Margaret John

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Margaret John (born December 14, 1926 in Swansea , Wales , † February 2, 2011 there ) was a British actress .

Life

Education and theater

John made her first acting experiences in theater performances at school, where she occasionally appeared with her sister Mair. John then went on to play in church performances and had weekly appearances with the Swansea Welsh Drama Society in repertory pieces at the Grand Theater in Swansea. She originally wanted to be a nurse or a veterinarian . However, since it the sight of blood could not stand, she opted for the acting . She graduated from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art , which she left with her acting diploma in 1950.

John's professional career began with radio and theater. In the course of her career, John has worked repeatedly in the theater. In 1986 she starred opposite Eileen Atkins in a production of Medea at the Young Vic Theater in London . John remained active on stage until old age: in March 2009 she played the vagina monologues with Joanna Page and Sian Lloyd at the Wales Millennium Center in Cardiff . In July / August 2010 she took on the small role of Lady Cravenshire, juror and chairwoman of the annual cake-making competition at the Rylstone Women's Institute , in a stage version of the comedy film Calendar Girls at the Millennium Center in Cardiff and at the Venue Cymru in Llandudno .

Movie and TV

John made her television debut in 1956 in a television film in the Welsh language. Although she was not fluent in Welsh herself, she occasionally took on roles in that language. In 1960 she played the role of Bronwen, the enchanting wife of the miner Ifor, in a multi-part television adaptation of Richard Llewellyn's So Green Was My Valley .

From the 1960s onwards, John worked almost exclusively for television . She has taken on episode roles in various television series, including Coronation Street , Dixon of Dock Green , Z-Cars and Doctor Who . In Doctor Who in 1968, she played the role of Megan Jones, the skeptical director of the energy utility Euro Sea Gas, in the episode Fury From The Deep . In 2006 she starred again in the series, as grandmother Connolly in the episode The Idiot's Lantern , who believes that television destroys brain cells.

In the 1980s she took on the role of Marian Owen's office assistant in the soap opera Crossroads with great success . From 2002 to 2008 she embodied in the comedy series High Hopes in her role as Elsie "Mam" Hepplewhite the typical image of the Welsh mother. As the head of the family, she tries to keep a broken family together. In 2005 she appeared in the comedy series The Mighty Boosh in the role of the old killer Nanotoo, who kills her victims with a bus ticket and knitting needles. In 2005 she played a lesbian pensioner on the British sketch show Little Britain . She achieved a particular success with television audiences from 2007 to 2010 with the role of Doris in the television series Gavin & Stacey . As a cannabis- smoking, vulgar old neighbor who commented on Gavin and Stacey's love affair with lewd advice, John was given the opportunity to show off her comedic talent.

John also appeared in several television films, including the 2009 film drama Framed , alongside Trevor Eve .

In 2009 she was recognized for her life's work at the BAFTA Cymru Film, Television and Interactive Media Awards .

Private

John was married to Ben Thomas from 1975 until his death in 1978. Her husband was principal violinist in the London Symphony Orchestra . John lived as a widow in her native Swansea after the death of her husband. She didn't have any children. John died in his sleep in the early hours of February 2, 2011 after a brief illness. "Natural reasons" were given as the cause of death. She had previously been treated in the hospital .

In her spare time, she was passionate about jigsaw and solitaire . She did volunteer work in numerous charities .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1960: my valley was so green
  • 1963: Badger's Bend (TV series)
  • 1965: Coronation Street
  • 1966; 1968; 1970: Task Force Police
  • 1967: Z-Cars (TV series)
  • 1968; 2006: Doctor Who
  • 1972: Emmerdale Farm (TV series)
  • 1975: Crown Court (TV series)
  • 1978–1979: Crossroads (TV series)
  • 1984: The District Nurse (TV series)
  • 2002; 2008; 2010: Doctors
  • 2002–2008: High Hopes (TV series)
  • 2003-2004: Eyes Down (TV series)
  • 2005: The Mighty Boosh
  • 2005: Little Britain
  • 2007–2010: Gavin & Stacey (TV series)
  • 2008: Casualty (TV series)
  • 2009: Framed (TV movie)
  • 2009: A Bit of Tom Jones?
  • 2010: Skins - up close
  • 2011: Alys (TV movie)
  • 2011: Game of Thrones (TV series, 2 episodes)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Margaret John in The Vagina Monologues WalesOnline , February 28, 2009
  2. Margaret John stars in Calendar Girls WalesOnline , April 17, 2010
  3. ^ BAFTA Cymru Film, Television and Interactive Media Awards Review of the Year 2008/2009
  4. ^ Tributes to actress Margaret John WalesOnline, February 3, 2011