Heather Ripley

Heather Ripley (born 6 May 1959) is a Scottish former child actress best known for the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), in which she played Jemima Potts. After turning her back on a career in the film industry much of her adult life has been spent as an anti-nuclear activist and eco-campaigner.

Early life

She was born in Dundee in Scotland in 1959, the only child of Nanette and Francis Ripley. Her father and grandfather owned an opticians' business in Dundee, while her mother worked as a wardrobe mistress at Dundee Rep.[1] Ripley would sometimes accompany her mother to rehearsals, and when in 1966 a young actress in the play Roar Like a Dove[2] was taken ill Ripley took her place at short notice, gaining the notice of a talent scout who, impressed by the confidence of her acting put out the word that the 7 year-old girl was one to watch. Six months before the beginning of filming for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang she and her parents travelled to London where she auditioned for the role of Jemima Potts with producer Cubby Broccoli and director Ken Hughes. It was the first film for the two child stars, Ripley and Adrian Hall, who were cast after an extensive talent search.[3] Ripley later recalled, "They thought I was perfect for the part, apart from the accent. But they said that wasn't a problem as they'd get rid of it. I thought that sounded a bit ominous. What did they mean? Brain surgery?”[4]

Chitty - and after

Accompanied by her mother Ripley was away from her Dundee home for 14 months during which time she saw her father three times. During her prolonged absence Ripley was isolated and lonely - with no friends of her own age. She later recalled that she used to put signs in the window of their flat in Clapham asking local children to be her friend.[5] During this time her father was having an affair which later led to the divorce of her parents, a situation Ripley blamed on the film and which soured her attitude to and memory of it.[4] She later said, “My most vivid memory was the photographers hanging out in the playground trying to get pictures of me. I found that really disturbing. And then my entire family was hassled. My father had had an affair while we were away. They were terrified of a huge scandal.”[4] As a result, Ripley left the film industry[6] and when in 1970 her mother married the fine art dealer David Glaisyer she assumed her stepfather's surname in a bid for anonymity[5] and moved with him and her mother to Dublin in Ireland. Three years later the family moved to the Cotswolds[7] where she worked in her stepfather's art business.[4]

Aged 17 Ripley attempted to return to acting and had a brief stint at modelling in London, but on the failure of these she had to resort to working as a waitress and a chambermaid to support herself.[6] Her earnings from the film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang had been held in trust until her 18th birthday, but she disappointedly later recalled 'After 10 years of it being invested, it was only about £7,000'.[4] She returned to Dundee where she joined the family optician business, and during this period she had two children with labourer and oil-rig worker William Hall: Cosmo Glaisyer-Hall (b. 1985) and Josie Hall (b. 1988).[8] On the sudden death of her father aged 53 the family business was sold and now in her early 30s Ripley trained as a massage therapist. She and her young children joined the Findhorn Foundation, an alternative spiritual community based in northern Scotland. Ripley became an anti-nuclear activist and eco-campaigner[9] and joined the peace camp outside the nuclear submarine base HMNB Clyde at Faslane where she lived in a tent for 10 months and was arrested for obstruction in 1984 after lying down in the road in an attempt to stop the traffic. She was held for 15 hours before being released without charge.[4][8] She also protested against the building of a road near the Callanish Stones and against the Newbury bypass in 1997[8] where she tried to throw herself in front of a mechanical digger. In 1999 she faced eviction from a house she was renting from her uncle and aunt in Broughty Ferry[8] near Dundee when it was claimed she was in more than £7,000 in rent arrears and had allowed the property to fall into disrepair. Her aunt and uncle also stated they had received complaints from Ripley's neighbours of squatters, dog fouling, late-night parties, drugs and vandalism.[5][10] Ripley claimed that she had made a verbal agreement with her grandmother, the property's owner, allowing her to live in the house.[11][12]

Later years

In recent years Ripley has come to terms with the fame gained by her role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, making various television appearances and attending the fan circuit.[13][14] In her home city of Dundee Ripley took a course in Internet and Communication Studies at Abertay University following which she worked maintaining websites while continuing to campaign on ecological and human rights issues. She attended the London premier of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the London Palladium in 2002,[8] although she had to ask for an invitation.[4] In 2003 Ripley returned to Findhorn and trained in directing live streaming of conference and community events onto the internet on behalf of the Findhorn Foundation. In 2004 she made a brief appearance in the independent film The Interview which was screened at that year's Edinburgh Film Festival.[6] She was a guest at the Broadway premier of the musical Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at the Hilton Theatre in 2005.[15] In January 2006 Ripley was unemployed and living on £55 state benefit per week.[16] She was among the Misty Moon Scream Queen Judges at The Misty Moon International Film Festival in 2013.[1] In 2016 Ripley was a volunteer worker at the Lagadikia refugee camp outside Thessaloniki in Greece which provided food, clothing and support to about 875 people.[17] In 2020 she voiced the character Babs in the independent-made short animation Lavatory of Terror,[9] telephoning her lines in via her smartphone.[18] As of 2021 Ripley is working as a live-in carer in Taunton in Somerset.

Heather Ripley is represented by M&M Famous Faces.[19]

Filmography

Films

Television
  • After They Were Famous (as herself) - TV documentary (1999)[20]
  • After They Were Famous: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (as herself) - TV documentary (2004)[20]
  • This Morning (as herself) - TV magazine programme (2003)
  • Shameful Secrets of the 90s (as herself) - TV documentary (2005)
  • The New Paul O'Grady Show (performer) - TV magazine programme (2009)

References
  1. Heather Ripley, The Misty Moon International Film Festival website
  2. Production of Roar Like a Dove (1966), Scottish Theatre Programmes Collection: National Library of Scotland
  3. "2 Young Thespians Truly Scrumptious", Fuller, Stephanie. Chicago Tribune, 22 Dec 1968: f14.
  4. Garfield, Simon After the big Bang Bang..., The Guardian, 24 February 2002
  5. Hollywood made me what I am, says new age protester facing court fight, The Guardian, 10 August 1999
  6. My escape from the child catcher: The child star of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang tells Kenny Farquharson how she has finally put the film behind her, The Times, 2 January 2005 (subscription required)
  7. Nurturing local craft skills – a contemporary view of the Cotswolds, Antiques Trade Gazette, 25 February 2003
  8. Smith, Laura The dream of fame that fell apart, London Evening Standard, 7 April 2002
  9. Forgotten child star of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is lured back by loo role, The Times, 15 January 2020 (subscription required)
  10. O'Connor, Jane Catherine The Cultural Significance of the Child Star, Routledge (2008) Google Books
  11. Chitty star in eviction wrangle, BBC News, 16 August 1999
  12. Former actress escapes eviction, The Independent, 16 August 1999
  13. MCM London Comic Con at ExCeL London - Day Two Featuring: Heather Ripley, Alamy - 26 October 2013
  14. MCM LONDON COMIC CON: Special Guest Roundup, Geek Syndicate (2013)
  15. Heather Ripley at the New York premier (2005), Broadwayworld.com
  16. Chitty star's two-hour drive ban, BBC News, 11 January 2006
  17. Child film star turned activist Heather Ripley shine a light on conditions in Greek refugee camp The National 31 May 2016
  18. Chitty Bang Bang star lured out of retirement by Langlee film-makers, The Border Telegraph, 15 January 2020
  19. Client biography: Heather Ripley, M&M Famous Faces Client Database
  20. Filmography of Heather Ripley, British Film Institute Database
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