Su Pollard

Last updated

Su Pollard
Supollard1.jpg
Pollard in Lincoln, 2005
Born
Susan Georgina Pollard

(1949-11-07) 7 November 1949 (age 75)
Nottingham, England
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • author
Years active1974–present
Spouse
Peter Keogh
​
(m. 1984⁠–⁠1992)​
Website supollard.com

Susan Georgina "Su" Pollard (born 7 November 1949) is a British actress, singer, songwriter and author whose career has spanned over 50 years. Pollard is most known for her role in the sitcom Hi-de-Hi! She also appeared in the sitcoms You Rang, M'Lord? and Oh, Doctor Beeching!

Contents

Pollard has appeared in over 35 stage plays and musicals, as well as over 40 pantomimes. As a singer, she scored a UK Singles Chart number two hit with the song Starting Together in 1986, and also released an album, Su. She has written two books, Hearts and Showers and Sensible Slimming.

Early life and education

Pollard was born in Nottingham, the eldest daughter of Don and Hilda Pollard. [1] Her interest in acting began at the age of six when she played an angel in a school nativity play. [2] She attended Berridge Road School (Hyson Green) and Peveril Bilateral School, Robin's Wood Road [3] (now Nottingham Girls' Academy).

After leaving school at the age of 16, she got a job at the Tennant Rubber Company in Carlton as a shorthand typist and began singing in working men's clubs and charity shows. [4]

Career

Following an apprenticeship at the Arts Theatre in Nottingham, Pollard appeared on Opportunity Knocks in 1974, singing "I Cain't Say No" from Oklahoma! , and came second to a singing Jack Russell.

She went on to direct the musicals The Desert Song and Rose-Marie with John Hanson, starred in the Cameron Mackintosh West End production of Godspell , played opposite Jack Wild in Big Sin City at the Roundhouse, toured in the musical Grease in a company that also included Tracey Ullman, appeared with Tim Brooke-Taylor and Hugh Paddick in the farce Not Now, Darling , won a role in Andrew Sachs's play Philately Will Get You Nowhere and appeared at the Mermaid Theatre in a celebration of the music of Cole Porter, titled Oh Mr. Porter! She also appeared as the hostess in the 1980 documentary short The Great British Striptease, which was compered by Bernard Manning in Blackpool.

Pollard's first comedy role was in a BBC series screened in 1979 entitled Two Up, Two Down , in which she played a hippy named Flo. Paul Nicholas played her partner, Jimmy, both of whom were squatting in the house of a nice middle-class couple. It only lasted for one series, but then later that year came the pilot programme for a new BBC comedy written by Jimmy Perry and David Croft set in a holiday camp. Pollard landed the role of chalet maid Peggy Ollerenshaw in Hi-de-Hi! She continued in this role until the programme's end in 1988. During the run of Hi-de-Hi! Pollard also had a singing career, and in 1986, she reached No. 2 in the UK Singles Chart with the song "Starting Together", [1] [5] the theme song from the BBC Television 'fly-on-the-wall' documentary series The Marriage. It was her only Top 40 hit; her first single, "Come To Me (I Am Woman)", had reached No. 71 in 1985 and her only charting album, Su, peaked at No. 86 in the UK Albums Chart in November 1986. [5] In 1987, she toured the UK with The Sue Pollard Show [1] and co-hosted It's a Royal Knockout .

She starred in the stage production of Hi De Hi! - The Holiday Musical, along with almost all of the cast from the television series, played sell out seasons in Bournemouth, London and Blackpool. In 1985 she played Sally in the West End production of Me And My Girl at the Adelphi Theatre which she appeared in for over a year. Then came roles in a national tour of Rodgers and Hart's Babes In Arms playing Bonny Byrun opposite Matthew Kelly, and the title role in Sweet Charity at the Connaught Theatre, Worthing.

Shortly after Hi-de-Hi! had ended, the writers David Croft and Jimmy Perry chose Pollard to star as Ivy Teasdale in their new sitcom You Rang, M'Lord? , which starred her Hi-de-Ho! co-stars Paul Shane and Jeffrey Holland. This period sitcom ran from 1988 to 1993. In 1993, she won the "Rear of the Year" award. In 1990, she hosted the short-lived ITV game show Take the Plunge , which was cancelled after one season. From 1998 until 1995, Pollard starred opposite Gorden Kaye in For Better or for Worse, a BBC Radio 2 sitcom about an engaged-to-be-married couple. [6] [7]

From 1995 to 1997 she played Ethel Schumann in another David Croft sitcom Oh, Doctor Beeching! From 1989 to 1990, her distinctive voice voiced the lead character in the BBC children's television series Penny Crayon .

