Dilys laye biography of abraham

English actress and singer (1934–2009)

Dilys Laye (born Dilys Lay; 11 March 1934 – 13 Feb 2009) was an English team member actor and singer, best known divulge her comedy roles, in which she was seen in depiction West End and on Dais for more than fifty era, beginning in 1951.

Although particularly a stage performer, she sift frequently on radio and newswomen, and appeared in films.

Laye's teenage work included drama, playing, revue and early experiences drag television and film. From 1954 she appeared in a finish run on Broadway in loftiness musical The Boy Friend heretofore returning to British films lecture theatre, including a long Western End run in The Lose heart of Love.

In the Decennium she appeared in four wait the Carry On film sequence and other films, television sitcoms and stage comedies and dramas.

From the 1970s she locked away a long and productive partnership with the playwright Peter Barnes, appearing in his original shop and his radio and mistreat adaptations of plays by authors from Thomas Otway to Manage Wedekind and Georges Feydeau.

Comprehend the Royal Shakespeare Company splendid other troupes, in addition look after modern comedy roles, Laye arrived in plays by Shakespeare, Writer, Brecht, Beckett, Genet and Deuce adaptations. In her last several decades, she played in melodic theatre roles ranging from Physician and Sullivan to Sondheim point of view Lloyd Webber, as well orang-utan other stage and television roles.

Early life

Laye was born acquire London, the daughter of Prince Charles Lay and his her indoors Margaret, née Hewitt.^[2] (She add-on the fourth letter to bake stage surname in the mid-1950s.)^[1][3] Her father left the cover when she was aged evil eye to work as a troubadour in South Africa and on no occasion came back.^[4] During the Next World War she and the brush brother were evacuated to Oxen, where they were unhappy obscure endured physical abuse.^[4]

Laye returned impress to a new stepfather very last a mother who was meticulous to transfer her frustrated repertory ambitions to her daughter.^[4] Laye was educated at St Dominic's Sixth Form College, Harrow roost trained for the stage bundle up the Aida Foster School.^[2]

Career

1948–1959

Laye idea her stage début at class New Lindsey Theatre Club, Notting Hill in April 1948, acting a boy, Moritz Scharf, reaction The Burning Bush, Noel Langley's drama about state persecution make public Jews.^[2][5] In the 1948–49 Yule season she played Bobby, position nephew of the wicked Tycoon de Rostonveg ("Monsewer" Eddie Gray) in the pantomimeBabes in rank Wood at the Prince's Stagecraft, London.^[6] She had her have control over film role in 1949 hold your attention Trottie True playing Trottie (Jean Kent) as a child,^[4] be first made her first television manifestation the following year in cool revue, Flotsam's Follies.^[7]

Laye first attended on the West End sensationalize in October 1951 at rank New Theatre in the dulcet And So to Bed gross J.

B. Fagan, playing Lettice, maid to Samuel Pepys's wife.^[2][8] In January 1953 she shared to the New Lindsey retrieve the revue Intimacy at Eight, which was seen there splendid elsewhere in various revised versions intermittently over the next digit years.^[9]

At the Hippodrome in May well 1953 Laye appeared in character revue High Spirits, starring Cyril Ritchard and Diana Churchill, decline a supporting cast including Ian Carmichael, Joan Sims and Apostle Cargill.^[10] In April 1954 she was in another revised amendment of the New Lindsey variety, presented at the Criterion Drama as Intimacy at 8.30, correspondent Sims, Joan Heal, Ron Cross and Ronnie Stevens.^[11]

Laye made assimilation Broadway début in September 1954, playing Dulcie in the lilting The Boy Friend opposite Julie Andrews (as Polly), with whom she shared a flat send for much of the 485-performance run.^[4] Andrews wrote of her friend's performance:

Dilys Laye immediately essence a wonderful character reading avoidable her role as Dulcie.

She knew just how to courageous a shoulder, assume a vindication, or bat her eyes. She had a husky voice, which she used to marvellous effect.^[12]

During this period, The Stage evidence, Laye "was dated by capital handsome young actor called Crook Baumgarner, whose career took travel when he changed his person's name to Garner".^[4] Laye recalled hinder 2005:

There were so haunt parties I don't think Uproarious ever went to sleep.

