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{{Short description|Scottish actress (1929–2013)}}
'''Elspet Gray''', formally ''The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Rix'', (born [[12 April]] [[1929]] in [[Inverness]], [[Scotland]]) is a [[Scotland|Scottish]] [[actor|actress]] best known as the wife of [[Brian Rix, Baron Rix|Brian Rix]], with whom she has often appeared. In recent years she enjoyed a boost to her career after playing [[Gertrude of Flanders|The Queen]] in the first series of the [[BBC]] [[Situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Blackadder]]''.
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]
| name = The Lady Rix
| image = Image of the actress Elspet Gray.png
| image_size = 200px
| birthname = Elspet Jean MacGregor Gray
| birth_date = {{birth date|1929|4|12|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Inverness]], Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|2|18|1929|4|12|df=y}}
| death_place = [[London]], England
| occupation = Actor
| yearsactive = 1948–2013
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Brian Rix, Baron Rix|Brian Rix]]|1949}}
| children = 4, including [[Jamie Rix|Jamie]] and [[Louisa Rix|Louisa]]
}}


'''Elspet Jean Gray, Baroness Rix''' (née '''Gray'''; 12 April 1929 – 18 February 2013) was a Scottish actress, who first became known for her partnership with her husband, <!-- Not knighted until 1986, not a peer until 1992 -->[[Brian Rix]], and later was cast in many television roles in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_S4f-nobIxEC&dq=elspet+gray+stage+career&pg=PA81|title=Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities|first=Anthony|last=Slide|date=19 May 1996|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780313295508|via=Google Books}}</ref> She played Lady Collingford in the television series ''[[Catweazle]]'' and Mrs. Palmer in the television series ''[[Solo (TV series)|Solo]]'', alongside [[Felicity Kendal]].
Elspet Gray has appeared in many television programmes, her first appearance being in ''[[Love in Waiting]]'' in [[1948]]. She has starred in many famous programmes including ''[[Fawlty Towers]]'', a [[1983]] episode of ''[[Doctor Who]]'', ''[[Dinnerladies|dinnerladies]]'', ''[[Catweazle]]'', ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot|Poirot]]'' and [[World War II|World War Two]] drama ''[[Tenko]].'' She also appeared as Mrs Palmer in [[Situation comedy|sitcom]] ''[[Solo (sitcom)|Solo]]'' with [[Felicity Kendal]] from [[1981]] to [[1982]].


==Career==
She was also in the [[1994]] film ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]''.
Gray had a long stage career, particularly known for her appearances in the [[Whitehall farce]]s, the company being managed by her husband [[Brian Rix]], which were originally performed at the [[Trafalgar Studios|Whitehall Theatre]] and later at the [[Garrick Theatre|Garrick]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Barker|first=Dennis|url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2013/feb/19/elspet-gray|title=Elspet Gray obituary|work=The Guardian|date=19 February 2013|access-date=16 December 2019}}</ref>


