Elizabeth Bell (actress)

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

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
Spouse(s)Henry Osborne

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 criticism

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

Screen performances
  • 2010 Midsomer Murders (TV Series)
  • 2004-2008 Doctors (TV Series)
  • 2008 Heartbeat (TV Series)
  • 1997-2007 Casualty (TV Series)
  • 2002 Foyle's War (TV Series)
  • 2001 The Bill (TV Series)
  • 1999 Wing and a Prayer (TV Series)
  • 1998 Clinton: His Struggle with Dirt (TV Short)
  • 1987 The Diary of Anne Frank (TV Series)
  • 1986 Screen Two (TV Series)
  • 1986 Lytton's Diary (TV Series)
  • 1985 Juliet Bravo (TV Series)
  • 1973-1984 Play for Today (TV Series)
  • 1981 Prisoners of Conscience (TV Series)
  • 1981 Hedda Gabler (TV Movie)
  • 1980 Premiere (TV Mini-Series)
  • 1980 BBC2 Playhouse (TV Series)
  • 1977 Rooms (TV Series)
  • 1976 Scene (TV Series documentary)
  • 1976 Centre Play (TV Series)
  • 1976 Buns for the Elephant (TV Movie)
  • 1974-1976 Crown Court (TV Series)
  • 1975 Churchill's People (TV Series)
  • 1974 Melissa (TV Mini-Series)
  • 1974 Masquerade (TV Series)
  • 1974 Within These Walls (TV Series)
  • 1973 Softly Softly: Task Force (TV Series)
  • 1973 Once Upon a Time (TV Series)
  • 1973 Late Night Theatre (TV Series)
  • 1973 Harriet's Back in Town (TV Series)
  • 1969-1972 Thirty-Minute Theatre (TV Series)
  • 1972 Man of Straw (TV Mini-Series)
  • 1971 Justice (TV Series)
  • 1971 Trial (TV Series)
  • 1971 Out of the Unknown (TV Series)
  • 1971 Pinocchio
  • 1970 The Six Wives of Henry VIII (TV Mini-Series)
  • 1969 Special Project Air (TV Series)
  • 1969 Boy Meets Girl (TV Series)
  • 1969 Callan (TV Series)
  • 1968 The Jazz Age (TV Series)
  • 1968 Sexton Blake (TV series)
  • 1967 Seven Deadly Virtues (TV Series)
  • 1966 Dixon of Dock Green (TV Series)
  • 1966 Thirteen Against Fate (TV Series)
  • 1966 The Wednesday Play (TV Series)
  • 1965 ITV Play of the Week (TV Series)
  • 1965 Z Cars (TV Series)
  • 1965 The Troubleshooters (TV Series)
  • 1965 Cluff (TV Series)
  • 1965 The Scarlet and the Black (TV Series)
  • 1964 Esther Waters (TV Series)
  • 1964 Detective (TV Series)

References
  1. Michael Coveney (26 October 2012). "Elizabeth Bell obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
  2. 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. Liza Goddard (2011). The Autobiography of Liza Goddard: Working with Children and Animals. Andrews UK Limited.
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