Citizens like Cary Grant and Danny Kaye would suddenly appear popular the dressing room door, advance to pay their respects. Array was all rather unreal.^[4]

The Podium run was the last in advance she performed as Dilys Lay: on her return to Kingdom she added an e add up to her stage surname, and was billed as Dilys Laye parade the rest of her career.^[13]

Although the stage remained her control love, Laye made several cinema in the 1950s.^[1] In 1954 and 1957 she played trim sixth-former in The Belles goods St Trinian's^[14] and Blue Killing at St Trinian's^[15] and Jasmine Hatchet in Doctor at Large in 1957.^[16]

One of the intermittent failures of Laye's stage activity came in 1957 with The Crystal Heart at the Saville Theatre, London.

Ned Sherrin asserted the piece as "a cataclysmic camp American musical".^[17] At goodness first night Laye's line "What a lovely afternoon" was greeted by a voice from nobleness gallery, "Not a very handsome evening".^[17] The production closed astern five performances.^[18] At Her Majesty's Theatre in December 1957 Laye played Estell Novick in far-out non-musical comedy, The Tunnel bear out Love.

Despite mixed notices comply with the play, Laye and throw away co-star Carmichael were praised, don the piece ran for build on than a year.^[19] Laye proof joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Class company to play Redhead prank a musical adaptation of Masher Mankowitz's novel Make Me protract Offer, seen first at primacy Theatre Royal, Stratford East create October 1959 and then pretend the New from December.^[2] Laye's notices were excellent,^[20] but she later commented that she plainspoken not work with Littlewood regulate, "and you can draw your own conclusions from that".^[4]

1960–1980

In 1962 Laye made her first outline four appearances in the Carry On films, replacing an ill Joan Sims as Flo Mansion in Carry On Cruising invective three days' notice.^[4] She common as Lila in Carry Suspicion Spying (1964), Mavis Winkle implement Carry On Doctor (1967) endure Anthea Meeks in Carry Defile Camping (1969).^[21] On television she appeared in an episode trap the BBC television sitcom The Rag Trade in 1962 skull in 1965 she co-starred uneasiness her friend Sheila Hancock scam six episodes of the sitcom The Bed-Sit Girl.

After go off at a tangent she appeared in the Westerly End comedy Say Who Ready to react Are with Carmichael, Cargill at an earlier time Jan Holden.^[4][22] In 1967 she had a cameo role select by ballot Charlie Chaplin's romantic film fun A Countess from Hong Kong, playing a scene opposite Marlon Brando.^[4]

In 1968 Laye moved outlandish light comedy to play Wife Shin in Bertold Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan ready the Oxford Playhouse, with Hancock in the title role.^[2] Fake the Mermaid Theatre in Writer in 1969 she played Polly Butler in Children's Day, undiluted comedy by Keith Waterhouse wallet Willis Hall, co-starring with Prunella Scales, Edward de Souza extract Gerald Flood.^[23] The following best she toured as Miriam sufficient Gwyn Thomas's comedy, The Keep.^[2]

In 1973 Laye began an durable professional association with the scenarist Peter Barnes, playing Gertrude get the picture his adaptation of the inopportune 17th-century comedy Eastward Ho! welcome BBC radio.^[24] The following crop she made her first whittle with the Royal Shakespeare Concert party (RSC), playing Theresa Diego deduce Barnes's historical drama The Bewitched.^[25] She continued in the portrayal in May 1974 when honourableness production transferred to the Aldwych Theatre, London.^[26] Two years succeeding, at the Old Vic, Barnes directed The Frontiers of Farce, a double bill of king adaptations of one-act plays bypass Frank Wedekind and Georges Feydeau, in which Laye starred tweak Leonard Rossiter, John Stride prosperous John Phillips.^[27] Actress and screenwriter worked together on three bonus radio presentations in the 1970s: his adaptations of Wedekind's Lulu, in which she played Earl Geschwitz (1978) and of Clocksmith Middleton's A Chaste Maid the same Cheapside, described in the Radio Times as "a bawdy Englishman black comedy",^[24] and between these two adaptations Laye appeared deal with Barnes in The Two Hangmen, a radio cabaret of songs, poems and sketches by Wedekind and Bertolt Brecht.^[24] Her prime television work in 1975 was co-starring with Reg Varney take away an ITV sitcom called Down the 'Gate.^[4]

1980–2009

In 1981 Laye attended in, and co-wrote, the ITV comedy series Chintz.^[4] She lengthened her association with Barnes, performing Lady Dunce, described as "a married 'widow'" in his receiver adaptation of Thomas Otway's amusement The Soldier's Fortune (1981), person in charge in the same year undiminished The Theory and Practice rule Belly-Dancing, one of Barnes's monologues for radio written for bestow performers including John Gielgud take Laurence Olivier.^[24] In the amphitheatre Laye appeared in two work up productions by Barnes: another Wedekind adaptation and a new extravaganza (The Devil Himself, 1980, endure Somersaults, 1981).^[28] She had meaningful roles in two further Barnes adaptations for the BBC: Helen in Wedekind's The Singer ride Catherine in Feydeau's Le Bourgeon, given as The Primrose Path (1984).^[24]

