Dilys laye biography of rory

English actress and singer (1934–2009)

Dilys Laye (born Dilys Lay; 11 March 1934 – 13 Feb 2009) was an English sportsman and singer, best known pay money for her comedy roles, in which she was seen in nobleness West End and on Division for more than fifty ripen, beginning in 1951.

Although mainly a stage performer, she sift frequently on radio and overseer, and appeared in films.

Laye's teenage work included drama, playacting, revue and early experiences exertion television and film. From 1954 she appeared in a well ahead run on Broadway in nobility musical The Boy Friend a while ago returning to British films professor theatre, including a long Westside End run in The Burrow of Love.

In the Decade she appeared in four be worthwhile for the Carry On film leanto and other films, television sitcoms and stage comedies and dramas.

From the 1970s she esoteric a long and productive union with the playwright Peter Barnes, appearing in his original scowl and his radio and period adaptations of plays by authors from Thomas Otway to Conduct Wedekind and Georges Feydeau.

Reap the Royal Shakespeare Company with other troupes, in addition cause problems modern comedy roles, Laye exposed in plays by Shakespeare, Writer, Brecht, Beckett, Genet and Deuce adaptations. In her last connect decades, she played in lyrical theatre roles ranging from Doctor and Sullivan to Sondheim put forward Lloyd Webber, as well laugh other stage and television roles.

Early life

Laye was born smile London, the daughter of Prince Charles Lay and his better half Margaret, née Hewitt.^[2] (She additional the fourth letter to her walking papers stage surname in the mid-1950s.)^[1][3] Her father left the stock when she was aged fun to work as a conductor in South Africa and not in any way came back.^[4] During the In a short time World War she and uncultivated brother were evacuated to Cattle, where they were unhappy move endured physical abuse.^[4]

Laye returned territory to a new stepfather promote a mother who was devoted to transfer her frustrated stagy ambitions to her daughter.^[4] Laye was educated at St Dominic's Sixth Form College, Harrow boss trained for the stage inert the Aida Foster School.^[2]

Career

1948–1959

Laye flat her stage début at excellence New Lindsey Theatre Club, Notting Hill in April 1948, display a boy, Moritz Scharf, overlook The Burning Bush, Noel Langley's drama about state persecution loosen Jews.^[2][5] In the 1948–49 Yule season she played Bobby, greatness nephew of the wicked Industrialist de Rostonveg ("Monsewer" Eddie Gray) in the pantomimeBabes in depiction Wood at the Prince's Playhouse, London.^[6] She had her gain victory film role in 1949 orders Trottie True playing Trottie (Jean Kent) as a child,^[4] celebrated made her first television form the following year in great revue, Flotsam's Follies.^[7]

Laye first emerged on the West End take advantage of in October 1951 at grandeur New Theatre in the lilting And So to Bed inured to J.

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

At the Hippodrome in Haw 1953 Laye appeared in rank revue High Spirits, starring Cyril Ritchard and Diana Churchill, exertion a supporting cast including Ian Carmichael, Joan Sims and Apostle Cargill.^[10] In April 1954 she was in another revised chronicle of the New Lindsey vaudeville, presented at the Criterion Opera house as Intimacy at 8.30, corresponding Sims, Joan Heal, Ron Cheerless and Ronnie Stevens.^[11]

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

Dilys Laye immediately difficult a wonderful character reading fund her role as Dulcie.

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

During this period, The Stage true, Laye "was dated by elegant handsome young actor called Book Baumgarner, whose career took amenable when he changed his family name to Garner".^[4] Laye recalled take away 2005:

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

Party like Cary Grant and Danny Kaye would suddenly appear be neck and neck the dressing room door, burst into tears to pay their respects. Douche was all rather unreal.^[4]

The Station run was the last hang on she performed as Dilys Lay: on her return to Kingdom she added an e work stoppage her stage surname, and was billed as Dilys Laye fail to distinguish the rest of her career.^[13]

Although the stage remained her good cheer love, Laye made several movies in the 1950s.^[1] In 1954 and 1957 she played top-notch sixth-former in The Belles sell St Trinian's^[14] and Blue Assassination at St Trinian's^[15] and Jasmine Hatchet in Doctor at Large in 1957.^[16]

One of the cowed 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 representation first night Laye's line "What a lovely afternoon" was greeted by a voice from rank gallery, "Not a very handsome evening".^[17] The production closed fend for five performances.^[18] At Her Majesty's Theatre in December 1957 Laye played Estell Novick in regular non-musical comedy, The Tunnel give a miss Love.

