Jennifer Mary Hilary (14 December 1942 – 6 August 2008)[1] was a British actress of stage, film and television. Her first acclaimed stage performance was as "Milly" in Henry James' The Wings of the Dove, which marked her debut in the West End.
Jennifer Hilary | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Jennifer Mary Hilary 14 December 1942 Frimley, England |
| Died | 6 August 2008 (aged 65) London, England |
| Alma mater | RADA |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1961–2007 |
Career
editBorn at Frimley, Surrey, she trained at RADA, and began her acting career with the Liverpool Playhouse in April 1961, aged 18. Her first role was as Nina in The Seagull. She would go on to play such characters as Lady Teazle (The School for Scandal), Isabel (The Enchanted), Cilla Curtis (Amateur Means Lover) and Cecily Cardew (The Importance of Being Earnest). She went on to act with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre.[2]
She debuted across the pond in 1963, performing in Jean Anouilh's The Rehearsal.[3] In 1964, she played "Zoe" in the West End production of James Saunders' A Scent of Flowers. Sir Michael Redgrave included her in the cast of Turgenev's A Month in the Country in 1965.[4] She returned to New York to play the doomed "Sasha" in Chekhov's Ivanov at the Shubert Theatre in 1966.[5] Back in London, she played "Ginny" in the hit 1967 production of Alan Ayckbourn's Relatively Speaking.[2]
Later years and death
editLater in life she founded a flower-arranging business. In 2001, she provided the floral arrangements for actor Michael Williams's memorial service at Covent Garden.[6]
Hilary died from cancer in London on 6 August 2008, at the age of 65.[6][7]
Awards
editIn 1961 she was awarded the Bancroft Gold Medal.[2]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | Becket | Peasant's Daughter | |
| 1965 | The Heroes of Telemark | Sigrid | |
| 1966 | The Idol | Sarah | |
| 1971 | One Brief Summer | Jennifer | |
| 1980 | North Sea Hijack | Sarah | |
| 1982 | Five Days One Summer | Sarah Meredith | |
| 1989 | Slipstream | Girl's Mother |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Deadline Midnight | Girl | 1 episode |
| 1966 | The Woman in White | Laura Fairlie / Anne Catherick | Main role |
| 1967 | ITV Play of the Week | Jacqueline | "A Roof Over Our Mouths" |
| 1968 | Journey to the Unknown | Anne Prentiss | "The New People" |
| 1969 | The Wednesday Play | Gilly Atkinson | "Dr. Atkinson's Daughter" |
| 1969 | The Gold Robbers | Stephanie Conroy | "Rough Trade" |
| 1969 | Department S | Comtesse de Noverre | "Death on Reflection" |
| 1969 | Happy Ever After | "The Woman at the Door" | |
| 1969 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Wendy / Sandra | "Pig in a Poke", "Two Feet Off the Ground" |
| 1970 | ITV Sunday Night Theatre | Zo | "Jennie", "Emma", "Zo" |
| 1971 | Out of the Unknown | Penny Bowers | "Welcome Home" |
| 1971 | A Family at War | Jill Robbins | "Breaking Point", "The Lost Ones" |
| 1972 | Jason King | Myra Borgen | "If it's Got to Go – It's Got to Go" |
| 1973 | The Man in the Wood | Betty Hardy | TV film |
| 1974 | Late Night Drama | "Better at Murder" | |
| 1974–75 | Sam | Sarah Wilson | Main role |
| 1977 | Z-Cars | Val Murray | "Guilt" |
| 1977 | Play for Today | Davina | "Charades" |
| 1978 | Crown Court | Lynne Hanson | "In the Heat of the Moment: Part 1" |
| 1978 | The Sunday Drama | Lucy | "Alphabetical Order" |
| 1980 | Tales of the Unexpected | Wendy | "The Umbrella Man" |
| 1980 | The Gentle Touch | Elaine Lawson | "Maggie's Luck" |
| 1980 | Play for Today | Mrs. Champing | "The Adventures of Frank: Parts 1 & 2" |
| 1981 | Jackanory | Blanche | "Alice Through The..." |
| 1981 | Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years | Goonie | "In High Places" |
| 1982 | BBC2 Playhouse | Geraldine | "Lunch" |
| 1983 | All for Love | Miss Martin | "Miss A and Miss M" |
| 1984 | The Hello Goodbye Man | Dr. Sally Newbolt | "1.5" |
| 1984 | The Sun Also Rises | Frances Clyne | TV miniseries |
| 1985 | Me and My Girl | Laura Tindle | "Picture of Harmony" |
| 1988 | Double First | Louise Hobson | TV series |
| 1991 | Stay Lucky | Police Inspector | "Shingle Beach" |
| 1994 | Pie in the Sky | Anne Hopkinson | "Undesirable Elements" |
| 1995 | Zoya | Tsarina | TV film |
| 1995 | Bliss | Tamara Bancroft | TV film |
| 1999 | Midsomer Murders | Sarah Fitzroy | "Death of a Stranger" |
| 2007 | Doctors | Clare Harris | "Once Bitten", (final television appearance) |
References
edit- ^ Profile, ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ a b c Obituary in The Telegraph Online
- ^ "Jennifer Hilary – Broadway Cast & Staff - IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ^ Stage, The (12 August 2008). "Jennifer Hilary - Obituaries".
- ^ "Ivanov – Broadway Play – 1966 Revival - IBDB". www.ibdb.com.
- ^ a b Jennifer Hilary obit, The Independent. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
- ^ Gaughan, Gavin (8 September 2008). "Jennifer Hilary". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 February 2022.