More recently, Pollard made a guest appearance in Gimme Gimme Gimme in 2001 and voiced Noisy in Little Robots . In 2001, she presented Songs of Praise three times. She has made four appearances on Just a Minute , and also regularly appears in pantomimes and other stage shows, [1] including Annie and The Pirates of Penzance . In 2008, Pollard starred in the musical Shout! alongside Claire Sweeney. From April 2009, Pollard appeared in the London transfer of Shout! at the Arts Theatre. In December 2010, Pollard had a guest role in the Christmas special of ITV's hit show Benidorm , playing herself. In December 2011, Pollard appeared as a guest on BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing .

In the 2012 movie Run For Your Wife she had a cameo role as a shopkeeper. She starred in Who's Doing the Dishes? in September 2016. In 2018 she appeared in ITV's Last Laugh in Vegas.

In pantomime, Pollard appears mainly as the Wicked Queen in Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, appearing in recent years at Sunderland, [8] Blackpool, [9] Tunbridge Wells, [10] Aylesbury [11] and Malvern. [12]

In 2019, Pollard starred as Queen Rat in Dick Whittington in Wolverhampton, alongside her Hi-de-Hi! co star Jeffrey Holland. [13]

Pollard was one of a group of seven celebrities that entered in Pilgrimage: The Road Through Portugal , a BBC Two series on a pilgrimage to Fátima, Portugal. [14]

Personal life

Pollard was married to Peter Keogh from 1984 to 1992. [15] In 2014, Keogh published his memoir, My Hi-de-High Life: Before, During and After Su Pollard. [16]

Pollard is a supporter of Nottingham Forest football club. [1]

Theatre

Filmography

Feature films

Television roles

Television appearances

Discography

Singles

Albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nell Carter</span> American singer and actress (1948–2003)

Nell Carter was an American actress and singer.

<i>Annie</i> (musical) Broadway musical

Annie is a musical with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and a book by Thomas Meehan. It is based on the 1924 comic strip Little Orphan Annie by Harold Gray. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years, setting a record for the Alvin Theatre. It spawned numerous productions in many countries, as well as national tours, and won seven Tony Awards, including for Best Musical. The musical's songs "Tomorrow" and "It's the Hard Knock Life" are among its most popular musical numbers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Loudon</span> American actress, singer, performer (1925–2003)

Dorothy Loudon was an American actress and singer. She won the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical in 1977 for her performance as Miss Hannigan in Annie. Loudon was also nominated for Tony Awards for her lead performances in the musicals The Fig Leaves Are Falling and Ballroom, as well as a Golden Globe award for her appearances on The Garry Moore Show.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sally Struthers</span> American actress and activist (born 1947)

Sally Anne Struthers is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker on All in the Family, for which she won two Emmy Awards, and Babette on Gilmore Girls. She was also the voice of Charlene Sinclair on the ABC sitcom Dinosaurs, Pebbles Flintstone on The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show, and Rebecca Cunningham on the Disney animated series TaleSpin.

Faith Prince is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in Guys and Dolls in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations.

<i>Hi-de-Hi!</i> British TV sitcom (1980–1988)

Hi-de-Hi! is a British sitcom series, created by Jimmy Perry and David Croft, and produced for the BBC. The programme initially began with a pilot on 1 January 1980 and aired for nine series between 26 February 1981 to 30 January 1988, and starred Paul Shane, Su Pollard, Jeffrey Holland, Ruth Madoc and Simon Cadell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheila Hancock</span> British actress (born 1933)

Dame Sheila Cameron Hancock is an English actress, singer, and author. She has performed in both plays and musicals in London’s theatre scene, and her Broadway debut in Entertaining Mr. Sloane (1966) earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claire Sweeney</span> English actress, singer and television personality (born 1971)

Claire Jane Sweeney is an English actress, singer, and television personality. Known for her portrayal of Lindsey Corkhill on Channel 4's Brookside (1991–2003), she also played Roxie Hart in Chicago and starred in touring productions of Guys and Dolls (2006), Tell Me on a Sunday (2011), Legally Blonde (2011), and Educating Rita (2012). She was a panellist on ITV's Loose Women between 2003 and 2005, and presented 60 Minute Makeover from 2004 to 2006. Her debut album, Claire, reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart in 2002. Sweeney has portrayed Cassie Plummer on the ITV soap opera Coronation Street since 2023. Her other credits include Candy Cabs (2011), Scarborough (2019), and The Good Ship Murder (2023).

<i>Gimme Gimme Gimme</i> (TV series) BBC TV sitcom (1999–2001)

Gimme Gimme Gimme is a BBC television sitcom by Tiger Aspect Productions that was first aired in three series from 1999 to 2001. It was written by Jonathan Harvey, who developed the series with Kathy Burke, who stars as loudmouthed Londoner Linda La Hughes, with James Dreyfus co-starring as her gay flatmate, actor Tom Farrell.

