Margaret Towner (actress): Difference between revisions
KolbertBot (talk | contribs) m Bot: HTTP→HTTPS (v485) |
m Moving Category:Alumni of RADA to Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art per Wikipedia:Categories for discussion/Speedy |
||
| (24 intermediate revisions by 17 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{Short description|British actress (1920–2017)}} |
|||
| ⚫ | '''Margaret Towner''' (1 October 1920 – 10 April 2017) was a |
||
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} |
|||
{{EngvarB|date=February 2020}} |
|||
| ⚫ | '''Margaret Towner''' (1 October 1920 – 10 April 2017) was a British stage, film, and television actress. Following decades of theatre work, Towner achieved fame among film audiences when she appeared in a small, but significant, role as Jira in the 1999 [[Star Wars]] prequel, ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]''.<ref name=telegraph>{{cite news |title=Margaret Towner, veteran actress who appeared in Star Wars franchise – obituary |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/obituaries/2017/05/04/margaret-towner-veteran-actress-appeared-star-wars-franchise/ |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=4 May 2017 |accessdate=7 May 2017}}</ref><ref name=stage>{{cite news |first=Clive|last=Francis |title=Obituary: Margaret Towner |url=https://www.thestage.co.uk/features/obituaries/2017/obituary-margaret-towner/ |work=[[The Stage]] |date=4 May 2017 |accessdate=7 May 2017}}</ref><ref name=metro>{{cite news |first=Cameron K.|last=McEwan |title=The female Star Wars characters you might not have heard of |url=http://metro.co.uk/2015/04/18/the-female-star-wars-characters-you-might-not-have-heard-of-5154459/ |work=[[The Stage]] |date=18 April 2015 |accessdate=7 May 2017}}</ref> In 2014, at the age of 93, Towner returned to screen acting for a 13-episode role as Edna on [[Ricky Gervais]]' television series, ''[[Derek (TV series)|Derek]]'', becoming one of the oldest working actresses in the United Kingdom.<ref name=telegraph/> |
||
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
||
Towner was born in [[Rio de Janeiro]], |
Towner was born in [[Rio de Janeiro]], Brazil, on 1 October 1920.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> Her father, Eric Towner, a Lieutenant Commander in the [[Royal Naval Reserve]], was awarded the [[Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Service Cross]] for courage and devotion by [[King George VI]] in 1943 for his service in support of Field Marshall [[Bernard Montgomery]]'s [[Eighth Army (United Kingdom)|Eighth Army]] during the [[North African Campaign]] during [[World War II]].<ref name=telegraph/> Margaret Towner was raised in Rio de Janeiro until she was five-years old, when her family returned to the United Kingdom and settled in a [[houseboat]] in [[Southampton]].<ref name=telegraph/> |
||
Margaret Towner enrolled at [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] (RADA) in 1938, where her classmates included Australian actor [[John McCallum (actor)|John McCallum]], Anglo-Irish actor [[Joyce Redman]], and [[Nigel Stock (actor)|Nigel Stock]].<ref name=telegraph/> She had difficulty finding professional stage and film roles, later writing that other actresses up for competing roles were "all looking singularly unlike me" in her |
Margaret Towner enrolled at [[Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] (RADA) in 1938, where her classmates included Australian actor [[John McCallum (actor)|John McCallum]], Anglo-Irish actor [[Joyce Redman]], and [[Nigel Stock (actor)|Nigel Stock]].<ref name=telegraph/> She had difficulty finding professional stage and film roles, later writing that other actresses up for competing roles were "all looking singularly unlike me" in her memoir, ''How Could You Have Done This Without Us''?.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> She was initially cast in bit parts in British films during the 1930s and 1940s, including ''[[Under Your Hat]]'' (1940), in which she played a tall girl opposite [[Cicely Courtneidge]] and [[Jack Hulbert]].<ref name=telegraph/> |
||
Her first professional theatre role after graduating from RADA was in a touring stage production of "The Bare Idea", a play about a [[nudist camp]] written by Gordon Sherry. She toured with the cast of "The Bare Idea" until nightly [[Battle of Britain|German Luftwaffe bombing raids]] on Southampton ended the production around 1940.<ref name=telegraph/> Shortly after the show's cancellation, she then joined the [[Entertainments National Service Association]]'s (ENSA) touring stage production of "[[The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse]]" during World War II, where she met her future husband, actor [[Raymond Francis]].<ref name=telegraph/> The couple married and had three children, Caroline, Frances and Clive.<ref name=stage/> Towner "reluctantly" retired from acting for more than thirty years to raise her family.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> Francis became best known for his role of Superintendent Lockhart on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] series, ''[[No Hiding Place]]'', during the 1950s and 1960s.<ref name=stage/> |
Her first professional theatre role after graduating from RADA was in a touring stage production of "The Bare Idea", a play about a [[nudist camp]] written by Gordon Sherry. She toured with the cast of "The Bare Idea" until nightly [[Battle of Britain|German Luftwaffe bombing raids]] on Southampton ended the production around 1940.<ref name=telegraph/> Shortly after the show's cancellation, she then joined the [[Entertainments National Service Association]]'s (ENSA) touring stage production of "[[The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (play)|The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse]]" during World War II, where she met her future husband, actor [[Raymond Francis]].<ref name=telegraph/> The couple married and had three children, Caroline, Frances and Clive.<ref name=stage/> Towner "reluctantly" retired from acting for more than thirty years to raise her family.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> Francis became best known for his role of Superintendent Lockhart on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] series, ''[[No Hiding Place]]'', during the 1950s and 1960s.<ref name=stage/> |
