Shelagh Fraser
Shelagh Fraser | |
---|---|
Born | Sheila[1] Mary Fraser 25 November 1920 Purley, Surrey, England |
Died | 29 August 2000 London, England | (aged 79)
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1944–2000 |
Spouse(s) | Anthony Squire (m. 1961; div. ?) |
Relatives | Moyra Fraser (sister) |
Sheila Mary Fraser (25 November 1920 – 29 August 2000) was an English actress. She is best known for her roles in the television serial A Family at War (1970–1971) and as Luke Skywalker's Aunt Beru in Star Wars (1977).
Early life
Shelagh Fraser was born in Purley, Surrey, on 25 November 1920. Her parents were John Newton Mappin Fraser and Vera Eleanor (née Beardshaw). Her father was a director of the jewelry company Mappin & Webb, and the family was sent to Australia to establish a branch of the family business there. They returned to the United Kingdom in 1924.[2][3][4]
As a child, Shelagh suffered from
Career
Fraser had a wide range of roles on the stage. She made her
In 1978 she appeared as Mrs. Wilson, a respectable lady who becomes embroiled in a conspiracy to obtain the release of underworld crime boss Bill Hayden in an episode of the hard-hitting British police drama The Professionals, the episode entitled When the Heat Cools Off.[6]
In cinema, Fraser often played demure character roles in films such as the
Fraser appeared in more than 50 films and TV shows during her career, including
In the 1950, Fraser began to write for the theatre, and in the 1970s, she wrote two children's books, Captain Johnny and Princess Tai Lue. Building on her experience in radio, she also worked as a radio dramatist, and wrote her own radio play, The Maid's Room, about the relationship between a servant and her mistress. She also adapted
Personal life
Fraser was married and divorced from Anthony Squire.[9] She was the sister of ballerina/actress Moyra Fraser.[10] She died in 2000 following a long illness.[11][12]
Selected filmography
Film
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1944 | Welcome, Mr. Washington | Millie | |
1945 | I Live in Grosvenor Square | 2nd Girl in Guard's Van | |
1947 | Meet Me at Dawn | Minor Role | Uncredited |
Master of Bankdam | Alice France | ||
1948 | Esther Waters | Margaret | |
1949 | The History of Mr. Polly | Minnie Larkins | |
1950 | Your Witness | Ellen Foster | |
Trio | Minor Role | Uncredited | |
1952 | Salute the Toff | Myra Lorne | |
The Second Mrs Tanqueray | |||
1955 | Raising a Riot | Mary Kent | |
1956 | The Last Man to Hang? |
Mrs Bracket | |
1958 | The Son of Robin Hood | Constance | |
1966 | The Witches | Mrs Creek | |
1968 | Till Death Us Do Part | Mike's Mother | |
1969 | The Body Stealers | Mrs Thatcher | |
A Touch of Love | Miss Gurnsey | ||
Staircase | Cub Mistress | ||
Two Gentlemen Sharing | Helen Marriott | ||
1972 | Doomwatch | Mrs. Betty Straker | |
1973 | Nothing But the Night |
Mrs Alison | |
1974 | Persecution | Mrs Banks | aka Sheba, The Graveyard, The Terror of Sheba |
1977 | Star Wars | Aunt Beru |
|
1987 | Hope and Glory | WVS Woman |
Television
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1960 | Emergency – Ward 10 |
Brownie Bevan | 9 episodes |
1963 | Maigret | Claire Jusserand | Episode: Maigret's Little Joke |
1966 | Gideon's Way | Lady Copthorne | Episode: Morna |
1970–1971 | A Family at War | Jean Ashton | |
1971 | Doomwatch | Joan Prentice | Episode: The Islanders |
1976 | Beasts | Dorothy Pummery | Episode: Baby |
1978 | The Professionals | Elsa Coran Mrs Wilson |
Episode: A Stirring of Dust Episode: When the Heat Cools Off |
2000 | Midsomer Murders | Jane Rochelle | Episode: Judgement Day |
2017 | Star Wars Rebels | Aunt Beru | Episode: Twin Suns, uncredited (archive audio) |
References
- ^ "Index entry". FreeBMD. ONS. Retrieved January 3, 2011.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 1999, vol. 1, p. 147
- ISBN 9780273001638. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ a b c d e Granger, Derek (20 September 2000). "Obituaries: Shelagh Fraser". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 July 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ ISBN 9780719091391. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ ""The Professionals" when the Heat Cools off (TV Episode 1978) - IMDb". IMDb.
- ISBN 9780091924997. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ "Shelagh Fraser". BFI. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017.
- Telegraph Media Group Limited. 20 September 2000. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
- Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
- ^ Granger, Derek (20 September 2000). "Shelagh Fraser". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
- ^ "STAR WARS STAR DIES". TVGuide.com.
External links
- Shelagh Fraser at IMDb
- Shelagh Fraser on Wookieepedia, a Star Wars wiki