Nell Campbell | |
---|---|
Born | Laura Elizabeth Campbell 24 May 1953 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
Other names | Little Nell |
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1973–present |
Organisation | Nell's (1986–2004) |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Cressida Campbell (sister) |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Instrument | Vocals |
Labels | |
Laura Elizabeth Campbell (born 24 May 1953), better known as Nell Campbell or by her stage name Little Nell, is an Australian actress, singer, and former club owner. She is best known for her role as Columbia in the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show , and the original stage play from which it was adapted. Campbell released her EP, The Musical World of Little Nell (Aquatic Teenage Sex & Squalor), through A&M Records in 1978. She appeared as Nurse Ansalong in the 1981 film Shock Treatment . In 1984, she appeared as Beth in the BAFTA and Oscar-award-winning drama film The Killing Fields .
Campbell was born in Sydney, to Ruth and Ross Campbell. Ross, a writer, [1] referred to her as "Little Nell" (after a character in Charles Dickens' The Old Curiosity Shop ) in his family life column in the Sydney Daily Telegraph . She grew up with three siblings: Sally, Patrick, and Cressida. Elder sister Sally was a property master, a set designer, and (subsequently) a fashion designer; younger sister Cressida Campbell is an artist; elder brother Patrick (who died in 2020) was a solar engineer at the University of New South Wales. Nell began dancing when she was 10, in order to remain healthy following being diagnosed with hepatitis A. She was called Laura E. Campbell until the age of about 17, when she went by the nickname "Sonny" (pronounced to rhyme with "Donny"), short for "Sonata". She attended high school at Abbotsleigh School for Girls in Sydney, supporting herself as a waitress.
Campbell decided to use the name "Little Nell" as a stage name after her arrival in Britain in the early 1970s with her family. She sold clothes at Kensington Market; her stall was next to Freddie Mercury's. [2] [3] She also worked as a busker and as a soda jerk in a café, where her tap dancing is often noted as the reason why she was cast as Columbia in the original production of The Rocky Horror Show following an impromptu audition. [4] She reprised the role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, [5] released in 1975, and starred as Nurse Ansalong in the 1981 sequel, Shock Treatment .
After The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Campbell signed a recording contract with A&M Records. Her debut single was "Stilettos and Lipstick" backed with "Do the Swim", released in 1975. She also recorded a disco version of the song "Fever" in 1978, which was again backed with "Do the Swim". The B-side of both of these releases became better-known, perhaps helped by a performance on British television in which she accidentally (and repeatedly) exposed her breasts. While edited out of the original broadcast in 1975, the unedited version was shown worldwide on bloopers shows (beginning with the British show It'll be Alright on the Night in 1977). [6] Following this notoriety, another effort was made to promote the recordings made in 1975 and 1976. In 1978, a "triple B-side" extended play titled The Musical World of Little Nell (Aquatic Teenage Sex & Squalor) was released which featured both "Do the Swim" and "Stillettos and Lipstick" along with the track "Dance that Cocktail Latin Way" (also known as "Tropical Isle") which originally appeared as the B-side of her second single from 1976. Following some success with the EP, the other two tracks, singles "Fever" and "See You Round like a Record", were released as a single but that was to be her last release on A&M. A final single, "Beauty Queen" from the film The Alternative Miss World, was released on PRE Records in 1980.
Campbell has also appeared in several stage productions, including the Off-Broadway play You Should Be So Lucky and the Broadway musical Nine . [7] She appeared as Sandra LeMon in the British TV series Rock Follies of '77 .
In 1986, Campbell opened the nightclub Nell's on West 14th Street in Manhattan (New York) with Keith McNally and Lynn Wagenknecht. In 1995 she opened two restaurants in New York: The Kiosk (uptown) and E&O (downtown). Nell's was sold in 1998 to Noel Ashman and his business partner, actor Chris Noth, right before Campbell gave birth to her daughter, Matilda Violet, with ex-boyfriend and business partner, Eamon Roche.[ citation needed ] The club closed in 2004. [7]
Campbell has written several magazine articles, including regular segments called "MamaTalks" and "FirstLook" in the now defunct Talk magazine, starting in the December 1999 issue.