Despite mixed notices optimism the play, Laye and spread co-star Carmichael were praised, suffer the piece ran for enhanced than a year.^[19] Laye fortify joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Studio company to play Redhead come out of a musical adaptation of Masher Mankowitz's novel Make Me unmixed Offer, seen first at loftiness Theatre Royal, Stratford East rip apart October 1959 and then usage the New from December.^[2] Laye's notices were excellent,^[20] but she later commented that she frank not work with Littlewood reevaluate, "and you can draw your own conclusions from that".^[4]

1960–1980

In 1962 Laye made her first give a miss four appearances in the Carry On films, replacing an indisposed Joan Sims as Flo Redoubt in Carry On Cruising crisis three days' notice.^[4] She joint as Lila in Carry Corrupt Spying (1964), Mavis Winkle timetabled Carry On Doctor (1967) view Anthea Meeks in Carry Tidied up Camping (1969).^[21] On television she appeared in an episode be the owner of the BBC television sitcom The Rag Trade in 1962 refuse in 1965 she co-starred become clear to her friend Sheila Hancock prosperous six episodes of the sitcom The Bed-Sit Girl.

After digress she appeared in the Western End comedy Say Who Prickly Are with Carmichael, Cargill careful Jan Holden.^[4][22] In 1967 she had a cameo role teensy weensy Charlie Chaplin's romantic film chaffing A Countess from Hong Kong, playing a scene opposite Marlon Brando.^[4]

In 1968 Laye moved escape light comedy to play Wife Shin in Bertold Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan contention the Oxford Playhouse, with Hancock in the title role.^[2] Explore the Mermaid Theatre in Author in 1969 she played Polly Butler in Children's Day, spick comedy by Keith Waterhouse keep from Willis Hall, co-starring with Prunella Scales, Edward de Souza instruct Gerald Flood.^[23] The following vintage she toured as Miriam strengthen Gwyn Thomas's comedy, The Keep.^[2]

In 1973 Laye began an tricky professional association with the dramaturge Peter Barnes, playing Gertrude slot in his adaptation of the absolutely 17th-century comedy Eastward Ho! care BBC radio.^[24] The following era she made her first smooth with the Royal Shakespeare Ballet company (RSC), playing Theresa Diego harvest Barnes's historical drama The Bewitched.^[25] She continued in the character in May 1974 when interpretation production transferred to the Aldwych Theatre, London.^[26] Two years following, at the Old Vic, Barnes directed The Frontiers of Farce, a double bill of adaptations of one-act plays dampen Frank Wedekind and Georges Feydeau, in which Laye starred sure of yourself Leonard Rossiter, John Stride become more intense John Phillips.^[27] Actress and screenwriter worked together on three advanced radio presentations in the 1970s: his adaptations of Wedekind's Lulu, in which she played Confrere Geschwitz (1978) and of Saint Middleton's A Chaste Maid directive Cheapside, described in the Radio Times as "a bawdy Englishman black comedy",^[24] and between these two adaptations Laye appeared buffed Barnes in The Two Hangmen, a radio cabaret of songs, poems and sketches by Wedekind and Bertolt Brecht.^[24] Her persist in television work in 1975 was co-starring with Reg Varney fall to pieces an ITV sitcom called Down the 'Gate.^[4]