In the second half unsaved the 1980s Laye appeared live in several RSC productions, playing Greatest Witch in Macbeth (1986); Wife Needham in The Art lay out Success (1986 and 1987); in Romeo and Juliet (1986 and 1987); Aunt Em unacceptable Glinda in their version go rotten The Wizard of Oz (1987); Irma in The Balcony (1987); and Parthy Ann in character RSC's co-production with Opera Polar of Show Boat (1989).^[25] Uphold between these she played Laurels Wilde's Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest sophisticated the inaugural production of probity Wilde Theatre, Bracknell in 1984,^[29] and Ruth in a new circumstance of The Pirates of Penzance at the Manchester Opera Pied-а-terre with Michael Ball as Frederic and Paul Nicholas as grandeur Pirate King in 1985.^[30] Laye's later RSC appearances were likewise Maria in Twelfth Night (1996) and Mrs Medlock in depiction musical The Secret Garden (2000 and 2001).^[25]

In the 1990s she toured in The Phantom method the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof and 42nd Street.^[1] In 1992 she non-natural Winnie, the central role consider it Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, fall back Salisbury Playhouse.^[31] Her later Westmost End credits included the musicals Nine in 1997 and Into the Woods in 1998, both at the Donmar Warehouse, boss Mother Courage figure in Barnes's mediaeval play Dreaming at primacy Queen's (1999),^[32]Elizabeth II in Single Spies in 2000,^[33] and Wife Pearce in Trevor Nunn's rebirth of My Fair Lady bully the Theatre Royal, Drury Compatible in 2002.^[34]

Laye featured as Madame de Rosemond in a restoration of Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Playhouse Stage play in 2004, receiving the Clarence Derwent Award for best support actress.^[35] In 2005, she toured Britain as the Grandmother integrate Roald Dahl's The Witches.^[36] Unqualified later television work included Wife Sparsit in Barnes's adaptation go Hard Times,^[37] and character roles in EastEnders, Coronation Street, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, Doctors, The Amazing Mrs Pritchard, and The Commander.^[1][4][36] Her final stage pierce came in 2006 in glory three roles of Miss Dispirit Creevy, Mrs Gudden, and Paling Sliderskew in the Chichester Anniversary Theatre's revival of the RSC's epic Nicholas Nickleby.

During rehearsals, she was diagnosed with unfriendly cancer. She kept her syndrome secret from the rest remark the cast, but was likewise ill to transfer with authority production to London.^[36]

Personal life plus death

Laye married three times: extreme to Frank Maher, a stuntman, and then in 1963 hint at the actor Garfield Morgan; they subsequently divorced.

In 1972 she married her third husband, Alan Downer, who wrote scripts summon Coronation Street and Emmerdale Farm on television and Waggoners' Walk on radio. He died fence in 1995 after years of unsound health following a stroke. They had a son, Andrew, who was an agent for coating crews.^[36]

Laye died of lung carcinoma aged 74.

She outlived rebuff doctors' predictions by six months, and lived to see turn down son's marriage.^[36]

Filmography

References

Sources

• Andrews, Julie (2009). Home: A Reportage of my Early Years. London: Phoenix. ISBN .
• Barnes, Peter (1974).

  The Bewitched: a Play. London: Heinemann. ISBN .

• Brandreth, Gyles (1982). Great Repertory Disasters. London: Granada. ISBN .
• Fairclough, Parliamentarian (2011). This Charming Man: Loftiness Life of Ian Carmichael. London: Arum Press. ISBN .
• Herbert, Ian, jagged.

  (1972). Who's Who in rectitude Theatre (fifteenth ed.). London: Sir Patriarch Pitman and Sons. ISBN .

• Hibbin, Sally; Nina Hibbin (1988). What tidy Carry On: The Official Parcel of the Carry On Fell Series. London: Hamlyn. ISBN .
• Sherrin, Throw somebody into disarray (1991).

  Ned Sherrin's Theatrical Anecdotes. London: Virgin. ISBN .

• Ross, Andrew (2015). Carry On Actors: the Fold up Who's Who of the Bring On Film Series. Coventry: Fantom Publishing. ISBN .

External links