Aimée Delamain (21 April 1906 – 18 June 1999) was an English

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

, known for spending most of her career playing elderly ladies.

Biography

Her father, Colonel Frank Delamain was a member of King Edward XI's Bengal Lancers. Upon his retirement in 1909, the family moved to

Lamberhurst Lamberhurst ( is a village and civil parish in the borough of Tunbridge Wells in Kent, England. The parish contains the hamlets of The Down and Hook Green. At the 2001 Census it had a population of 1,491, increasing to 1,706 at the 2011 Census. ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

.Obituary in ''

The Stage ''The Stage'' is a British weekly newspaper and website covering the entertainment industry and particularly theatre. It was founded in 1880. It contains news, reviews, opinion, features, and recruitment advertising, mainly directed at those wh ...

'', 15 July 1999 (pg.27) Tragedy struck in 1915 when Aimée's mother Mabel (née Bullock) died of rheumatic fever and the following year her elder brother Frank Gun Delamain was killed in action at the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme ( French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place bet ...

. Brought up by relatives, she expressed a desire to act and in 1931, she graduated from

RADA The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

.Student & graduate profiles - RADA: Aimee Delamain
/ref> This was followed by playing in the provinces but when the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

broke out, Aimée worked as a nurse with the

Voluntary Aid Detachment The Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) was a voluntary unit of civilians providing nursing care for military personnel in the United Kingdom and various other countries in the British Empire. The most important periods of operation for these units we ...

, later playing in an

ENSA The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established in 1939 by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, ...

company. Theatre roles soon followed, as did film and television work, the actress being a popular choice among directors for portraying old ladies. One such director was

Peter Moffatt Peter Moffatt (15 April 1922 – 21 October 2007) was an English television director. His work includes '' Crane'' (1963), '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1978) and ''The Gentle Touch'' (1980). He also directed the BBC science fiction tel ...

. According to ''

The Two Doctors ''The Two Doctors'' is the fourth serial of the Doctor Who (season 22), 22nd season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in three weekly parts on BBC One, BBC1 from 16 February to 2 March 1985 ...

'' DVD commentary, they had known each other since 1945 when they were both members of the same repertory company. Subsequently, he often cast her in several of his productions. Never married, Delamain moved into Denville Hall, the retirement home for actors in February 1991, retiring from acting not long afterwards. There, she spent her final years and indulged in a life-long passion for gardening.

Selected filmography

Film

* ''

Little Red Monkey ''Little Red Monkey'', released in the United States as ''Case of the Red Monkey'', is a 1955 British crime film directed by Ken Hughes and starring Richard Conte, Rona Anderson and Russell Napier. Detectives from Scotland Yard investigate a seri ...

'' (1955) - Mrs. Henley (Dr. Barnes's Housekeeper) (uncredited) * '' The Secret'' (1955) - Miss Lyons * '' Two Left Feet'' (1963) - Auntie (uncredited) * '' Rotten to the Core'' (1965) - Lady Greville (uncredited) * ''

The Raging Moon ''The Raging Moon'' (released in the US as ''Long Ago, Tomorrow'') is a 1971 British romantic drama film starring Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman and based on the book by British novelist Peter Marshall. Adapted and directed by Bryan Forbes ( ...

'' (1971) - Alice * ''

I, Monster ''I, Monster'' is a 1971 British horror film directed by Stephen Weeks (his feature debut) for Amicus Productions. It is an adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'', with the main charact ...

'' (1971) - Landlady * ''

The Amazing Mr. Blunden ''The Amazing Mr. Blunden'' is a 1972 British family mystery film involving ghosts directed by Lionel Jeffries. It was based on the 1969 novel ''The Ghosts'' by Antonia Barber. It stars Laurence Naismith, Lynne Frederick, Garry Miller, Rosaly ...

'' (1972) - Elsie Tucker * '' The House in Nightmare Park'' (1973) - Mother * ''

One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing ''One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing'' is a 1975 comedy film set in the early 1920s, about the theft of a dinosaur skeleton from the Natural History Museum. The film was produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution C ...

