Philippa Gail (16 August 1942 – 26 July 1999) was a British theatre, film and television actress.[1] The Guardian called her "An actress of power and passion who mingled sex appeal with forthright emotion."[2]

Philippa Gail
Born(1942-08-16)16 August 1942
Died26 July 1999(1999-07-26) (aged 56)
Dorset, England
Other namesPhilippa J. Gordge
Occupation(s)Theatre actress
film actress
television actress
Years active19631992

She trained at Webber-Douglas, where she won the award for best actress. There followed stage work including Shakespeare, Shaw and Ostrovsky. In the West End she was Maria in Twelfth Night, and the General's daughter in Anouilh's The Fighting Cock at the Duke of York's. At the Assembly Rooms in York, her performance in Ibsen's Little Eyolf was described by critics as "genuinely revelatory."[2]

In 1970 she married David Conville, director of the Open Air Theatre, Regents Park, where she made many of her later stage appearances.[3][4]

Interspersed amongst her stage work were film and TV parts, including starring as the seductive Jane in The Troubleshooters, This Is My Street, Man in a Suitcase, the title role in William Douglas Home's The Reluctant Debutante (ITV Play of the Week), Giants On Saturday, Triangle, Brett, Coronation Street, The Sweeney and the Ruth Rendell thriller A Fatal Inversion.[5][6][1]

Gail also taught drama at the Eugene O'Neill Centre and South Florida University, and continued to appear on stage before retiring in 1996.[2]

She died of cancer in 1999, and was survived by her husband David and their son.[7]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1964 This Is My Street Maureen
1969 Ring of Bright Water Pet stall girl
1971 She'll Follow You Anywhere June Carter AKA, Passion Potion

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1963 24-Hour Call Eileen Healey "Never Leave Me"
1963 Jezebel ex UK Eileen "Sister Ship", "The Long Cool Drop"
1963 Maupassant Jeannie "Bachelors"
1965 The Villains Sylvia Greenwood "Sonny"
1965 Riviera Police Helen "But the Company She Keeps/Death on a Fine Day"
1965 ITV Play of the Week Trudie / Lyn "Giants on Saturday", "Four of Hearts #4: Summertime Ends Tonight"
1965–1971 The Troubleshooters Jane Webb Regular role
1966 ITV Play of the Week Jane Broadbent "The Reluctant Debutante"
1966 The Fighting Cock Sophie TV film
1967 Trapped Nina "Victor Victor"
1967 Sexton Blake Carole Vane "Knave of Diamonds: Parts 1–5"
1968 Man in a Suitcase Patricia Baldwin "No Friend of Mine"
1968 Love Story Charlotte "A Man Alone"
1968 The Jazz Age Cherry Buck "Thark"
1968 Coronation Street Jo Hepworth "1.831"
1969 Dixon of Dock Green Penny "The Brimstone Man"
1969 ITV Sunday Night Theatre Maggie "It Calls for a Great Deal of Love"
1971 Brett Maria "The Saxby Route"
1978 The Sweeney D.C.I. Barton "Feet of Clay"
1990 The Bill Mrs. Smith "Breaking Point"
1991 Screen Two Rose Alderney "Do Not Disturb"
1992 A Fatal Inversion Beryl Verne-Smith "1.1"

References

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  1. ^ a b "Philippa Gail". Archived from the original on 19 January 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Shorter, Eric (5 August 1999). "Philippa Gail - An actress of power and passion who mingled sex appeal with forthright emotion". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  3. ^ "Philippa Gail". Independent.co.uk. 5 September 1999. Archived from the original on 26 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Philippa Gail - Theatricalia".
  5. ^ TV.com. "Philippa Gail".
  6. ^ III, Harris M. Lentz (1 July 2000). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1999: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture. McFarland. ISBN 9780786409198 – via Google Books.
  7. ^ "Midsummer Park Dream". 20 June 2012.
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