Linda Regan

Last updated

Linda Regan
Born
Linda Mary Drinkwater

(1949-11-05) 5 November 1949 (age 74)
Brixton, London [1]
OccupationActress
Years active1970–present
Spouse
(m. 1995)
Parent(s)Peter Regan
Phyllis McCormack
Relatives Carol Drinkwater (sister) [2]
Website lindareganonline.co.uk

Linda Regan (born 5 November 1949), [3] born Linda Mary Drinkwater, is a British actress and author, who has appeared on television, film, radio and on stage. She is best known for her role as Yellowcoat April in the British holiday camp sitcom Hi-de-Hi! .

Contents

Early life

Born in Brixton, London, Regan is a daughter of bandleader and agent Peter Regan (born Peter Albert Drinkwater) and Phyllis Drinkwater, an Irish nurse; Regan's older sister is the actress and writer Carol Drinkwater. [4] [2] They moved to Rochester, before settling in Bromley when Regan was five. Regan often helped her father while entertaining, such as helping with Punch and Judy and balloon modelling. After leaving school, Regan attended the Worcester Repertory Company. [5]

Career

Regan made her television debut in 1970, in an episode of the popular ITV sitcom On the Buses . Shortly after, she appeared in the film version of the same name. This was followed by roles in well known programmes such as Doctor at Large , Softly, Softly: Task Force , Special Branch and Dixon of Dock Green . She was also the stunt double for Katy Manning's Jo Grant in the Doctor Who episode "Carnival of Monsters" in 1973. [6] In the mid-1970s, Regan appeared in several sex comedy films including Carry On England , Confessions of a Pop Performer and Adventures of a Private Eye . She also appeared in the high-profile films A Private Enterprise (1974), The Hiding Place (1975) and Quadrophenia (1979) and had a main role in the hospital drama General Hospital from 1976 to 1977. Regan appeared in the first episode of popular drama series Minder in 1979 starring George Cole and Dennis Waterman and played a Swedish pop star in Bergerac , before having a role in the film The Hit (1984) with John Hurt and Terence Stamp. She followed this with a main role in the holiday camp sitcom Hi-de-Hi! as April, a character she would play from 1984 until the show's end in 1988, appearing in a total of twenty-four episodes.

After appearances in Birds of a Feather , thriller Framed and hard hitting crime drama The Knock , Regan starred in five episodes of The Bill before appearing as Harry's mother in all 4 series of children's drama series Harry and Cosh from 1999 to 2003. She continues her career on both stage and screen, including Holby City , Doctors and Run for Your Wife , as well as appearing in several short films and commercials, and writing award-winning crime novels. [4]

Personal life

Regan married the actor Brian Murphy in 1995. [7]

She is dyslexic and was not encouraged at school but wrote stories from a young age. Just before her first book was published, in 2005, she was kidnapped at knifepoint and forced into a car, later jumping from the vehicle to escape. Soon after, she was diagnosed with cancer, which she believes was caused by her kidnap ordeal; she overcame the disease. [5]

A dog lover since childhood, Regan runs her own blog in which she communicates with other dog owners. [8]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1971 On the Buses Pretty Girl on Bus
1973 Adolf Hitler: My Part in His Downfall Girl at Dance
1974 Keep It Up, Jack Gloria
1974 A Private Enterprise Eve
1975 The Hiding Place Prostitute
1975 Confessions of a Pop Performer Brenda Climax
1976 Carry On England A.T.S. Private Taylor
1977 Hardcore Secretary
1977 Adventures of a Private Eye Clarissa
1979 Quadrophenia Chief Rocker Girl
1984 The Hit Madame Isabella
1999 Janice Beard
1999Holding OnPru
2003 The Last Horror Movie Terri
2004Let GoSusan
2012Blitz and BananasEmily Spratt
2012 Run for Your Wife Allotment womanCameo
2016After HoursShirley
2018The Vampire of SohoBeryl