'' (1975) - Millicent * ''

Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? ''Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?'' (released in the UK as ''Too Many Chefs'') is a 1978 black comedy mystery film directed by Ted Kotcheff and starring George Segal, Jacqueline Bisset and Robert Morley. It is based on the 1976 novel '' ...

'' a.k.a. ''Too Many Cooks'' (1978) - Old Woman * ''

Oxford Blues ''Oxford Blues'' is a 1984 British comedy-drama sports film written and directed by Robert Boris and starring Rob Lowe, Ally Sheedy and Amanda Pays. It is a remake of the 1938 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ''A Yank at Oxford'' and was Lowe's first ...

'' (1984) - Lady Bemore * '' Santa Claus: The Movie'' (1985) - Storyteller * '' High Spirits'' (1988) - Great Granny Plunkett * '' Getting It Right'' (1989) - Mrs. Arbuthnot

Television

* ''

Sunday Night Theatre ''Sunday Night Theatre'' was a long-running series of televised live television plays screened by BBC Television from early 1950 until 1959. The productions for the first five years or so of the run were re-staged live the following Thursday, pa ...

'' (1954-1956) - Dulcie Curtis / Jessica Streatford * '' Our Miss Pemberton'' (1957-1958) - Miss Henrietta Copley * ''

ITV Play of the Week ''Play of the Week'' is a 90-minute British television anthology series produced by a variety of companies including Granada Television, Associated-Rediffusion, ATV and Anglia Television. Synopsis From 1955 to 1967 approximately 500 episodes a ...

'' (1959-1965) - Mrs. Culff / Phyllis / Miss Chancellor * ''

Theatre 70 ''Theatre 70'' is a 70-minute UK dramatic television anthology series produced by Associated Television. Twenty-five episodes aired on ITV from 1960–61. Guest actors included Zoe Caldwell, Robert Horton, André Morell Cecil André Mesri ...

'' (1960) - Beggarwoman * ''

Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...

'' (1961-1975) - Mrs. Lane / Matty / Arabella Floyd * ''

Tales of Mystery ''Tales of Mystery'' was a British supernatural television drama anthology series based on the short stories of Algernon Blackwood. It was broadcast by ITV (Associated-Rediffusion) and ran over three seasons from 1961–1963. Produced by Peter ...

'' (1961-1962) - Aunt Eleanor / Mrs. Malleson * '' Boyd Q.C.'' (1961) - Gladys Westbury * ''

Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', Charles Dickens's second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838. Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is bound into apprenticeship with ...

'' (1962) - Old Sally * ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...

'' (1962) - Woman Customer * ''

Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created b ...

'' (1962) - Lisette * ''

Harpers West One ''Harpers West One'' was an ATV television drama series about a fictional department store, Harpers, in the West 1 district of London. The show was created by John Whitney and Geoffrey Bellman and ran in one-hour episodes from 1961 to 1963. I ...

'' (1962) - Woman Customer * ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of mental uncertainty, anxiety, being undecided, or being doubtful. In a dramatic work, suspense is the anticipation of the outcome of a plot or of the solution to an uncertainty, puzzle, or mystery, particularly as it aff ...

'' (1963) - Aphrodite * '' The Avengers'' (1963-1968) - 1st Lady / Miss Gladys Culpepper * ''

Emergency Ward 10 ''Emergency Ward 10'' is a British medical soap opera series shown on ITV between 1957 and 1967. Like ''The Grove Family'', a series shown by the BBC between 1954 and 1957, ''Emergency Ward 10'' is considered to be one of British television's fi ...

'' (1963) - Miss Edwardes * ''

Moonstrike ''Moonstrike'' is a British television series produced by the BBC in 1963. The series was an anthology programme: a collection of self-contained stories about acts of resistance in occupied Europe during the Second World War. Producer Gerard Gla ...

'' (1963) - Farmer's Wife * ''

The Plane Makers ''The Plane Makers'' is a British television series created by Wilfred Greatorex and produced by Rex Firkin. ATV made three series for ITV between 1963 and 1965. It was succeeded by ''The Power Game'', which ran for an additional three s ...