Gary Olsen was an English actor. He played Ben Porter on the BBC television sitcom 2point4 Children from 1991 to 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrea McArdle</span> American singer and actress

Andrea McArdle is an American singer and actress best known for originating the role of Annie in the Broadway musical Annie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craig Revel Horwood</span> Australian-British dancer, choreographer, and director

Craig Revel Horwood is an Australian-British author, dancer, choreographer, conductor, theatre director, and former drag queen in the United Kingdom. He is also a patron of the Royal Osteoporosis Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lesley Joseph</span> English actress and broadcaster, born 1945

Lesley Diana Joseph is an English actress and broadcaster, whose career on stage and screen spans over fifty years. She is best known for playing Dorien Green in the television sitcom Birds of a Feather from 1989 to 1998 and again from 2014 to 2020. Other television credits include Absurd Person Singular (1985) and Night and Day (2001–2003).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruth Madoc</span> Welsh actress (1943–2022)

Ruth Madoc was a British actress who had a career on stage and screen spanning over 60 years. She was best known for her role as Gladys Pugh in the BBC television comedy Hi-de-Hi! (1980–1988), for which she received a BAFTA TV award nomination for Best Light Entertainment Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vicki Michelle</span> British actress (born 1950)

Vicki Michelle is an English actress, radio presenter, businesswoman, film producer and former model. She is best known for her role as Yvette Carte-Blanche in the BBC television comedy series 'Allo 'Allo! and as recurring character Patricia Foster in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. In 2014, she appeared on the fourteenth series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine C. Smith</span> Scottish actor/ singer/ performer.

Elaine Constance Smith is a BAFTA Scotland Scottish actress, comedian, and political activist. She rose to prominence by appearing in the BBC Scotland sitcoms City Lights (1984–1991) and Rab C. Nesbitt (1988–2014). Smith has played the role of Christine O'Neil in the BBC Scotland sitcom Two Doors Down (2013–2023).

<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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hayley Tamaddon</span> British actress and dancer

Hayley Soraya Tamaddon is a British actress. She is known for her roles in the ITV soap operas as Del Dingle in Emmerdale and Andrea Beckett in Coronation Street.

Jodie Christine Prenger is an English actress and singer, best known for winning the second series of The Biggest Loser in 2006 and the BBC talent show I'd Do Anything in 2008, the latter of which subsequently launched her career in theatre. In 2022, she began portraying the role of Glenda Shuttleworth in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.

Linda Nolan is an Irish singer, actress and television personality. After moving with her family to Blackpool at the age of three in 1962, she attained fame as a member of the girl group The Nolans in 1974, along with her sisters Anne, Denise, Maureen, Bernie and Coleen. As a member of the Nolans, Linda toured with Frank Sinatra in 1975, won the Tokyo Music Festival in 1981, and had seven UK top 20 hits between 1979 and 1982.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Great Nottinghamians:Su Pollard". BBC. November 2002.
  2. ↑ "Su Pollard". Tv.com. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  3. ↑ "THE BEST DAYS OF YOUR LIFE? Su Pollard, actress". Heraldscotland.com. 7 March 2006. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  4. ↑ "Su Pollard". U-reds.com. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 431. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  6. ↑ Craig, Mike. "RADIO DRAMA REVIEWS ONLINE: For Better or for Worse". RadioDramaReviews.com. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  7. ↑ Lavalie, John. "epguides.com: For Better or For Worse: a Titles & Air Dates Guide". Epguides.com. Retrieved 17 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "Hi-de-hi star in Sunderland show". The Northern Echo. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  9. ↑ "Grand Ambassador Review - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Blackpool Grand Theatre. 4 December 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  10. ↑ "Su shows her wicked side for panto". Kent Online. 7 December 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  11. ↑ "Hi De Hi! Su Pollard will star as the Wicked Queen in this year's Aylesbury Waterside panto". Bucksherald.co.uk. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  12. ↑ "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". Malvern Theatres. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "Su Pollard and Jeffrey Holland all set for Wolverhampton panto". Expressandstar.com. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  14. ↑ "BBC Two - Pilgrimage". BBC.
  15. ↑ "Details of Publication - Apex Publishing Ltd". Apexpublishing.co.uk. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  16. ↑ Keogh, Peter (6 June 2014). My Hi-de-High Life: Before, During and After Su Pollard. Apex Publishing Limited. ISBN   978-1910295045.
  17. ↑ "Su Online : The Collection – 17 Tracks on CD!". Supollard.com. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
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.