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Molly Weir

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Molly Weir
Born
Mary Weir

(1910-03-17)17 March 1910
Glasgow, Scotland
Died28 November 2004(2004-11-28) (aged 94)
Pinner, London, England
Years active1946–1999
Height4 ft 10 in (147 cm)
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1939; died 1997)​
FamilyTom Weir (brother) [1]

Mary Weir (17 March 1910 – 28 November 2004), known as Molly Weir, was a Scottish actress.[2] She appeared as the character Hazel the McWitch in the BBC TV series Rentaghost.[3]

She was the sister of naturalist and broadcaster Tom Weir.[4]

Biography

Born in Glasgow and brought up in the Springburn area of the city, Weir began in amateur dramatics. In her early professional career, she was a well-known radio actress, featuring in many comedy shows, such as ITMA.[5] Her greatest theatrical success came in The Happiest Days of Your Life.

She made her film debut in 1949, and had a regular role as the housekeeper, Aggie McDonald, in the radio and television sitcom Life With The Lyons.[3] During the 1970s and early 1980s she became famous as a writer, with several volumes of best-selling memoirs, notably, Shoes Were For Sunday. She also appeared in a series of television advertisements for Flash the household cleaning agent.[6] In 1969, she appeared in The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie starring Dame Maggie Smith.[7] She and Helena Gloag played the Kerr sisters, the sewing mistresses of Marcia Blaine School for Girls.[8] In 1970 Weir and Gloag reprised their collaboration in Scrooge, playing old sisters in debt to Mr Scrooge, played by Albert Finney.[6]

In the 1970s she was one of the presenters of Teatime Tales, a television series broadcast by STV in which she recalled her childhood. The series also featured Lavinia Derwent and Cliff Hanley.[9] In the 1980s, she lampooned this homely image in the comedy series Victoria Wood As Seen On TV and appeared in a pop video for The Bluebells 1983 hit "Young At Heart".[10]

At the 1979 United Kingdom general election, Molly Weir was on of "a galaxy of stage and teleevisions stars" to appear at an election rally in support of the Conservative Party. [11]


She is also the subject of the 1988 song "Molly's Lips" by The Vaselines, and later covered by Nirvana.

After her death, Molly Weir's ashes were scattered on the banks of Loch Lomond, a favourite holiday location; and almost all her estate (of nearly £1.9 million), was bequeathed to charities.[1]

Selected filmography

Books

  • Shoes Were For Sunday. London: Hutchinson. 1970.
  • Best Foot Forward. London: Hutchinson. 1972.
  • A Toe On The Ladder. London: Hutchinson. 1973.
  • Stepping into the Spotlight. London: Hutchinson. 1975.
  • Walking into the Lyon's Den. London: Hutchinson. 1977.
  • One Small Footprint. London: Hutchinson. 1980.
  • Molly Weir's Recipes - New Ideas and Old Favourites. Gordon Wright Publishing. 1980.
  • Spinning Like a Peerie. Edinburgh: Wright. 1983.

References

  1. ^ a b "Molly Weir leaves £1.8m to charities". The Scotsman. 23 May 2005. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Molly Weir". British Film Institute. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary: Molly Weir". BBC News. 29 November 2004. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Collections A-Z: Molly Weir". University of Glasgow. Archived from the original on 9 November 2014. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  5. ^ Dixon, Stephen (1 December 2004). "Molly Weir: A familiar Scottish voice on radio and television". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  6. ^ a b "A beloved Scots star for generations Molly Weir, actress and writer, dies, aged 94". The Herald. 30 November 2004. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  7. ^ "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969)". American Film Institute. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  8. ^ "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, 1969". Aveleyman.com. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  9. ^ "Lavinia Derwent". Goodreads. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Memories: Molly helps collar four-legged fan". Evening Times. 19 September 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  11. ^ Russell, William (30 April 1979). "Ex-Labour MP defects to Tories". The Glasgow Herald. p. 1. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
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