'' (1964) - Mrs. Milne * ''

The Odd Man ''The Odd Man'' was a police series produced by Granada Television, running over four series between 1960 and 1963. The character of pompous police Chief Inspector Charles Rose (William Mervyn) at the start of series 3 cemented the show's po ...

'' a.k.a. ''It's Dark Outside'' (1964) - Maude Rossiter * '' The Human Jungle'' (1964) - Mrs. Oliver * ''

Hereward the Wake Hereward the Wake (Traditional pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɛ.ward/, modern pronunciation /ˈhɛ.rɪ.wəd/) (1035 – 1072) (also known as Hereward the Outlaw or Hereward the Exile) was an Anglo-Saxon nobleman and a leader of local resista ...

'' (1965) - Lapp nurse * ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramati ...

'' (1965) - Mrs. Morris * ''

Pardon the Expression ''Pardon The Expression!'' was an ITV sitcom made by Granada Television, that was first broadcast from Wednesday 2 June 1965 to Monday 27 June 1966. The sitcom was one of four spin-offs from the soap opera ''Coronation Street''. ''Pardon the ...

'' (1966) - Miss Singleton * ''

No Hiding Place ''No Hiding Place'' is a British television series that was produced at Wembley Studios by Associated-Rediffusion for the ITV network between 16 September 1959 and 22 June 1967. It was the sequel to the series ''Murder Bag'' (1957–1958) an ...

'' (1966) - Nurse Gibbs * ''

Thirteen Against Fate ''Thirteen Against Fate'' is a British mystery thriller series, comprising thirteen individual stories by the Belgian writer, Georges Simenon. There are no links between each story, other than the original author, and no story features Simenon' ...

'' (1966) - Mademoiselle Couvert * ''

The Saint The Saint may refer to: Fiction * Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint", the protagonist of a book series by Leslie Charteris and subsequent adaptations: ** ''The Saint'' (film series) (1938–43), starring Louis Hayward, George Sanders an ...

'' (1966) - Lady Haverstock * ''

Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' ( , ) is a French historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published in 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. In the English-speaking world, the novel is usually referred to by its original ...

'' (1967) - Porteress * ''

ITV Playhouse ''Playhouse'' is a British television anthology series that ran from 1967 to 1983, which featured contributions from playwrights such as Dennis Potter, Rhys Adrian and Alan Sharp. The series began in black and white, but was later shot in colour ...

'' (1967-1968) - Miss Davidson / Prudence * '' Omnibus'' (1969) - Old Mary * ''

The Main Chance ''The Main Chance'' is a British television series first aired on ITV in four series between 1969 and 1975. It is a drama series that depicts the sudden transformation in the life of a solicitor, David Main (played by John Stride), after he ...

'' (1969) - Alice Greensmith * '' Softly, Softly'' (1969) - Mrs. Abbott * ''

The Root of All Evil? ''The Root of All Evil?'', later retitled ''The God Delusion'', is a television documentary written and presented by Richard Dawkins in which he argues that humanity would be better off without religion or belief in God. The documentary was ...

'' (1969) - Dame Helen Blake * ''

ITV Sunday Night Theatre ''ITV Sunday Night Theatre'', originally titled ''ITV Saturday Night Theatre'' and often shortened to simply ''Sunday Night Theatre'' or ''Saturday Night Theatre'', is a British television anthology series screened on ITV, and produced by London ...

'' (1971) - Mrs. Hubbard * ''

The Troubleshooters ''The Troubleshooters'' (titled ''Mogul'' for the first series) is a British television series made by the BBC between 1965 and 1972, created by John Elliot. It recounted events in an international oil company – the "Mogul" of the title. Th ...

'' (1971) - Mrs. Izard senior * '' The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes'' (1971) - Mrs. Hisgins * '' Upstairs, Downstairs'' (1971) - Lady Templeton * ''

The Befrienders ''The Befrienders'' is a British television series produced by the BBC in 1972. The series dealt with the work of the Samaritans organisation, and the individual cases its staff came across. The leading cast members were Megs Jenkins and Micha ...

