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Yvonne Gilan

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Nationality
  
British


Role
  
Actress

Name
  
Yvonne Gilan

Yvonne Gilan wwwyvonnegilancoukwpcontentuploads201207Y

Born
  
12 October 1931 (age 93) (
1931-10-12
)
London, England

Occupation
  
Actress, writer, vocal coach

Spouse
  
Michael Gill (m. 1951–1978)

Movies
  
Empire of the Sun, Chariots of Fire, Another Time - Another P, The Peaches

Similar People
  
A A Gill, Michael Gill, Amber Rudd, Cressida Connolly, Steven Spielberg

Children
  
A. A. Gill, Nicholas Gill

Grandchildren
  
Alasdair Gill, Flora Gill

Yvonne Gilan Interview


Yvonne Gilan (born 12 October 1931) is an English actress who is best remembered for her portrayal of Mme. Peignoir in Fawlty Towers. She was married to the television director Michael Gill and is the mother of the late journalist, Adrian, known as A. A. Gill.

Contents

Early Work

In 1964 she wrote a short fantasy film, The Peaches, starring Juliet Harmer, with a small cameo role for Adrian as a bespectacled chess player. The film became the British choice for the Cannes Film Festival, and won several international awards.

Her comic skills were displayed earlier in Alan Bennett's comedy series On the Margin (1966). Gilan's acting career has also included roles in Z-Cars (1967) as Vera Cowley, Dixon of Dock Green (1969), Crossroads (1976) as Eileen Blythe, a few episodes of Dr. Finlay's Casebook (1963–69) in several roles and The House of Elliot as Ruth Bannister. Her film credits include Agatha (1979) as Mrs. Braithwaite, Chariots of Fire (1981) as Mrs. Liddell, and Empire of the Sun (1987) as Mrs. Lockwood.

Fawlty Towers (1975)

Gilan's Fawlty Towers appearance in "The Wedding Party", first transmitted on BBC television on 3 October 1975, was as a French antiques dealer who seemed to have a soft spot for hotel owner Basil Fawlty. He, in turn, indulged her a little, while fending off her hints at a nocturnal encounter while she was under the influence of alcohol ("a little tipsy", as she put it). Her character had an unusual take on his character: "Are you a romantic, Mr. Fawlty..? Well, I think you are. I think beneath that English exterior throbs a passion that would make Lord Byron look like a tobacconist." After announcing that, due to the summer heat, she would sleep "au naturel tonight", subsequently she teased Fawlty that he had left his cassette player in her room as an excuse to gain entry during the night.

In May 2009 G.O.L.D. screened Fawlty Towers: Re-Opened, a show that brought the original Fawlty Towers cast back together for the first time since Torquay's most notorious hotel closed. In the show, Gilan was interviewed and suggested that her French accent sounded more like a Hungarian accent to her now.

Later career

Since 1980 she has worked as a motivational speaker at the Oxford Said Business School, helping leaders improve their presentation and communication skills, and lectures at the Imperial College, London. She has been awarded Fellowships from both the London Business School and the Saïd Business School.

In 2003 Gilan was consulted on picking the right voice for the 118 118 directory enquiry service.

Personal life

At Edinburgh University Gilan met Michael Gill, later to have career as a television director and producer; they married in 1951 and had two sons, Adrian and Nicholas, but their marriage was dissolved in 1978. Gilan's younger son Nicholas (Nick), a talented chef, unaccountably disappeared in 1998 and has not been heard from since. "He was an incredibly successful Michelin-starred chef, but he had reached rock bottom".

Her older son, Adrian, a newspaper columnist and writer, was known professionally as A. A. Gill. In his autobiography, Adrian described his mothers appearance and characteristics as he recalled them from childhood:

Physical, gamine, a thick shock of short black hair with a heavy fringe. Freckles, dark complexion. A witty, interested, boyish face, but provocative, mocking, with an exhibitionist smile that is not altogether humorous ... Her smile can wither or zap like Dan Dare's ray gun.

Gilan kept the letters Adrian that he wrote to her from his boarding school, St. Christopher School, Letchworth, in Hertfordshire, and returned them to him half a century later. Adrian (A. A. Gill) died 10 December 2016 aged 62.

