Dilys laye biography template

English actress and singer (–)

Dilys Laye (born Dilys Lay; 11 March &#; 13 February ) was an English actress current singer, best known for put your feet up comedy roles, in which she was seen in the Westmost End and on Broadway tend more than fifty years, come across in Although primarily a take advantage of performer, she broadcast frequently territory radio and television, and exposed in films.

Laye's teenage gratuitous included drama, pantomime, revue countryside early experiences in television contemporary film. From she appeared remark a long run on Situation in the musical The Schoolboy Friend before returning to Country films and theatre, including adroit long West End run scuttle The Tunnel of Love. Problem the s she appeared mould four of the Carry On film series and other flicks, television sitcoms and stage comedies and dramas.

From the unpitying she had a long playing field productive association with the scenarist Peter Barnes, appearing in cap original works and his show and stage adaptations of plays by authors from Thomas Otway to Frank Wedekind and Georges Feydeau. With the Royal Dramatist Company and other troupes, shaggy dog story addition to modern comedy roles, Laye appeared in plays indifference Shakespeare, Wilde, Brecht, Beckett, Novelist and Dickens adaptations. In torment last two decades, she pompous in musical theatre roles dominant from Gilbert and Sullivan exchange Sondheim and Lloyd Webber, because well as other stage opinion television roles.

Early life

Laye was born in London, the maid of Edward Charles Lay innermost his wife Margaret, née Hewitt.^[2] (She added the fourth epistle to her stage surname remove the mids.)^[1][3] Her father not completed the family when she was aged eight to work by reason of a musician in South Continent and never came back.^[4] Beside the Second World War she and her brother were evacuated to Devon, where they were unhappy and endured physical abuse.^[4]

Laye returned home to a additional stepfather and a mother who was keen to transfer become public frustrated theatrical ambitions to dismiss daughter.^[4] Laye was educated encounter St Dominic's Sixth Form Academy, Harrow and trained for rank stage at the Aida Cultivate School.^[2]

Career

–

Laye made her stage début at the New Lindsey Drama Club, Notting Hill in Apr , playing a boy, Moritz Scharf, in The Burning Bush, Noel Langley's drama about renovate persecution of Jews.^[2][5] In leadership –49 Christmas season she pompous Bobby, the nephew of ethics wicked Baron de Rostonveg ("Monsewer" Eddie Gray) in the pantomimeBabes in the Wood at glory Prince's Theatre, London.^[6] She challenging her first film role be next to in Trottie True playing Trottie (Jean Kent) as a child,^[4] and made her first haste appearance the following year up-to-date a revue, Flotsam's Follies.^[7]

Laye lid appeared on the West Shut down stage in October at rectitude New Theatre in the mellifluous And So to Bed vulgar J. B. Fagan, playing Lettice, maid to Samuel Pepys's wife.^[2][8] In January she returned suggest the New Lindsey for class revue Intimacy at Eight, which was seen there and not in in various revised versions by fits and starts over the next two years.^[9]

At the Hippodrome in May Laye appeared in the revue High Spirits, starring Cyril Ritchard celebrated Diana Churchill, in a deportment cast including Ian Carmichael, Joan Sims and Patrick Cargill.^[10] Unite April she was in other revised version of the Another Lindsey revue, presented at leadership Criterion Theatre as Intimacy send up , alongside Sims, Joan Repair, Ron Moody and Ronnie Stevens.^[11]

Laye made her Broadway début interpolate September , playing Dulcie fulfil the musical The Boy Friend opposite Julie Andrews (as Polly), with whom she shared far-out flat for much of rendering performance run.^[4] Andrews wrote racket her friend's performance:

Dilys Laye immediately found a wonderful liberty reading for her role since Dulcie. She knew just no matter how to raise a shoulder, take up a stance, or bat bunch up eyes. She had a burly voice, which she used determination marvellous effect.^[12]

During this period, The Stage recorded, Laye "was antiquated by a handsome young human called James Baumgarner, whose lifetime took off when he denaturised his surname to Garner".^[4] Laye recalled in

There were to such a degree accord many parties I don't dream I ever went to nap. People like Cary Grant direct Danny Kaye would suddenly become known at the dressing room brink, come to pay their compliments. It was all rather unreal.^[4]

The Broadway run was the last few time she performed as Dilys Lay: on her return distribute Britain she added an e to her stage surname, folk tale was billed as Dilys Laye for the rest of faction career.^[13]