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1970 Z Cars Factory GirlEpisode: "Stop Over: Part 1"
1970 Carry On Christmas Island GirlTV film
1970 On the Buses EdnaEpisode: "Christmas Duty"
1971 Doctor at Large SchoolgirlEpisode: "Doctor Dish"
1971 Softly, Softly: Task Force Girl in LorryEpisode: "Copper Wire"
1972Engelbert with the Young GenerationGirl in Film SequenceEpisode: "#1.11"
1972 Doctor in Charge Girl at DanceEpisode: "The Taming of the Wolf"
1972 Villains Young WomanEpisode: "Belinda"
1973 Special Branch Episode: "Red Herring"
1974Seven Faces of WomanBarbaraEpisode: "Polly Put the Kettle On"
1975 Dixon of Dock Green Liz RowleyEpisode: "On a Moody Complaint"
1975 Scene PollyEpisode: "Because I Said So"
1976Barney's Last BattleLily AyresTV film
1976-1977 General Hospital Susan3 episodes
1977 ITV Playhouse ValerieEpisode: "The Proofing Session"
1978 Z Cars Woman at Bus StopEpisode: "A Woman's Place"
1979 Minder LizEpisode: "Gunfight at the O.K. Laundrette"
1980 The Gentle Touch MarilynEpisode: "Break-In"
1982 Kelly Monteith Episode: #4.1
1984 Bergerac Gudrun OlfsbergEpisode: "A Cry in the Night"
1984–1988 Hi-de-Hi! April24 episodes
1985 Dempsey and Makepeace GloriaEpisode: "Blind Eye"
1985 C.A.T.S. Eyes Naval Computer OperatorEpisode: "Something Nasty Down Below"
1985Lost in LondonRoseyTV film
1986 C.A.T.S. Eyes AmberEpisode: "Hit List"
1988 Comic Relief Hospital PatientTV special
1988 The Bill Burnside's GirlfriendEpisode: "Snout"
1991 Birds of a Feather AnnieEpisode: "We'll Always Have Majorca"
1992 The Bill Building Society ManageressEpisode: "Sympathy for the Devil"
1992 Framed Mrs MintonEpisode: #1.2
1992Fool's Gold: The Story of the Brink's-Mat RobberyBrenda NoyeTV film
1992The Linda Calvey Story Linda Calvey TV film
1993Over the RainbowJennyEpisode: "The House of the Rising Sun"
1994 The Detectives BarmaidEpisode: "Witness"
1994 The Bill Pub ManageressEpisode: "Pals"
1994 The Knock June3 episodes
1994 Hale and Pace Wife in Hospital2 episodes
1995Ghostbusters of East FinchleyProstituteEpisode: #1.1
1997 The Bill Lizzie ByrneEpisode: "Age Gaps"
1998BarmaidEpisode: "Like Family"
1999–2003 Harry and Cosh Harry's MotherAll 45 episodes
2000 London's Burning IvyEpisode: #12.6
2001Men OnlyAerobics TeacherTV film
2004 Doctors Noreen TopperEpisode: "What the Doctor Saw"
2004Billie: Girl of the FutureBarbaraEpisode: #1.4
2005 Tittybangbang VariousEpisode: "Pilot"
2007 Holby City Polly HunterEpisode: "Past Imperfect"
2014 Doctors Hilary CavendishEpisode: "Good Guys"
2023 Eggheads Linda ReganEpisode 2000

Writing

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References

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  4. 1 2 Maxford, Howard (2018). Hammer Complete: The Films, the Personnel, the Company. McFarland. p. 677. ISBN   978-1476670072. She is married to the actor Brian Murphy (1932 - ), whom she wed in 1995... Her father is the bandleader and agent Peter Regan (real name Peter Albert Drinkwater) and her sister is the actress and writer Carol Drinkwater (1948 - ).
  5. 1 2 Sturt, Sarah. "Bromley star Linda Regan-Murphy". Kent Life.
  6. Doctor Who Guide. "Doctor Who Guide: Linda Regan". Doctor Who Guide.
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