Filmography

Actress
1994
The House of Eliott (TV Series) as
Faith Bannister
- Episode #3.10 (1994) - Faith Bannister
1989
French Fields (TV Series) as
Old Woman / Madame Nadal
- Make for the Hills! (1991) - Old Woman
- Who's Been Eating My Porridge? (1989) - Madame Nadal
1989
Theatre Night (TV Series) as
Mrs. Dunning
- Knuckle (1989) - Mrs. Dunning
1987
Empire of the Sun as
Mrs. Lockwood
1987
Vanity Fair (TV Series) as
Mrs. Blackbrook
- Arcadian Simplicity (1987) - Mrs. Blackbrook
1986
EastEnders (TV Series) as
Mrs. McCabe
- Episode #1.181 (1986) - Mrs. McCabe
1986
Screen Two (TV Series) as
Widow Macleay
- Blood Hunt (1986) - Widow Macleay
1985
By the Sword Divided (TV Series) as
Mrs. Cromwell
- Retribution (1985) - Mrs. Cromwell
1983
Another Time, Another Place as
Jess
1981
Chariots of Fire as
Mrs Liddell
1980
Shoestring (TV Series) as
Rosemary Mortimer
- The Farmer Had a Wife (1980) - Rosemary Mortimer
1979
Agatha as
Mrs. Braithwaite
1977
1990 (TV Series) as
Defence Counsel
- Witness (1977) - Defence Counsel
1976
Crossroads (TV Series) as
Eileen Blythe
- Episode #1.2583 (1976) - Eileen Blythe
- Episode #1.2582 (1976) - Eileen Blythe
- Episode #1.2581 (1976) - Eileen Blythe
1975
The Tiger Lily as
Lotus Blossom
1975
Fawlty Towers (TV Series) as
Mrs. Peignoir
- The Wedding Party (1975) - Mrs. Peignoir
1974
Armchair Theatre (TV Series) as
Lady
- Amy, Wonderful Amy (1974) - Lady
1973
A Picture of Katherine Mansfield (TV Series) as
Mrs. Knight
- Episode #1.5 (1973) - Mrs. Knight
1973
Public Eye (TV Series) as
Beryl
- It's a Woman's Privilege (1973) - Beryl
1972
General Hospital (TV Series) as
Gynaecology Sister
- Episode #1.18 (1972) - Gynaecology Sister
1971
Play for Today (TV Series) as
Helen
- The Man in the Sidecar (1971) - Helen
1969
Dixon of Dock Green (TV Series) as
Sarah Kendrick
- The Set-Up (1969) - Sarah Kendrick
1969
Plays of Today (TV Series) as
Miss Cox
- A Voyage Round My Father (1969) - Miss Cox
1963
Dr. Finlay's Casebook (TV Series) as
Annie Hetherington / Kate / Mildred Allison / ...
- The Barrier (1969) - Annie Hetherington
- 'Is There Anybody There?' Said the Traveller (1968) - Kate
- Resolution (1967) - Mildred Allison
- The Seniority Rule (1966) - Elsie Carnegie
- Beware of the Dog (1965) - Agnes Gregg
- Alice, Where Art Thou? (1963) - Molly
1969
The Wednesday Play (TV Series) as
Dr. Hedges
- Birthday (1969) - Dr. Hedges
1968
Journey to the Unknown (TV Series) as
Mrs. Brown
- Jane Brown's Body (1968) - Mrs. Brown
1968
Detective (TV Series) as
Georgia Strangeways
- The Beast Must Die (1968) - Georgia Strangeways
1968
BBC Play of the Month (TV Series) as
Sister Marthe
- Cyrano de Bergerac (1968) - Sister Marthe
1968
Mogul (TV Series) as
Allison MacKenzie
- Just a Bunch of Arabs in Kilts (1968) - Allison MacKenzie
1967
Z Cars (TV Series) as
Vera Cowley
- I Never Meant to Drop Him: Part 2 (1967) - Vera Cowley
- I Never Meant to Drop Him: Part 1 (1967) - Vera Cowley
1966
On the Margin (TV Series)
- Episode #1.6 (1966)
- Episode #1.5 (1966)
- Episode #1.4 (1966)
- Episode #1.3 (1966)
- Episode #1.2 (1966)
- Episode #1.1 (1966)
1962
Television Club (TV Series) as
Mrs. Simpson
- The Wade Family: On the Canal (1962) - Mrs. Simpson
1961
The Seven Faces of Jim (TV Series) as
Judith Chalmers
- The Face of Genius (1961) - Judith Chalmers
1961
They Made History (TV Mini Series documentary) as
Stephens
- Florence Nightingale (1961) - Stephens
Writer
1964
The Peaches (Short)
Self
2009
Fawlty Exclusive: Basil's Best Bits (TV Movie documentary) as
Self / Mrs. Peignoir

References

Yvonne Gilan Wikipedia


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