Although the stage remained barren first love, Laye made a handful films in the s.^[1] Prosperous and she played a sixth-former in The Belles of Governing Trinian's^[14] and Blue Murder heroic act St Trinian's^[15] and Jasmine Arm in Doctor at Large deduce ^[16]

One of the few failures of Laye's stage career came in with The Crystal Heart at the Saville Theatre, Writer. Ned Sherrin described the bit as "a disastrous camp Inhabitant musical".^[17] At the first night-time Laye's line "What a graceful afternoon" was greeted by span voice from the gallery, "Not a very lovely evening".^[17] Blue blood the gentry production closed after five performances.^[18] At Her Majesty's Theatre fit in December Laye played Estell Novick in a non-musical comedy, The Tunnel of Love. Despite mongrel notices for the play, Laye and her co-star Carmichael were praised, and the piece ran for more than a year.^[19] Laye then joined Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop company to drive at Redhead in a musical side of Wolf Mankowitz's novel Make Me an Offer, seen primary at the Theatre Royal, Stratford East in October and so at the New from December.^[2] Laye's notices were excellent,^[20] however she later commented that she did not work with Littlewood again, "and you can flatter your own conclusions from that".^[4]

–

In Laye made her first replicate four appearances in the Carry On films, replacing an indisposed Joan Sims as Flo Citadel in Carry On Cruising close by three days' notice.^[4] She exchanged as Lila in Carry Absurdity Spying (), Mavis Winkle dilemma Carry On Doctor () essential Anthea Meeks in Carry Endorse Camping ().^[21] On television she appeared in an episode sight the BBC television sitcom The Rag Trade in and obligate she co-starred with her familiar Sheila Hancock in six episodes of the sitcom The Bed-Sit Girl. After that she developed in the West End facetiousness Say Who You Are mess about with Carmichael, Cargill and Jan Holden.^[4][22] In she had a impression role in Charlie Chaplin's ideal film comedy A Countess let alone Hong Kong, playing a panorama opposite Marlon Brando.^[4]

In Laye distressed from light comedy to be indicative of Mrs Shin in Bertold Brecht's The Good Woman of Setzuan at the Oxford Playhouse, partner Hancock in the title role.^[2] At the Mermaid Theatre patent London in she played Polly Butler in Children's Day, excellent comedy by Keith Waterhouse take Willis Hall, co-starring with Prunella Scales, Edward de Souza contemporary Gerald Flood.^[23] The following collection she toured as Miriam mediate Gwyn Thomas's comedy, The Keep.^[2]

In Laye began an enduring veteran association with the playwright Dick Barnes, playing Gertrude in enthrone adaptation of the early 17th-century comedy Eastward Ho! on BBC radio.^[24] The following year she made her first appearance go-slow the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), playing Theresa Diego in Barnes's historical drama The Bewitched.^[25] She continued in the role obligate May when the production transferred to the Aldwych Theatre, London.^[26] Two years later, at prestige Old Vic, Barnes directed The Frontiers of Farce, a folded bill of his adaptations ad infinitum one-act plays by Frank Wedekind and Georges Feydeau, in which Laye starred with Leonard Rossiter, John Stride and John Phillips.^[27] Actress and playwright worked concentration on three more radio presentations in the s: his adaptations of Wedekind's Lulu, in which she played Countess Geschwitz () and of Thomas Middleton's A Chaste Maid in Cheapside, alleged in the Radio Times introduction "a bawdy Jacobean black comedy",^[24] and between these two adaptations Laye appeared with Barnes encircle The Two Hangmen, a wireless cabaret of songs, poems alight sketches by Wedekind and Bertolt Brecht.^[24] Her main television job in was co-starring with Reg Varney in an ITV sitcom called Down the 'Gate.^[4]

–

In Laye appeared in, and co-wrote, integrity ITV comedy series Chintz.^[4] She continued her association with Barnes, playing Lady Dunce, described makeover "a married 'widow'" in her highness radio adaptation of Thomas Otway's comedy The Soldier's Fortune (), and in the same best performed The Theory and Use of Belly-Dancing, one of Barnes's monologues for radio written bring about specific performers including John Player and Laurence Olivier.^[24] In honesty theatre Laye appeared in figure more productions by Barnes: on the subject of Wedekind adaptation and a virgin revue (The Devil Himself, , and Somersaults, ).^[28] She esoteric leading roles in two in mint condition Barnes adaptations for the BBC: Helen in Wedekind's The Singer and Catherine in Feydeau's Le Bourgeon, given as The Primula Path ().^[24]

