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Elizabeth Bell (actress)

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Elizabeth Bell
Born(1941-03-20)20 March 1941
Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died21 October 2012(2012-10-21) (aged 71)
London, England
OccupationActress
SpouseHenry Osborne

Elizabeth Bell (20 March 1941 – 21 October 2012) was an accomplished and versatile actor of stage and screen.

Early life

Bell was born in 1941 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire, the daughter of Elizabeth and Neil Bell. The family moved to Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire when she was four, after her father left. She attended the girls' high school there. She then decided to attend Central School of Speech and Drama in London.[1][2][3] In 1971 she was living with the architect Henry Osborne, and they were married in 2011. She died of oesophageal cancer in 2012.[1][2]

Acting career

Her career was closely associated in particular with Alan Ayckbourn whom she knew from her early work in Scarborough to being her neighbour in London.[2][4][5]

Bell appeared with English Stage Company at the Royal Court Theatre, the National theatre, the Almeida, the Pleasance, the Bush and in the West End. She appeared in the first season of the dedicated Theatre in the round at Stoke-on-Trent. Bell was also a regular on television and in radio productions. She was a founder member of the Victoria theatre, which is now known as the New Vic.[1][2][5]

Bell went on to become a mentor for Central School students as well as an external examiner for Trinity College London[1]

Awards and critisim

1961 The gold medal and Sybil Thorndike prize, Central School of Speech and Drama, London

Alan Ayckbourn said of her:[1]

To act with, she was a joy. To direct, she was often challenging, forever questioning, not content to accept things purely on face value and, like any good actor, never settling for anything less than dramatic truth. If that makes her sound a tough proposition, then once her questions were answered, doubts reassured, she was fiercely loyal to you and the production.

Stage performances

  • 1966 Beset by Women in the Prince of Wales Theatre
  • 1970 The Soldier’s Fortune in the Royal Court
  • 1987 A View from the Bridge
  • 1989 The Revengers' Comedies in the theatre in the round at Scarborough,
  • 1990 Othello in Scarborough
  • 1992 Euripides’ Medea at the Almeida
  • 1995 The UN Inspector at the National
  • 1996 Goldhawk Road at the Bush Theatre
  • 1998 Richard III at the Pleasance

Screen performances

3

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Michael Coveney (26 October 2012). "Elizabeth Bell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Richard Anthony Baker (23 November 2012). "Elizabeth Bell Obituary". The Stage. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  3. ^ Harris M. Lentz III (2013). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2012. McFarland.
  4. ^ Paul Allen (2014). Grinning At The Edge: A Biography of Alan Ayckbourn. A&C Black.
  5. ^ a b Liza Goddard (2011). The Autobiography of Liza Goddard: Working with Children and Animals. Andrews UK Limited.
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