Jim Broadbent. Diana Longden is played by Julie Walters. Thora Hird plays Longden's mother Annie Mary Longden (23 August 1910 – 1988).

Lost For Words

Longden's book Lost For Words (1991), which continues the story of his life with Armitage and his eccentric mother, was also made into a TV film, Lost for Words (1999), in which Penny Downie plays Armitage and Pete Postlethwaite plays Longden. Thora Hird reprises her role as Annie Longden. Armitage has a cameo as a voice on an answerphone, as does Longden. The film won the Emmy for best foreign drama and a BAFTA for Hird as best actress. The film was repeated on ITV in 2012, following the death of Pete Postlethwaite.

Awards

In 1988, Armitage received the Frink Woman of the Year Award. [11] [12] In November 2002 Armitage and her husband were awarded honorary Doctor of Literature degree by University of Huddersfield. [1] International Emmy 1999, Nominated for a BAFTA, Winner of the Peabody Prize and Le Priz Crystale all for the TV film Lost For Words, co-written with husband Deric Longden.

Works

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thora Birch</span> American actress (born 1982)

Thora Birch is an American actress, producer, and director. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in Purple People Eater, for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Actress Under Nine Years of Age". Birch rose to prominence as a child star during the 1990s through a string of parts in films such as Paradise (1991), Patriot Games (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Monkey Trouble (1994), Now and Then (1995), and Alaska (1996). Her breakthrough into adult-oriented roles came with her portrayal of Jane Burnham in American Beauty (1999), for which she was nominated for that year's BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thora Hird</span> British actress (1911–2003)

Dame Thora Hird was an English actress. In a career spanning over 70 years, she appeared in more than 100 films, as well as many television roles, becoming a household name and a British institution.

<i>Meet the Wife</i> (TV series) 1963 British TV sitcom

Meet the Wife is a 1960s BBC sitcom written by Chesney and Wolfe, which featured Freddie Frinton as Freddie Blacklock with Thora Hird as his tyrannical wife, Thora. It ran for five series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Walters</span> English actress (born 1950)

Dame Julia Mary Walters, known professionally as Julie Walters, is an English actress. She is the recipient of four British Academy Television Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two International Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and an Olivier Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pete Postlethwaite</span> English actor (1946–2011)

Peter William Postlethwaite, was an English actor best known for his work as a character actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Broadbent</span> British actor (born 1949)

Jim Broadbent is an English actor. A graduate of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art in 1972, he came to prominence as a character actor for his many roles in film and television. He has received various accolades including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, an International Emmy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award.

<i>Talking Heads</i> (British TV series) British television drama series

Talking Heads is a 1988 TV series of dramatic monologues written for BBC television by British playwright Alan Bennett. The first series was broadcast on BBC1 in 1988, and adapted for radio on BBC Radio 4 in 1991. A second series was broadcast on BBC Two in 1998. They have since been included on the A-level and GCSE English Literature syllabus. Some episodes aired on PBS in the United States as part of its Masterpiece Theatre programme.

Thelma Barlow is an English television actress and writer, known for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street and as Dolly Bellfield in the BBC One sitcom dinnerladies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zöe Lucker</span> English actress (b. 1974)

Zöe Elizabeth Lucker is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tanya Turner in the ITV drama series, Footballers' Wives; Vanessa Gold in the long-running BBC One soap opera, EastEnders; Carol Barry in the BBC One school-based drama series, Waterloo Road; and Reenie McQueen in the Channel 4 soap opera, Hollyoaks.

<i>The Black Sheep of Whitehall</i> 1942 British film by Basil Dearden, Will Hay

The Black Sheep of Whitehall is a 1942 British black-and-white comedy war film, directed by Will Hay and Basil Dearden, starring Will Hay, John Mills, Basil Sydney and Thora Hird in her screen debut. It was produced by Michael Balcon and Ealing Studios.

Siân Thomas is a British actress who trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. She is known both for her work on stage and for her television and film appearances such as Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in which she played Amelia Bones. Her voice is known to listeners both for her poetry readings on Radio 3 and for her audiobooks.

