Diana Darvey
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Diana Darvey | |
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Born | Diana Magdalene Roloff 21 April 1945 |
Died | 11 April 2000 Redhill, Surrey, England | (aged 54)
Occupation(s) | Actress, singer, dancer |
Spouse(s) | Terry Gittings (divorced) Ralph Barker (m. 1995-2000; her death)[1] |
Diana Magdalene Roloff (21 April 1945 – 11 April 2000), known professionally as Diana Darvey, was a British
.Early life and career
The daughter of a former Windmill Girl, Pamela Cooper, Diana was raised and educated in Bristol. Her father died when she was just two and, when she first entered show business, she adopted the surname "Davey" from her mother's second husband (the "r" was added years later).
In 1962, aged 17, Darvey made her first
The Benny Hill Show
Darvey made her first appearance on The Benny Hill Show on 7 February 1974, and became an instant hit with fans. Her self-designed, often
In the nearly four-minute number, which she sang in English, French and Spanish, Darvey wore a total of four costumes, including as a belly dancer. She was also known for the "Continental Cabaret" sketch which she performed with Hill and regular sidekick Jackie Wright, and which featured a gag involving the word "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious". She participated in other sketches, including as Hill's girlfriend in a gender-reverse parody of the 1956 film Baby Doll, repeating a sketch that Hill had performed in 1965 with Elaine Taylor. In total, Darvey appeared on the show five times, the last being on 26 January 1977.
Life after Benny Hill
Darvey parlayed her popularity from The Benny Hill Show to appearances on the
Death
In 1995, Darvey married for a second time, to Ralph Barker. She died on 11 April 2000, ten days before her 55th birthday, after a fall at her home.[1]
References
- ^ a b Obituary of Ralph Barker, The Daily Telegraph, 20 June 2011.
- ^ Profile, knowhere.co.uk; retrieved 20 August 2015.
- "Benny Brings Home the Beauty", TV Times, 25 April 1974, pp. 18–19.
- "Diana Stages a Daring Hold-Up", TV Times, 11 November 1976, p. 34.
- "From Benny Hill to Cabaret", The British Tourist (South Florida), July 1982, p. 14.
- Obituary in The Stage, 20 April 2000.
- Obituary in The Independent, 27 May 2000.