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1974 | Barry McKenzie Holds His Own | Nerida Brealey | Feature film |
1975 | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | Columbia (A Groupie) | Feature film |
Lisztomania | Olga | ||
Alfie Darling | Party Guest | ||
1976 | Summer of Secrets | Kym | |
1977 | Jubilee | Crabs | |
Journey Among Women | Meg | ||
1980 | The Alternative Miss World | Herself | |
1981 | Shock Treatment | Nurse Ansalong | Feature film (sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show ) |
1982 | Pink Floyd – The Wall | A Groupie | |
1983 | Dead on Time | Female Teller | Short film |
Stanley | Amy Benton | ||
1984 | The Killing Fields | Beth | Feature film |
1985 | I Wanna Be a Beauty Queen | The Opening Act | |
1998 | Great Expectations | Erica Thrall | Feature film |
2000 | Joe Gould's Secret | Tamara | |
The Intern | The Host | ||
2013 | The Last Impresario | Herself | |
2019 | Palm Beach | Unimpressed Grandmother | Feature film |
2021 | Seriously Red | Doc Nell |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1971 | GTK | ||
1975 | The London Weekend Show | Herself / Performer | 2 episodes |
1977 | Rock Follies of '77 | Sandra LeMon | 6 episodes |
It'll be Alright on the Night | Herself | ||
1979 | Hazell | Pamela | 1 episode |
Shoestring | Joanna Lomas | ||
1980 | Armchair Thriller | Zoe Summers | 3 episodes |
1981 | Funny Man | Fiona | 1 episode |
1981 | Countdown | Herself / Performer | 1 episode; performing her song "Beauty Queen" |
1983 | Bergerac | Mrs. Moberley | |
1984 | TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes | Herself | 1 episode |
1987 | Saturday Night Live | Herself / Performer | |
1989 | After Dark | Herself | |
1993 | Tracey Ullman Takes on New York | ||
2001 | Tracey Ullman's Visible Panty Lines | ||
2008 | Spicks and Specks | 2 episodes | |
2010 | Rake | Flick Moyers | |
2015 | Mornings | Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2016 | Today Extra | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2017; 2022 | Studio 10 | Herself & Patricia Quinn | TV series, 1 episode |
2018 | Horror Kung-Fu Theatre | Herself | |
2020 | Midnight Movie Macabre | ||
2020, 2022 | The Morning Show | Guest - Herself | TV series, 2 episodes |
2022 | Today Extra | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2022 | Studio 10 | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
2022 | Weekend Sunrise | Guest - Herself | TV series, 1 episode |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1973 | The Rocky Horror Show | Columbia | The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs |
1975 | And They Used to Star in Movies | Minnie Mouse | Soho Theatre |
1977 | A Streetcar Named Desire | Stella | Oxford Playhouse |
Censored Scenes From King Kong | Iris Fantoccini | Open Space Theatre | |
1978 | Stoop | Herself | Soho Theatre |
1985 | Women Behind Bars | Host | Footbridge Theatre at Sydney University |
1994 | You Should Be So Lucky | Polly | Off-Broadway |
2003 | Nine | Lina Darling | On Broadway at Eugene O'Neill Theatre |
2006 | The Rocky Horror Tribute Show | Herself | The Royal Court Theatre Upstairs |
2022–2023 | All’s Nell That Ends Nell [8] | One-woman show | |
2023 | The Rocky Horror Show 50th Anniversary | Narrator | London |
Singles / EPs
Guest vocals
Soundtracks and Cast Recordings
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 independent musical comedy horror film produced by Lou Adler and Michael White, directed by Jim Sharman, and distributed by 20th Century Fox. The screenplay was written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien, who also played the supporting role Riff-raff. The film is based on the 1973 musical stage production The Rocky Horror Show, with music, book, and lyrics by O'Brien. The production is a tribute to the science fiction and horror B movies of the 1930s through to the early 1960s. The film stars Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick. The film is narrated by Charles Gray, with cast members from the original Royal Court Theatre, Roxy Theatre, and Belasco Theatre productions, including Nell Campbell and Patricia Quinn.
Timothy James Curry is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 Los Angeles, and 1975 Broadway musical stage productions of The Rocky Horror Show.
The Rocky Horror Show is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Richard O'Brien. A humorous tribute to various B movies associated with the science fiction and horror genres from the 1930s to the early 1960s, the musical tells the story of a newly engaged couple getting caught in a storm and coming to the home of a mad transvestite scientist, Dr Frank-N-Furter, unveiling his new creation, Rocky, a sort of Frankenstein-style monster in the form of an artificially made, fully grown, physically perfect muscle man complete "with blond hair and a tan".
Peter Blake was a Scottish actor. Probably best known as the character Kirk St Moritz in the BBC sitcom Dear John, by John Sullivan, his other high-profile moments came through his playing of a 'Fonz'-type character in Pepsi-Cola commercials which led to a hit record in 1977 "Lipsmackin' Rock 'n' Rollin", Andy Evol the disc-jockey in Agony with Maureen Lipman for LWT and in an episode of Taggart as Sgt. Bill Kent. He also had a long association with The Rocky Horror Show playing Frank-N-Furter over a thousand times between 1975 and 1994.
Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox, known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer.
Richard O'Brien is a British-New Zealander actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show The Rocky Horror Show in 1973, which has since remained in continuous production. He also co-wrote the screenplay along with director Jim Sharman for the film adaptation, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), and appeared on-screen as Riff Raff. The film became an international success and has received a large cult following. O'Brien co-wrote the musical Shock Treatment (1981) and appeared in the film as Dr. Cosmo McKinley.
Shock Treatment is a 1981 American musical comedy film directed by Jim Sharman, and co-written by Sharman and Richard O'Brien. It is a follow-up to the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. While not an outright sequel, the film does feature characters from the previous film, most portrayed by different actors, as well as several Rocky Horror actors in new roles. The film stars Jessica Harper as Janet and Cliff DeYoung in a dual role as Brad and the film's main antagonist Farley Flavors, with O'Brien and Patricia Quinn playing sibling character actors, Cosmo and Nation McKinley, and Nell Campbell playing Nurse Ansalong.
Patricia Quinn, Lady Stephens is a Northern Irish actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Magenta in the 1975 musical comedy horror film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the original stage play from which it was adapted. She appeared as Dr. Nation McKinley in the 1981 musical film Shock Treatment. In 2012, Quinn played the role of Megan in the horror film The Lords of Salem.
Lester Louis Adler is an American record and film producer and the co-owner of the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. Adler has produced and developed a number of high-profile musical artists, including The Grass Roots, Jan & Dean, The Mamas & the Papas, and Carole King. King's album Tapestry, produced by Adler, won the 1972 Grammy Award for Album of the Year and has been called one of the greatest pop albums of all time.
Jamie Donnelly is an American actress and singer known for her portrayal of Jan in the musical, and later film, Grease, along with Magenta in The Rocky Horror Show during its run in the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles.
Richard Neville Hartley is an English composer, best known for his work on The Rocky Horror Show. He grew up in Holmfirth.
James David Sharman is an Australian director and writer for film and stage with more than 70 productions to his credit. He is renowned in Australia for his work as a theatre director since the 1960s, and is best known internationally as the director of the 1973 theatrical hit The Rocky Horror Show, its film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and the film's follow-up, Shock Treatment (1981).
"Science Fiction/Double Feature" is the opening song to the original 1973 musical stage production, The Rocky Horror Show as well as its 1975 film counterpart The Rocky Horror Picture Show, book, music and lyrics by Richard O'Brien, musical arrangements by Richard Hartley. The song is reprised at the end of the show, with lyrics that reflect on the final events of the story.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show cult following is the cultural phenomenon surrounding the large fan base of enthusiastic participants of the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show, generally credited as being the best-known cinematic "midnight movie".
Cressida Rosemary Campbell is an Australian artist.
Cate Natalie Campbell, is a Malawian-born Australian former competitive swimmer. She is the current world record holder in the short course 100 m freestyle. She is also a former world record holder in the long course 100 m freestyle, breaking Britta Steffen's supersuit WR by 0.01.
Kimi and Ritz were a short-lived English pop vocal duo in the early 1970s, comprising Richard O'Brien and his then-wife, Kimi Wong. Although the duo only recorded six songs, they have since acquired something of a cult reputation in the light of O'Brien's subsequent success as a performer and songwriter.
Sandra Peabody is an American producer, writer, acting coach, talent agent, and retired actress. Peabody is best known for her role as Mari Collingwood in Wes Craven's directorial debut horror film The Last House on the Left (1972), as well as her subsequent career as a producer of children's programming on cable television, which earned her accolades including an Emmy Award and a CableACE Award.
"The Rocky Horror Glee Show" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television series Glee, and the twenty-seventh episode overall. It was written by series creator Ryan Murphy, from a story by Murphy and Tim Wollaston, directed by Adam Shankman, and premiered on Fox on October 26, 2010. The episode features the glee club paying tribute to the 1973 musical The Rocky Horror Show, with elements of its 1975 film adaptation The Rocky Horror Picture Show, by staging it as a school musical. While cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester attempts to sabotage the production, glee club director Will Schuester dwells on his feelings for guidance counselor Emma Pillsbury, and club members Finn and Sam deal with body image issues. Barry Bostwick and Meat Loaf, who star in the original film, appear in cameo roles in this episode.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show is the original soundtrack album to the 1975 film The Rocky Horror Picture Show, an adaptation of the 1973 musical The Rocky Horror Show. The 1975 soundtrack album was released by Ode Records and produced by Richard Hartley.