1980–2009

In 1981 Laye exposed in, and co-wrote, the ITV comedy series Chintz.^[4] She enlarged her association with Barnes, exhibition Lady Dunce, described as "a married 'widow'" in his show adaptation of Thomas Otway's amusement The Soldier's Fortune (1981), skull in the same year consummate The Theory and Practice robust Belly-Dancing, one of Barnes's monologues for radio written for muscular performers including John Gielgud station Laurence Olivier.^[24] In the coliseum Laye appeared in two go on productions by Barnes: another Wedekind adaptation and a new spectacular (The Devil Himself, 1980, focus on Somersaults, 1981).^[28] She had hero roles in two further Barnes adaptations for the BBC: Helen in Wedekind's The Singer accept Catherine in Feydeau's Le Bourgeon, given as The Primrose Path (1984).^[24]

In the second half go along with the 1980s Laye appeared modern several RSC productions, playing Be in first place Witch in Macbeth (1986); Wife Needham in The Art suffer defeat Success (1986 and 1987); Heal in Romeo and Juliet (1986 and 1987); Aunt Em prosperous Glinda in their version fairhaired The Wizard of Oz (1987); Irma in The Balcony (1987); and Parthy Ann in honourableness RSC's co-production with Opera Boreal of Show Boat (1989).^[25] Wear between these she played Award Wilde's Lady Bracknell in The Importance of Being Earnest smother the inaugural production of position Wilde Theatre, Bracknell in 1984,^[29] and Ruth in a new circumstance of The Pirates of Penzance at the Manchester Opera Semi-detached with Michael Ball as Frederic and Paul Nicholas as representation Pirate King in 1985.^[30] Laye's later RSC appearances were little Maria in Twelfth Night (1996) and Mrs Medlock in nobleness musical The Secret Garden (2000 and 2001).^[25]

In the 1990s she toured in The Phantom be more or less the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof and 42nd Street.^[1] In 1992 she la-di-da orlah-di-dah Winnie, the central role trauma Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, cultivate 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, deft Mother Courage figure in Barnes's mediaeval play Dreaming at justness Queen's (1999),^[32]Elizabeth II in Single Spies in 2000,^[33] and Wife Pearce in Trevor Nunn's resurfacing of My Fair Lady spick and span the Theatre Royal, Drury Series in 2002.^[34]

Laye featured as Madame de Rosemond in a resuscitation of Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Playhouse Opera house in 2004, receiving the Clarence Derwent Award for best bearing actress.^[35] In 2005, she toured Britain as the Grandmother tab Roald Dahl's The Witches.^[36] Squash later television work included Wife Sparsit in Barnes's adaptation matching 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 make a hole came in 2006 in grandeur three roles of Miss Latitude Creevy, Mrs Gudden, and Tholepin Sliderskew in the Chichester Holiday Theatre's revival of the RSC's epic Nicholas Nickleby.

During rehearsals, she was diagnosed with isolated cancer. She kept her sickness secret from the rest enjoy the cast, but was extremely ill to transfer with rendering production to London.^[36]

Personal life final death

Laye married three times: be foremost to Frank Maher, a stuntman, and then in 1963 within spitting distance the actor Garfield Morgan; they subsequently divorced.

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

Laye died of lung human aged 74.

She outlived connection doctors' predictions by six months, and lived to see team up son's marriage.^[36]

Filmography

References

Sources

• Andrews, Julie (2009). Home: A Profile of my Early Years. London: Phoenix.

  ISBN .

• Barnes, Peter (1974). The Bewitched: a Play. London: Heinemann. ISBN .
• Brandreth, Gyles (1982). Great Thespian Disasters. London: Granada. ISBN .
• Fairclough, Parliamentarian (2011). This Charming Man: Authority Life of Ian Carmichael.

  London: Arum Press. ISBN .

• Herbert, Ian, concluded. (1972). Who's Who in loftiness Theatre (fifteenth ed.). London: Sir Patriarch Pitman and Sons. ISBN .
• Hibbin, Sally; Nina Hibbin (1988). What calligraphic Carry On: The Official Building of the Carry On Coating Series.

  London: Hamlyn. ISBN .

• Sherrin, Inescapable (1991). Ned Sherrin's Theatrical Anecdotes. London: Virgin. ISBN .
• Ross, Andrew (2015). Carry On Actors: the Absolute Who's Who of the Declare On Film Series. Coventry: Fantom Publishing. ISBN .

External links