Remarkably, today marks the centenary of the birth of one of Britain's most beloved comedienne-actresses (and Patron Saint here at Dolores Delargo Towers), Miss Beryl Reid!
From the BFI website:
Producers, like critics, are strange people: once they have pigeonholed an artist, nothing they do later can alter their status. Thus, Beryl Reid is categorised as a merry, apple-cheeked comedienne, despite the fact that her non-comic performances displayed an uneven, yet indisputable, talent for powerful characterisation.From variety shows and stage revues, to the early days of radio, to television, to award-winning actress, Miss Reid covered the full gamut. Although revered as the "funny lady", full of instantly-quotable characters (such as "Marlene" and "Monica") and always in demand for guest appearances on light entertainment shows, she proved her true mettle by tackling the ground-breaking role of the troubled lesbian actress in The Killing of Sister George, and followed it soon after with another lead role in a camp black comedy (and another house fave), that of "Kath" in Entertaining Mr Sloane. She jumped from sitcom to Shakespeare to Sheridan to Smiley's People, and won awards for all of them, culminating in an OBE in the New Year's Honours list in 1985 and the Lifetime Achievement Award for Comedy at the 1991 British Comedy Awards.
She also liked to be a bit mischievous, apparently...
From her obituary in the Herald Scotland:
She thought nothing of shocking people with her remarks on sex. She admitted to numerous affairs. She also claimed to wear specially made perfume called Easy Virtue...We adored her.
On one occasion when friends called unexpectedly at her home and she did not feel like being sociable, she sent them quickly on their way by telling them: "Oh, I'm terribly sorry I can't ask you in because I'm in bed with someone I don't know terribly well."
..."I have been a bit of a girl," she liked to say.
Reid believed life was for living and loved to quaff champagne, which she called "Toff's Lemonade".
Her passion in life was making people laugh, a profession she described as "the longest apprenticeship in the world".
Here is the great lady herself, talking about her life:
Beryl Elizabeth Reid, OBE (17th June 1919 – 13th October 1996)
More Beryl here and here.
What in bloody hell....I never thought I'd be reading about the fabulous Beryl Reid, and spells to get a ex boyfriend back in the same post. And she is probably from the fuckin mid west.
ReplyDeleteI have deleted the spam. Back to Beryl... Jx
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