<i>Wide-Eyed and Legless</i> 1993 British film

Wide-Eyed and Legless is a 1993 made-for-TV British drama film, directed by Richard Loncraine starring Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Sian Thomas and Thora Hird.

<i>A Kind of Loving</i> (film) 1962 British film by John Schlesinger

A Kind of Loving is a 1962 British kitchen sink drama film directed by John Schlesinger, starring Alan Bates and June Ritchie. It was written by Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Stan Barstow which was later adapted into the 1982 television series A Kind of Loving. The film tells the story of two lovers in early 1960s Lancashire. It belongs to the British New Wave movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Lancel</span> British actor

Andrew Lancel is an English television and theatre actor, producer and director. He is best known for his appearance as Dr. Andrew Collin in Cardiac Arrest, his role as DI Neil Manson in The Bill and Frank Foster in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street, as well as his portrayal of Brian Epstein in the stage play Epstein – The Man Who Made The Beatles.

Alan James William Bell was a British television producer and director.

Deric Francis Longden was a British writer, autobiographer, reporter, public speaker and broadcaster.

Betty Alberge was an English theatre, radio and television actress, with an extensive career which ran from the late 1930s to the 1980s. She was best known for her roles as Florrie Lindley in Coronation Street, in which she appeared between 1960 and 1965, and as Edna Cross in Brookside between 1983 and 1985.

<i>The Nightcomers</i> 1971 British film by Michael Winner

The Nightcomers is a 1971 British horror film directed by Michael Winner and starring Marlon Brando, Stephanie Beacham, Thora Hird, Harry Andrews and Anna Palk. It is a prequel to Henry James' 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw, which had already been adapted into The Innocents (1961).

<i>These Dangerous Years</i> 1957 British film by Herbert Wilcox

These Dangerous Years is a 1957 British drama musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring George Baker, Frankie Vaughan, Carole Lesley, Thora Hird, Kenneth Cope, David Lodge and John Le Mesurier. It was written by Jack Trevor Story,

Lost for Words is a British TV film which premiered on ITV on 3 January 1999. It was adapted from his autobiographical book of the same title by Deric Longden and directed by Alan J. W. Bell. It was a sequel to Longden's earlier autobiographical film Wide-Eyed and Legless. It dealt with Deric's mother Annie, her decline into dementia and how Deric and his wife Aileen coped with this. For her performance, Hird won the 2000 BAFTA for Best Actress, the 1999 RTS Award for Best Actor – Female, and the 1999 National Television Award for Most Popular Actress. The programme also won a 1999 Peabody Award and the 1999 International Emmy for Best Drama.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bent, Horace (11 January 2002). "Farewell my lovelies". Bookseller (5050): 42. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  2. ↑ "Welcome to our site". 23 August 2016. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016.
  3. ↑ "FreeBMD Entry Info".
  4. ↑ "FreeBMD Entry Info". www.freebmd.org.uk. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Robinson, Dianne (28 December 1984). "Aileen Books Her Success". Liverpool Echo. p. 10. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  6. ↑ "Aileen Armitage". my-yorkshire.co.uk.
  7. ↑ "Aileen Armitage".
  8. ↑ "Aileen Armitage - Bibliophile Books". www.bibliophilebooks.com.
  9. ↑ "Best-selling Huddersfield author Deric Longden on life, love and his terminal cancer". 12 December 2012.
  10. ↑ Kilcommons, Denis (25 June 2013). "Obituary:Deric Longden". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  11. ↑ "True Triumph". Liverpool Echo. Liverpool, England. 25 October 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  12. ↑ "Mrs Aileen Armitage, 48, who became a best-selling novelist". The Daily Telegraph. No. 41472. 25 October 1988. p. 4. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  13. ↑ "Some fact, some fiction to cheer a rainy day". Wausau Daily Herald. 9 April 1976. p. 20, Focus. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  14. ↑ "Books: Of life and death". Liverpool Echo. 12 September 1992. p. 15. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.