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person_profile-Rosalind Knight

Rosalind Knight Died at age: 87

Actor | Producer

Fullname:

Rosalind Knight

Date of Birth:

Dec 03, 1933

Country of birth:

UK

Died:

Dec 19, 2020

Biography of

Rosalind Knight

    Born in Marylebone, London, versatile character actress Rosalind Marie Knight was born to theatrical parentage. Her father was the accomplished thespian Esmond Knight. Her mother, the comedienne Frances Clare, often featured in Ivor Novello operettas. Rosalind's interest in theatre was first kindled at the age of six when she and her mother attended a staging of Novello's "The Dancing Years" at Drury Lane. Rosalind was evacuated to the countryside with her nanny during the war years. In 1949, she accompanied her father to the Old Vic Theatre and became enthralled by a production of "The Snow Queen", primarily performed by drama school novices. The following year she won an audition and spent two years at the Old Vic Theatre School. This was succeeded by a lengthy apprenticeship in repertory which led to her gaining further experience as assistant stage manager for the West of England Theatre Company, the Midland Theatre Company in Coventry and the Piccolo Theatre Company in Manchester.

    In 1955, she made her first impact on screen as a lady-in-waiting in Laurence Olivier's Richard III (1955), which also featured her father in the cast. A year later, having come to the attention of a movie producer, she played Annabel, one of the schoolgirls, in Blue Murder at St. Trinian's (1957) (decades later, she would return as a teacher in the sequel The Wildcats of St. Trinian's (1980)). This set the tone for a number of subsequent comedic roles which included a couple of early Carry On's and the Tony Richardson-directed Tom Jones (1963), in which she played the giddy Mrs. Harriet Fitzpatrick. While doing the Carry On films she was not under any form of contract and was paid a mere $50 a week. In 1957, Rosalind joined her father in an early BBC adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby (1957) as the spiteful Fanny Squeers. In a later miniseries based on Charles Dickens, Martin Chuzzlewit (1964), she was a splendidly shrewish Charity Pecksniff.

    During her prolific career, Rosalind relished every opportunity to portray a diverse range of characters, good and bad, from servants to princesses (Alice of Battenberg in The Crown (2016)) to old maids (Aspasia Fitzgibbon in The Pallisers (1974)) to wealthy socialites (Margot Asquith in Nancy Astor (1982)) and unpleasant aristocratic dowagers (Daphne Winkworth in Jeeves and Wooster (1990)). She even essayed a retired prostitute turned landlady in the sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme (1999). In addition to a staple of period dramas she guested in numerous episodic TV dramas, including Poirot (1989), Dalziel and Pascoe (1996), Heartbeat (1992), Marple (2004), Midsomer Murders (1997) and Sherlock (2010). All the while, she remained heavily engaged in theatrical work with the Old Vic, The Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal Court Theatre, her last appearance being the strict, incorruptible governess Mrs. Prism in Shaw's "The Importance of Being Earnest".

    Rosalind was married to director/producer Michael Elliott from 1959. In 1976, she helped rebuild and re-open the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, of which her husband was involved as one of five artistic directors. She was also a patron of the Actor's Centre in London and the Ladies' Theatrical Guild (a charity founded in 1891). Rosalind Knight continued to perform as an actress right up to her death on December 19 2020, at the age of 87.

Photos of

Rosalind Knight

Photos ( 1 Photos

Filmography of

Rosalind Knight

Found 35 Movies in total

... 2023

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years and a Lovely Bit of Squirrel

Horrible Grandma (archive footage) ( Actor )

... 2021

The Lady in the Van

Old Nun ( Actor )

... 2015

... 2011

The Shell Seekers

Mrs. Croftway ( Actor )

... 2007

About a Boy

Lindsey's Mum ( Actor )

... 2002

Gunslinger's Revenge

Miss Willow ( Actor )

... 1998

Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Mrs. D'Urberville ( Actor )

... 1998

Solitaire for 2

Receptionist ( Actor )

... 1995

Pleasure

Madame Desneuves ( Actor )

... 1994

Royal Celebration

Mrs. Maynard ( Actor )

... 1993

Afraid of the Dark

Edith ( Actor )

... 1991

Claws

Mrs Hargreaves ( Actor )

... 1987

Prick Up Your Ears

RADA Judge ( Actor )

... 1987

The Disappearance of Harry

Dr Abbeydale ( Actor )

... 1982

The Wildcats of St. Trinian's

Miss Walsh ( Actor )

... 1980

The Lady Vanishes

Evelyn Barnes ( Actor )

... 1979

That's Carry On!

Felicity Wheeler ( Actor )

... 1977

It Could Happen to You

Mrs Ramlin ( Actor )

... 1976

The Old Curiosity Shop

Mrs. George ( Actor )

... 1975

Eskimo Nell

Lady Longhorn ( Actor )

... 1975

Baby Blues

Sister Maidenhead ( Actor )

... 1973

Start the Revolution Without Me

Helene de Sisi ( Actor )

... 1970

Diamonds for Breakfast

Museum Visitor in Pink Dress (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1968

On the Eve of Publication

Barbara ( Actor )

... 1968

Tom Jones

Mrs. Fitzpatrick ( Actor )

... 1963

As You Like It

Celia ( Actor )

... 1963

The Kitchen

Daphne ( Actor )

... 1961

... 1960

Doctor in Love

Doctor (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1960

Carry On Teacher

Felicity Wheeler ( Actor )

... 1959

Carry On Nurse

Student Nurse Nightingale ( Actor )

... 1959

The Horse's Mouth

Art Student (uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1958

... 1957

Fortune Is a Woman

(uncredited) ( Actor )

... 1957