Dilys Hamlett

Last updated

Dilys Hamlett
Born(1928-03-31)31 March 1928
Died7 November 2002(2002-11-07) (aged 74)
Occupation Actor
Years active19512001
Spouse
(m. 1951;div. 1976)
Children1 [1]

Dilys Hamlett (31 March 1928 in South Tidworth, Hampshire – 7 November 2002 in Cupar, Fife) was a British actress. [2]

Contents

Early life

Dilys Hamlett was born on 31 March 1928 in South Tidworth, Hampshire (now in Wiltshire), and developed an early interest in literature and theatre. She studied at the Old Vic Theatre School in the early 1950s and it was there that she met, and married, a fellow student, Caspar Wrede.

Career

After leaving the theatre school she went immediately into the West End, appearing in The Innocents before performing in several productions for the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company. Although she continued to work in the West End and for theatres throughout Britain she was particularly associated with the group of directors, including her husband, Caspar Wrede, who eventually formed the Royal Exchange Company in Manchester. She worked for Michael Elliott in the 59 Theatre Company and then for Braham Murray in the Century Theatre in Manchester. These two companies led directly to the formation of the 69 Theatre Company and then to the Royal Exchange.

Though primarily known as a theatre actress she also directed a number of theatre productions and appeared in many television plays and films. She appeared as a storyteller on the BBC children's programme Jackanory , and narrated in twenty episodes between 1966 and 1967. Her film career included roles in Mix Me a Person (1962), Assault (1971), What Changed Charley Farthing? (1975), Diagnosis: Murder (1975), The Rainbow (1988), The Wolves of Willoughby Chase (1989), The Fool (1990), Harnessing Peacocks (1993), and Hollow Reed (1996). [3]

Her theatre roles included [4] [5]

Personal life

She married Casper Wrede in 1951 in London. They had one son. They were divorced in 1976.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1962 Mix Me a Person Doris
1962 The Barber of Stamford Hill MotherUncredited
1971 Assault Mrs. Sanford
1975 What Changed Charley Farthing? Miss Parchment
1975 Diagnosis: Murder Julia Hayward
1989 The Wolves of Willoughby Chase Aunt Jane
1990 The Fool Lady Emma
1993 Harnessing Peacocks Lucy Duff
1996 Hollow Reed School Nurse

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Maxwell (actor)</span> American-British actor, director (1929–1995)

James Maxwell was an American-British actor, theatre director and writer, particularly associated with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Exchange, Manchester</span> Grade II listed building in England

The Royal Exchange is a grade II listed building in Manchester, England. It is located in the city centre on the land bounded by St Ann's Square, Exchange Street, Market Street, Cross Street and Old Bank Street. The complex includes the Royal Exchange Theatre and the Royal Exchange Shopping Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christopher Gable</span> English ballet dancer, choreographer, and actor (1940–1998)

Christopher Michael Gable, CBE was an English ballet dancer, choreographer and actor.

Derek Griffiths is a British actor, singer and voice artist who appeared in numerous British children's television series in the 1970s to present and has more recently played parts in television drama.

David Horovitch is an English actor, perhaps best known for playing the character of Inspector Slack in Miss Marple. He appeared in the Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon as Grand Maester Mellos.

Sorcha Cusack is an Irish television and stage actress. Her numerous television credits include playing the title role in Jane Eyre (1973), Casualty (1994–1997), Coronation Street (2008) and Father Brown (2013–2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Peacock</span> English actor (1931–2021)

Trevor Edward Peacock was an English actor and songwriter. He made his name as a theatre actor, including for his roles in Shakespeare. He later became known for playing Jim Trott in the BBC comedy series The Vicar of Dibley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosalind Knight</span> English actress (1933–2020)

Rosalind Marie Elliott was an English actress. Her career spanned 70 years on stage, screen, and television. Her film appearances include Blue Murder at St Trinian's (1957), Carry On Nurse (1959), Carry On Teacher (1959), Tom Jones (1963), and About a Boy (2002). Among her TV roles were playing Beryl in the BBC sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999–2001) and Cynthia Goodman in Friday Night Dinner.

Gerard McLarnon was an English-Irish actor and playwright. Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, England, he was raised in Northern Ireland. His plays have been performed throughout the world, including Ireland, the United Kingdom, Denmark and Australia. He collaborated with, amongst others, Sir John Tavener, Sir Tyrone Guthrie, and Lord Olivier. He had a long-standing creative relationship with theatre director Braham Murray, who directed all his work from 1967 to 1993 at the Century Theatre, the 69 Theatre Company and then the Royal Exchange in Manchester.

Frances Tomelty is a Northern Irish actress whose numerous television credits include Strangers (1978–1979), Testament of Youth (1979), Inspector Morse (1988), Cracker (1993), The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (2006), The White Queen (2013) and Unforgotten (2015). Her theatre roles include playing Kate in the original production of Dancing at Lughnasa in Dublin (1990). She was married to the musician Sting from 1976 to 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Espen Skjønberg</span> Norwegian actor (1924–2022)

Espen Henrik Skjønberg was a Norwegian actor of stage, screen, and television.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clare Higgins</span> British actress (born 1955)

Clare Frances Elizabeth Higgins is an English actress. She is a three-time winner of the Olivier Award for Best Actress; for Sweet Bird of Youth (1995), Vincent in Brixton (2003), and Hecuba (2005). She made her Broadway debut in 2003 in Vincent in Brixton, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Play.

Baron Casper Gustaf Kenneth Wrede af Elimä, known as Caspar Wrede, was a Finnish theatre and film director. He was long active in the English theatre, co-founding the Royal Exchange theatre company in Manchester.

Michael Leverson Meyer was an English translator, biographer, journalist and dramatist who specialised in Scandinavian literature.

Avril Elgar Williams was an English stage, radio and television actress.

Gregory A. "Greg" Hersov is a British theatre director. Hersov was educated at Bryanston School and Mansfield College, Oxford.

Braham Sydney Murray, OBE was an English theatre director. In 1976, he was one of five founding Artistic Directors of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, and the longest-serving.

Michael Elliott, OBE was an English theatre and television director. He was a founding director of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

Richard Negri was a British theatre director and designer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianne Elliott</span> British theatre director (born 1966)

Marianne Phoebe Elliott is a British theatre director and producer who works on the West End and Broadway. She has received numerous accolades including two Laurence Olivier Awards and four Tony Awards.

References

  1. News > Obituaries > Dilys Hamlett, The Scotsman , 13 November 2002.
  2. Murray, Braham (13 November 2002). "Dilys Hamlett". The Guardian . Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  3. "Advanced search". IMDb. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
  4. Murray, Braham (2007). The Worst It Can Be Is a Disaster. London: Methuen Drama. ISBN   978-0-7136-8490-2.
  5. The Royal Exchange Theatre Company Words & Pictures 1976-1998, 1998, ISBN   0-9512017-1-9