'' (1972) - Mrs. Kenwood * ''

Owen, M.D. ''Owen, M.D.'' was a BBC One, BBC 1 television series that ran from 1971 to 1973. It centred around the eponymous lead character's new country practice, following his departure from ''The Doctors (1969 TV series), The Doctors'', which had been se ...

'' (1973) - Miriam Milton * ''

Crown Court The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all Indictable offence, indictable offences, some Hybrid offence, either way offences and appeals lied to it by the Magistrates' court, magistrates' court ...

'' (1974) - Mrs. Elgar * '' The Morecambe & Wise Show'' (1974) - Miss Tasker * '' Thriller'' (1975) - Penelope * ''

Beryl's Lot ''Beryl's Lot'' is a British comedy drama about a woman approaching middle-age and embarking on a programme of personal development. It was written by Kevin Laffan (who also created Emmerdale), produced by David Cunliffe and Peter Willes, and di ...

'' (1975) - Phoebe * ''

Shadows A shadow is a dark area where light from a light source is blocked by an opaque object. It occupies all of the three-dimensional volume behind an object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, ...

'' (1975) - Grandmother * ''

Angels In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

'' (1976) - Dodie * ''

ITV Sunday Night Drama ''ITV Sunday Night Drama'' is a UK television anthology series produced by ABC Weekend Television, Associated Television (ATV), Associated-Rediffusion Television, and Granada Television. 74 episodes aired on the ITV (TV network) from 1959 ...

'' (1976) - Lady Taggart * ''

The Crezz ''The Crezz'' is a British television drama produced by Thames Television and shown on the ITV network in 1976. Created by Clive Exton, ''The Crezz'' was set in a fictitious West London crescent, Carlisle Crescent. The series was 12 one-hour pr ...

'' (1976) - Lady Clarke * ''

Jackanory ''Jackanory'' is a BBC children's television series which was originally broadcast between 1965 and 1996. It was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, and the first story was the fairy-t ...

'' (1977) - Storyteller * ''

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

'' (1977) - Susan De Veer * ''

Armchair Thriller ''Armchair Thriller'' is a British television drama series broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980 in two seasons. Taking the form of a sequence of unconnected serials, scripts for ''Armchair Thriller'' were adaptations of published novels and stories ...

'' (1978) - Mrs. Franklyn * ''

Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt ''Oh No It's Selwyn Froggitt'' is a British television sitcom which ran on the ITV network from 1974 to 1978. Set in the fictional Yorkshire town of Scarsdale, the series stars Bill Maynard as Selwyn Froggitt, a council labourer, hapless handy ...

'' (1978) - Mrs. Price * ''

The Famous Five ''The Famous Five'' is a series of children's Adventure fiction, adventure novels and short stories written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, ''Five on a Treasure Island'', was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures ...

'' (1978) - Mrs. Thomas * ''

George and Mildred ''George and Mildred'' is a British sitcom produced by Thames Television and first aired between 1976 and 1979. It is a spin-off from ''Man About the House'', and starred Brian Murphy and Yootha Joyce as constantly-sparring married couple Ge ...

'' (1978-1979) - Old Lady / Patient * ''

Fawlty Towers ''Fawlty Towers'' is a British television sitcom written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, broadcast on BBC2 in 1975 and 1979. Two series of six episodes each were made. The show was ranked first on a list of the 100 Greatest British Television ...

'' (1979) - Mrs. Johnson * '' Shoestring'' (1979) - Anne Appleby * ''

The Sandbaggers ''The Sandbaggers'' is a British spy drama television series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980, ''The Sandbaggers'' examines the effect of espionag ...

'' (1980) - Penelope * ''

BBC2 Playhouse ''BBC2 Playhouse'' is a UK anthology television series of one-hour episodes produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Among its many performers were Helen Mirren, Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Liam Neeson, Paul Scofield, Debora ...