||
Margaret Towner decided to return to professional acting shortly after her husband's death in 1987.<ref name=telegraph/> She re-applied and rejoined the [[Equity (trade union)|Equity]], the actors' union, with an honorary membership.<ref name=stage/> Towner was soon cast in series of professional, on-screen roles from the 1980s to the 2010s.<ref name=telegraph/> Her film credits included ''[[The Wolves of Kromer]]'' in 2000, while her television roles after her return to acting included ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' in 1992 and 1997, ''[[The Bill]]'' during the mid-1990s, ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'' in 1995, ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'' in 2003, and ''[[Little Britain]]'' in 2005.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> |
Margaret Towner decided to return to professional acting shortly after her husband's death in 1987.<ref name=telegraph/> She re-applied and rejoined the [[Equity (trade union)|Equity]], the actors' union, with an honorary membership.<ref name=stage/> Towner was soon cast in series of professional, on-screen roles from the 1980s to the 2010s.<ref name=telegraph/> Her film credits included ''[[The Wolves of Kromer]]'' in 2000, while her television roles after her return to acting included ''[[Casualty (TV series)|Casualty]]'' in 1992 and 1997, ''[[The Bill]]'' during the mid-1990s, ''[[Keeping Up Appearances]]'' in 1995, ''[[Doctors (2000 TV series)|Doctors]]'' in 2003, and ''[[Little Britain (sketch show)|Little Britain]]'' in 2005.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> |
||
In 1997, Towner was invited to [[Bray Studios (UK)|Bray Studios]] near [[Maidenhead]] to meet with director [[George Lucas]] about a potential role in his forthcoming Star Wars prequel, which was in pre-production.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> Towner readily admitted that she had never heard of Lucas before her meeting with the |
In 1997, Towner was invited to [[Bray Studios (UK)|Bray Studios]] near [[Maidenhead]] to meet with director [[George Lucas]] about a potential role in his forthcoming Star Wars prequel, which was in pre-production.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> Towner readily admitted that she had never heard of Lucas before her meeting with the film director and creator of Star Wars.<ref name=telegraph/><ref name=stage/> Despite that, Towner was cast in a small, but important, role as Jira, a market vendor who befriends a young [[Anakin Skywalker]], in Lucas' ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'', released in 1999.<ref name=telegraph/> Margaret Towner instantly became a well-known figure to moviegoers and Star Wars fans.<ref name=telegraph/> She attended [[Fan convention|Star Wars conventions]] throughout the United Kingdom and met with fans who showed up at her Victorian home in [[Twickenham]].<ref name=telegraph/> |
||
In 2014 Towner, who was 93 years old at the time, returned to television in a 13-episode recurring role as Edna on [[Ricky Gervais]]' [[Channel 4]] television, ''[[Derek (TV series)|Derek]]''.<ref name=stage/> Her work on ''Derek'' made her one of the country's oldest working, professional actresses.<ref name=telegraph/> |
In 2014 Towner, who was 93 years old at the time, returned to television in a 13-episode recurring role as Edna on [[Ricky Gervais]]' [[Channel 4]] television, ''[[Derek (TV series)|Derek]]''.<ref name=stage/> Her work on ''Derek'' made her one of the country's oldest working, professional actresses.<ref name=telegraph/> |
||
Towner died on 10 April 2017 at the age of 96. She was survived by three children: two daughters and one son, actor [[Clive Francis]].<ref name=telegraph/> Her late husband, actor [[Raymond Francis]], died in 1987. |
Towner died on 10 April 2017 at the age of 96. She was survived by three children: two daughters and one son, actor [[Clive Francis]].<ref name=telegraph/> Her late husband, actor [[Raymond Francis]], died in 1987. |
||
==Filmography== |
|||
{| class="wikitable" |
|||
|- |
|||
! Year |
|||
! Title |
|||
! Role |
|||
! Notes |
|||
|- |
|||
|1998|| ''[[The Wolves of Kromer]]'' || Doreen || |
|||
|- |
|||
|1999|| ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace]]'' || Jira || |
|||
|} |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
| Line 21: | Line 37: | ||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
*{{imdb name|id=0870026|name=Margaret Towner}} |
*{{imdb name|id=0870026|name=Margaret Towner}} |
||
{{authority control}} |
|||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towner, Margaret}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Towner, Margaret}} |
||
| Line 33: | Line 51: | ||
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] |
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]] |
||
[[Category:Actresses from London]] |
[[Category:Actresses from London]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Actresses from Southampton]] |
||
[[Category:People from Southampton]] |
|||
[[Category:Actresses from Rio de Janeiro (city)]] |
[[Category:Actresses from Rio de Janeiro (city)]] |
||
[[Category:British expatriates in Brazil]] |
[[Category:British expatriates in Brazil]] |
||
[[Category:British women memoirists]] |