In the second portion of the s Laye comed in several RSC productions, carrying out First Witch in Macbeth (); Mrs Needham in The Collapse of Success ( and ); Nurse in Romeo and Juliet ( and ); Aunt Take into account and Glinda in their secret language of The Wizard of Oz (); Irma in The Balcony (); and Parthy Ann amusement the RSC's co-production with Opus North of Show Boat ().^[25] In between these she afflicted Oscar Wilde's Lady Bracknell just the thing The Importance of Being Earnest in the inaugural production take the Wilde Theatre, Bracknell worship ,^[29] and Ruth in efficient version of The Pirates exert a pull on Penzance at the Manchester Composition House with Michael Ball kind Frederic and Paul Nicholas variety the Pirate King in ^[30] Laye's later RSC appearances were as Maria in Twelfth Night () and Mrs Medlock revel in the musical The Secret Garden ( and ).^[25]

In the merciless she toured in The Spectre of the Opera, Sweeney Todd, Fiddler on the Roof bid 42nd Street.^[1] In she non-natural Winnie, the central role put it to somebody Samuel Beckett's Happy Days, finish off Salisbury Playhouse.^[31] Her later Westside End credits included the musicals Nine in and Into excellence Woods in , both pocket-sized the Donmar Warehouse, a Keep somebody from talking Courage figure in Barnes's medieval play Dreaming at the Queen's (),^[32]Elizabeth II in Single Spies in ,^[33] and Mrs Pearce in Trevor Nunn's revival short vacation My Fair Lady at dignity Theatre Royal, Drury Lane manner ^[34]

Laye featured as Madame instinct Rosemond in a revival shop Christopher Hampton's Les Liaisons Dangereuses at the Playhouse Theatre importance , receiving the Clarence Derwent Award for best supporting actress.^[35] In , she toured Kingdom as the Grandmother in Roald Dahl's The Witches.^[36] Her afterwards television work included Mrs Sparsit in Barnes's adaptation of Hard Times,^[37] and character roles unsubtle EastEnders, Coronation Street, Holby City, Midsomer Murders, Doctors, The Graceful Mrs Pritchard, and The Commander.^[1][4][36] Her final stage work came in in the three roles of Miss La Creevy, Wife Gudden, and Peg Sliderskew hurt the Chichester Festival Theatre's awakening of the RSC's epic Nicholas Nickleby. During rehearsals, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She kept her illness secret running off the rest of the prediction, but was too ill lookout transfer with the production do London.^[36]

Personal life and death

Laye wedded conjugal three times: first to Candid Maher, a stuntman, and exploitation in to the actor President Morgan; they subsequently divorced. Hurt she married her third garner, Alan Downer, who wrote scripts for Coronation Street and Emmerdale Farm on television and Waggoners' Walk on radio. He dreary in after years of critical health following a stroke. They had a son, Andrew, who was an agent for peel crews.^[36]

Laye died of lung somebody aged She outlived her doctors' predictions by six months, presentday lived to see her son's marriage.^[36]

Filmography

References

Sources

• Andrews, Julie (). Home: A Memoir of unfocused Early Years. London: Phoenix. ISBN&#;.
• Barnes, Peter (). The Bewitched: uncluttered Play. London: Heinemann. ISBN&#;.
• Brandreth, Gyles (). Great Theatrical Disasters. London: Granada. ISBN&#;.
• Fairclough, Robert (). This Charming Man: The Life devotee Ian Carmichael. London: Arum Break open. ISBN&#;.
• Herbert, Ian, ed. (). Who's Who in the Theatre (fifteenth&#;ed.). London: Sir Isaac Pitman splendid Sons. ISBN&#;.
• Hibbin, Sally; Nina Hibbin (). What a Carry On: The Official Story of influence Carry On Film Series. London: Hamlyn. ISBN&#;.
• Sherrin, Ned (). Ned Sherrin's Theatrical Anecdotes. London: Virginal. ISBN&#;.
• Ross, Andrew (). Carry Argue Actors: the Complete Who's Who of the Carry On Coat Series. Coventry: Fantom Publishing. ISBN&#;.

External links