'' (1981) - Rose * ''

Chronicle A chronicle ( la, chronica, from Greek ''chroniká'', from , ''chrónos'' – "time") is a historical account of events arranged in chronological order, as in a timeline. Typically, equal weight is given for historically important events and lo ...

'' (1982) - Mrs. Brasher * '' All for Love'' (1982) - Miss Bird * ''

Never the Twain ''Never the Twain'' is a British sitcom that ran for eleven series from 7 September 1981 to 9 October 1991. It was created by Johnnie Mortimer, and was the only sitcom he ever created without his usual writing partner, Brian Cooke. Mortimer w ...

'' (1982) - Miss Barnes * '' The Professionals'' (1983) - Old Lady * ''

Shine on Harvey Moon ''Shine on, Harvey Moon'' is a British television series made by Witzend Productions and Central Television for ITV from 8 January 1982 to 23 August 1985 and briefly revived in 1995 by Meridian Broadcasting. This generally light-hearted series ...

'' (1984) - Lady * ''

Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...

'' (1985) - Doña Arana * '' One by One'' (1985) - Miss Rind * ''

Fresh Fields ''Fresh Fields'' is a British sitcom starring Julia McKenzie and Anton Rodgers. A ratings success at the time, it was written by John Chapman and produced by Thames Television for ITV, running for four series between 7 March 1984 and 23 Octob ...

'' (1985) - Mrs. Bevin * ''

C.A.T.S. Eyes ''C.A.T.S. Eyes'' is a British television series made by TVS for ITV between 1985 and 1987. The series was a spin-off from ''The Gentle Touch'', and saw Jill Gascoine reprise her role as Maggie Forbes, portrayed as having left the police forc ...

'' (1986) - Mrs. Sitwell * ''

Screen Two ''Screen Two'' was a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1985 to 1998 (not to be confused with a run of films shown on BBC2 under the billing ''Screen 2'' between April 1977 and March 197 ...

'' (1987-1992) - Lady Birdstock / Ambulatory Grannie * '' The District Nurse'' (1987) - Emily Rees * ''

Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...

'' (1987) - Eugenie * '' 'Allo 'Allo'' (1987) - Madame Sabion * '' All in Good Faith'' (1988) - Mrs. Bagley * '' Don't Wait Up'' (1988) - Mrs. Clarke * ''

Dramarama Dramarama is an American, New Jersey–based alternative rock/power pop band, who later moved to Los Angeles. The band was formed in New Jersey in 1982 and disbanded in 1994. The band formally reunited in 2003 following an appearance on VH1's ...

'' (1988) - Bookseller * ''

Wyatt's Watchdogs {{Infobox television , image = Wyatt's watchdogs opening title still.jpg , caption = Opening title , runtime = 30 minutes per episode , creator = Miles Tredinnick (Writer) Alan J. W. Bell (Director, Producer) , starring = Brian ...

'' (1988) - Mary Spencer * ''

The Bill ''The Bill'' is a British police procedural television series, first broadcast on ITV from 16 August 1983 until 31 August 2010. The programme originated from a one-off drama, '' Woodentop'', broadcast in August 1983. The programme focused on ...

'' (1988-1990) - Mrs. West / Pensioner on Bus * '' You Rang, M'Lord?'' (1990) - Aunt Maud * ''

A Bit of Fry & Laurie ''A Bit of Fry & Laurie'' is a British sketch comedy television series written by and starring former Cambridge Footlights members Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, broadcast on both BBC1 and BBC2 between 1989 and 1995. It ran for four series and t ...

'' (1990) - Customer Service Lady * ''

Dizzy Heights ''Dizzy Heights'' is the fourth studio album by British alternative rock band The Lightning Seeds, released in 1996, and reached No. 11 in the UK Albums Chart. It was re-issued in Sony Mid Price range in August 1999. Writing and recording ''Diz ...

'' (1991) - Rose

References

External links

*
Aimee Delamain
at Theatricalia {{DEFAULTSORT:Delamain, Aimée 1906 births 1999 deaths British stage actresses British film actresses British television actresses 20th-century British actresses Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art British people in colonial India