Claire Bernice Davenport (24 April 1933 – 25 February 2002) was an English character actress well known for her large physique.

Life and career

Davenport was born on 24 April 1933 in Sale,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's coun ...

, and began acting in 1961 with a theatre role in '' Caesar and Cleopatra'' at the Playhouse in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

. Her film work includes roles in ''

Return of the Jedi ''Return of the Jedi'' (also known as ''Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi'' is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand. The screenplay is by Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas from a story by Lucas, who w ...

'' (as Yarna d'al' Gargan, originally billed as "Fat Dancer"), '' The Return of the Pink Panther'', '' Adventures of a Plumber's Mate'', '' Carry On Emmannuelle'', '' The Tempest'' and '' The Elephant Man''. On television, she appeared on '' Remington Steele'', '' Doctor Who'', '' Minder'', '' George and Mildred'', '' Robin's Nest'', '' Fawlty Towers'' and at least three episodes of '' On the Buses'', among others. She also made a cameo appearance in an episode of '' Mind Your Language''. Among the last of her television appearances was a 1993 episode of '' The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer''. .

Death

Davenport stopped working after suffering a series of strokes in the 1990s. She died at the age of 68 in London on 25 February 2002 (not 4 March, as often stated) from

kidney failure Kidney failure, also known as end-stage kidney disease, is a medical condition in which the kidneys can no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood, functioning at less than 15% of normal levels. Kidney failure is classified as eit ...

Filmography

Film

Partial television roles

Notes

Bibliography

External links

* *
Davenport Profile on Avelyman.com
* https://web.archive.org/web/20130823072539/http://starwarsblog.starwars.com/index.php/2013/08/19/star-wars-mysteries-who-is-wiebba-wiebba/ 1933 births 2002 deaths Actresses from Greater Manchester Deaths from kidney failure English film actresses English television actresses People from Sale, Greater Manchester Actresses from London 20th-century British businesspeople {{england-screen-actor-stub