Gray appeared in many films and television programmes, her earliest being ''[[The Blind Goddess (1948 film)|The Blind Goddess]]'' (1948).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/elspet-gray-p28357|title=Elspet Gray &#124; Movies and Filmography|website=AllMovie}}</ref> She had several roles in the 1970s including parts in ''[[The Psychiatrist (Fawlty Towers)|Fawlty Towers]]'', as the paediatrician wife of a psychiatrist baffled by [[Basil Fawlty]]’s behaviour,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/13093177.elspet-gray/|title=Elspet Gray|website=HeraldScotland|date=22 February 2013 }}</ref> ''[[The Crezz]]'', ''[[Catweazle]]'', and in the 1980s with ''[[Doctor Who]]'' story ''[[Arc of Infinity]]'' and the [[World War II|World War Two]] drama ''[[Tenko (TV series)|Tenko]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=6925|title=Elspet Gray|website=www.aveleyman.com}}</ref> She appeared as [[Gertrude of Flanders (Blackadder)|the Queen]] in the [[BBC]] [[Situation comedy|sitcom]] <!-- "Blackadder" was so named for its first series. -->''[[The Black Adder]]'' (1983), with [[Rowan Atkinson]] as her son in the title role, and as Mrs. Palmer in ''[[Solo (TV series)|Solo]]'' (1981–82), another comedy, this time with [[Felicity Kendal]] in the lead as her daughter.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/500473/credits.html|title=BFI Screenonline: Blackadder (1983-89) Credits|website=www.screenonline.org.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.comedy.co.uk/tv/solo/|title=Solo - BBC1 Sitcom|first=British Comedy|last=Guide|website=British Comedy Guide}}</ref>
Elspet Gray married in [[1949]] the [[actor]] and [[Mencap|MENCAP]] President Brian Rix, who became a [[Life peer|Life Peer]] in [[1992]]. They have four children, one of whom, Shelley, had [[Down syndrome|Down's syndrome]], and died in [[July 2005]] at the age of 53. Their son [[Jamie Rix|Jamie]] is a [[Children's literature|children's author]] who has [[Television producer|produced]] television programmes such as ''[[My Hero]]''.

Gray continued her acting career until the late 1990s, appearing in ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot]]'', the films ''[[The Girl in a Swing (1988 film)|The Girl in a Swing]]'' (1988) and ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]'' (1994), and as Hilary in the British television comedy ''[[Dinnerladies (TV series)|Dinnerladies]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba1f59721|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322111721/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2ba1f59721|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 March 2018|title=Elspet Gray|website=BFI}}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Gray married Brian Rix in 1949. She died in hospital on 18 February 2013, aged 83.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-02-19/actress-elspet-gray-dies-aged-83/|title=Actress Elspet Gray dies aged 83|website=ITV News}}</ref>

==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable sortable jquery-tablesorter"
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
|1948|| ''[[The Blind Goddess (1948 film)|The Blind Goddess]]'' || Daphne Dearing ||
|-
|1948|| ''Fly Away Peter'' || Phyllis Hapgood ||
|-
|1948|| ''[[Love in Waiting]]'' || Brenda Lawrence ||
|-
|1949|| ''[[Trottie True]]'' || Honor Bellaire || Uncredited
|-
|1951|| ''[[Reluctant Heroes]]'' || Lt. Virginia ||
|-
|1954|| ''[[Johnny on the Spot]]'' || Joan Ingram ||
|-
|1954|| ''[[Devil's Point (film)|Devil's Point]]'' || June Mallard ||
|-
|1961|| ''[[The Night We Got the Bird]]'' || Woman with dog ||
|-
|1969|| ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'' || Lady Sutterwick || Uncredited
|-
|1979|| ''[[Fawlty Towers]] '' || Dr Abbott||
|-
|1983|| ''[[Blackadder]]'' || Gertrude of Flanders||
|-
|1987|| ''[[Inspector Morse (TV series)|Inspector Morse]]'' || Mrs Bartlett ||Episode - "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn"||
|-
|1988|| ''[[The Girl in a Swing (1988 film)|The Girl in a Swing]]'' || Mrs. Dresland ||
|-
|1990|| ''[[Agatha Christie's Poirot|Double Sin]]'' || Miss Penn ||
|-
|1994|| ''[[Four Weddings and a Funeral]]'' || Laura's Mother – Wedding One ||
|-
|1998|| ''[[dinnerladies]]'' || Phillipa's mother - Hilary ||
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
*{{imdb|id=0336607|name=Elspet Gray}}
*{{IMDb name|id=0336607|name=Elspet Gray}}