|||
[[Category:20th-century English women]] |
|||
[[Category:20th-century English actresses]] |
|||
[[Category:21st-century English women]] |
|||
[[Category:21st-century English actresses]] |
|||
Latest revision as of 08:53, 1 August 2024
Margaret Towner (1 October 1920 – 10 April 2017) was a British stage, film, and television actress. Following decades of theatre work, Towner achieved fame among film audiences when she appeared in a small, but significant, role as Jira in the 1999 Star Wars prequel, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.[1][2][3] In 2014, at the age of 93, Towner returned to screen acting for a 13-episode role as Edna on Ricky Gervais' television series, Derek, becoming one of the oldest working actresses in the United Kingdom.[1]
Biography
[edit]Towner was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on 1 October 1920.[1][2] Her father, Eric Towner, a Lieutenant Commander in the Royal Naval Reserve, was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for courage and devotion by King George VI in 1943 for his service in support of Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery's Eighth Army during the North African Campaign during World War II.[1] Margaret Towner was raised in Rio de Janeiro until she was five-years old, when her family returned to the United Kingdom and settled in a houseboat in Southampton.[1]
Margaret Towner enrolled at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in 1938, where her classmates included Australian actor John McCallum, Anglo-Irish actor Joyce Redman, and Nigel Stock.[1] She had difficulty finding professional stage and film roles, later writing that other actresses up for competing roles were "all looking singularly unlike me" in her memoir, How Could You Have Done This Without Us?.[1][2] She was initially cast in bit parts in British films during the 1930s and 1940s, including Under Your Hat (1940), in which she played a tall girl opposite Cicely Courtneidge and Jack Hulbert.[1]
Her first professional theatre role after graduating from RADA was in a touring stage production of "The Bare Idea", a play about a nudist camp written by Gordon Sherry. She toured with the cast of "The Bare Idea" until nightly German Luftwaffe bombing raids on Southampton ended the production around 1940.[1] Shortly after the show's cancellation, she then joined the Entertainments National Service Association's (ENSA) touring stage production of "The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse" during World War II, where she met her future husband, actor Raymond Francis.[1] The couple married and had three children, Caroline, Frances and Clive.[2] Towner "reluctantly" retired from acting for more than thirty years to raise her family.[1][2] Francis became best known for his role of Superintendent Lockhart on the ITV series, No Hiding Place, during the 1950s and 1960s.[2]
Margaret Towner decided to return to professional acting shortly after her husband's death in 1987.[1] She re-applied and rejoined the Equity, the actors' union, with an honorary membership.[2] Towner was soon cast in series of professional, on-screen roles from the 1980s to the 2010s.[1] Her film credits included The Wolves of Kromer in 2000, while her television roles after her return to acting included Casualty in 1992 and 1997, The Bill during the mid-1990s, Keeping Up Appearances in 1995, Doctors in 2003, and Little Britain in 2005.[1][2]
In 1997, Towner was invited to Bray Studios near Maidenhead to meet with director George Lucas about a potential role in his forthcoming Star Wars prequel, which was in pre-production.[1][2] Towner readily admitted that she had never heard of Lucas before her meeting with the film director and creator of Star Wars.[1][2] Despite that, Towner was cast in a small, but important, role as Jira, a market vendor who befriends a young Anakin Skywalker, in Lucas' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, released in 1999.[1] Margaret Towner instantly became a well-known figure to moviegoers and Star Wars fans.[1] She attended Star Wars conventions throughout the United Kingdom and met with fans who showed up at her Victorian home in Twickenham.[1]
In 2014 Towner, who was 93 years old at the time, returned to television in a 13-episode recurring role as Edna on Ricky Gervais' Channel 4 television, Derek.[2] Her work on Derek made her one of the country's oldest working, professional actresses.[1]
Towner died on 10 April 2017 at the age of 96. She was survived by three children: two daughters and one son, actor Clive Francis.[1] Her late husband, actor Raymond Francis, died in 1987.
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | The Wolves of Kromer | Doreen | |
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Jira |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Margaret Towner, veteran actress who appeared in Star Wars franchise – obituary". The Daily Telegraph. 4 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Francis, Clive (4 May 2017). "Obituary: Margaret Towner". The Stage. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
- ^ McEwan, Cameron K. (18 April 2015). "The female Star Wars characters you might not have heard of". The Stage. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
External links
[edit]- 1920 births
- 2017 deaths
- British film actresses
- British stage actresses
- British television actresses
- 20th-century British actresses
- 21st-century British actresses
- British memoirists
- Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
- Actresses from London
- Actresses from Southampton
- Actresses from Rio de Janeiro (city)
- British expatriates in Brazil
- British women memoirists
- 20th-century English women
- 20th-century English actresses
- 21st-century English women
- 21st-century English actresses