Barbara Leigh-Hunt Explained

Barbara Leigh-Hunt should not be confused with Barbara Leigh.

Barbara Leigh-Hunt
Birth Date:14 December 1935
Birth Place:Bath, Somerset, England, U.K.
Occupation:Actress
Yearsactive:1954–present
Relatives:Ronald Leigh-Hunt
(cousin)

Barbara Leigh-Hunt (born 14 December 1935,Bath, Somerset) is an English actress. Her numerous theatre credits include Broadway productions of Hamlet (1958) and Sherlock Holmes Justice (1973) (1974), and she won the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the National Theatre production of An Inspector Calls. Her film appearances include Frenzy (1972), Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), Bequest to the Nation (1973), and Billy Elliot (2000).

Career

On stage, Leigh-Hunt has appeared in many productions as well those with the Bristol Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. Her early film roles have included Catherine Parr in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972), Bequest to the Nation (1973) and Oh Heavenly Dog (1980). Her most famous movie role is probably in Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate film Frenzy (1972), as a woman raped and strangled by a serial killer, that included the first graphically violent scene featuring visible nudity of Hitchcock's career.

In 1983 Leigh-Hunt appeared as the Queen of Bavaria in the mini-series Wagner, sharing her scenes with Ralph Richardson, Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud as court ministers. Richard Burton played the composer Richard Wagner. Her husband, Richard Pasco, whom she married in 1967, appeared also.

Leigh-Hunt played Jean Lawrence in the controversial BBC drama Tumbledown (1988), and Lady Catherine de Bourgh in Pride and Prejudice (1995), and provided the voices of the farmer's wife in The Plague Dogs (1982), and Captain Mildred and Mary the Hover Fairy in the 1987 Children's BBC series Charlie Chalk. In 1999, Leigh starred as Lady Cumnor in BBC's four-part series adaptation of the novel Wives and Daughters (1999). More recently she has appeared in such films as Paper Mask (1990), Keep the Aspidistra Flying (1997), Billy Elliot (2000), The Martins (2001) and Vanity Fair (2004), and has had much work on television, mainly in guest character parts.

Personal life

Her cousin was the actor Ronald Leigh-Hunt.[1]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1969CallanSusanneSeason 2, episode: "Death of a Hunter"
1972FrenzyBrenda Blaney
Henry VIII and His Six Wives Catherine Parr
1973Bequest to the NationCatherine 'Catty' Matcham
1980Oh Heavenly Dog Margaret
1982The Plague DogsFarmer's Wife Voice only
1986Charlie Chalk (1987) Captain Mildred, Mary the Hover FairyVoice only; 12 episodes
ScreenplayMrs Oxney
1988TumbledownJean LawrenceTelevision film
1990Paper Mask Celia Mumford
The Ruth Rendell MysteriesMrs FanshaweEpisodes: "The Best Man to Die Parts 1,2,3"
Inspector MorseBlanche Copley-BarnesEpisode: "The Infernal Serpent"
1993Anna Lee: HeadcaseBerylTelevision film
1995Pride and Prejudice Lady Catherine de Bourgh
As Time Goes ByRegistrarEpisode: "Wedding Day Nerves"
1997Keep the Aspidistra Flying Mrs. Wisbeach
1998The EchoMrs DeaconSeries 1 episode 2
1999Wives and DaughtersLady Cumnor3 episodes
SunburnEdna HandSeries 1 episode 1
1999-2001Kavanagh QCLady Justice Pinnock2 episodes
2000Billy ElliotVice-Principal
LongitudeDodo GouldTelevision film
2001The Martins Mrs. Heath
2002Midsomer Murders Marjorie Empson
George Eliot: A Scandalous LifeGossipTelevision film
Bertie and ElizabethLady Mabel Airlie
2004Vanity FairLady Bareacres

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ronald Leigh-Hunt Obituaries. Stage. The. 2005-10-03. The Stage. en-US. 2019-10-06.