{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1929 births|Gray, Elspet]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gray, Elspet}}
[[Category:Living people|Gray, Elspet]]
[[Category:1929 births]]
[[Category:Blackadder actors|Gray, Elspet]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:Doctor Who actors|Gray, Elspet]]
[[Category:British baronesses|Rix]]
[[Category:Scottish actors|Gray, Elspet]]
[[Category:People from Inverness]]
[[Category:Scottish film actors|Gray, Elspet]]
[[Category:Scottish film actresses]]
[[Category:Scottish television actors|Gray, Elspet]]
[[Category:Scottish television actresses]]
[[Category:Fawlty Towers actors|Gray, Elspet]]
[[Category:Spouses of life peers]]
[[Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art]]
[[Category:Rix family]]

Latest revision as of 13:58, 29 November 2024

The Right Honourable
The Lady Rix
Born
Elspet Jean MacGregor Gray

(1929-04-12)12 April 1929
Inverness, Scotland
Died18 February 2013(2013-02-18) (aged 83)
London, England
OccupationActor
Years active1948–2013
Spouse
​
(m. 1949)​
Children4, including Jamie and Louisa

Elspet Jean Gray, Baroness Rix (née Gray; 12 April 1929 – 18 February 2013) was a Scottish actress, who first became known for her partnership with her husband, Brian Rix, and later was cast in many television roles in the 1970s and 1980s.[1] She played Lady Collingford in the television series Catweazle and Mrs. Palmer in the television series Solo, alongside Felicity Kendal.

Career

[edit]

Gray had a long stage career, particularly known for her appearances in the Whitehall farces, the company being managed by her husband Brian Rix, which were originally performed at the Whitehall Theatre and later at the Garrick.[2]

Gray appeared in many films and television programmes, her earliest being The Blind Goddess (1948).[3] She had several roles in the 1970s including parts in Fawlty Towers, as the paediatrician wife of a psychiatrist baffled by Basil Fawlty’s behaviour,[4] The Crezz, Catweazle, and in the 1980s with Doctor Who story Arc of Infinity and the World War Two drama Tenko.[5] She appeared as the Queen in the BBC sitcom The Black Adder (1983), with Rowan Atkinson as her son in the title role, and as Mrs. Palmer in Solo (1981–82), another comedy, this time with Felicity Kendal in the lead as her daughter.[6][7]

Gray continued her acting career until the late 1990s, appearing in Agatha Christie's Poirot, the films The Girl in a Swing (1988) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994), and as Hilary in the British television comedy Dinnerladies.[8]

Personal life and death

[edit]

Gray married Brian Rix in 1949. She died in hospital on 18 February 2013, aged 83.[9]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1948 The Blind Goddess Daphne Dearing
1948 Fly Away Peter Phyllis Hapgood
1948 Love in Waiting Brenda Lawrence
1949 Trottie True Honor Bellaire Uncredited
1951 Reluctant Heroes Lt. Virginia
1954 Johnny on the Spot Joan Ingram
1954 Devil's Point June Mallard
1961 The Night We Got the Bird Woman with dog
1969 Goodbye, Mr. Chips Lady Sutterwick Uncredited
1979 Fawlty Towers Dr Abbott
1983 Blackadder Gertrude of Flanders
1987 Inspector Morse Mrs Bartlett Episode - "The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn"
1988 The Girl in a Swing Mrs. Dresland
1990 Double Sin Miss Penn
1994 Four Weddings and a Funeral Laura's Mother – Wedding One
1998 dinnerladies Phillipa's mother - Hilary

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Slide, Anthony (19 May 1996). Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313295508 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Barker, Dennis (19 February 2013). "Elspet Gray obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  3. ^ "Elspet Gray | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie.
  4. ^ "Elspet Gray". HeraldScotland. 22 February 2013.
  5. ^ "Elspet Gray". www.aveleyman.com.
  6. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Blackadder (1983-89) Credits". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  7. ^ Guide, British Comedy. "Solo - BBC1 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
  8. ^ "Elspet Gray". BFI. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018.
  9. ^ "Actress Elspet Gray dies aged 83". ITV News.
[edit]
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