Eleanor Audrey Summerfield (7 March 1921 – 13 July 2001) was an English actress who appeared in many plays, films and television series. She is known for her roles in ''

Laughter in Paradise ''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film, starring Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton. The film was remade as '' Some Will, Some Won't'' (1970). Plot In his will, notorious practical joker Henry Russell l ...

'' (1951), '' Final Appointment'' (1954), '' Odongo'' (1956), ''

Dentist in the Chair ''Dentist in the Chair'' is a 1960 British comedy film, directed by Don Chaffey and starring Bob Monkhouse, Ronnie Stevens (actor), Ronnie Stevens, Eric Barker and Vincent Ball. The screenplay was written by Val Guest, and based on a novel by M ...

'' (1960), '' On the Fiddle'' (1961), ''

The Running Man Running Man may refer to: Literature * ''The Running Man'', a 1963 novel by Joan Carol Holly under the pseudonym J. Hunter Holly * ''The Running Man'' (novel), a 1982 novel by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman * ''The Running Man' ...

'' (1963) and '' Some Will, Some Won't'' (1970).

Early life and career

She was born as Eleanor Audrey Summerfield in St Pancras,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

on 7 March 1921. Summerfield trained at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 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 Sena ...

in 1937. She made her screen debut in the 1946 television drama ''A Phoenix Too Frequent'', which was based on a play of the same name. Her first stage show was ''

Her Excellency Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...

'' at the

London Hippodrome The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Cranbourn Street and Charing Cross Road in the City of Westminster, London. The name was used for many different theatres and music halls, of which the London Hippodrome is one of only a few surv ...

in 1949. In the mid-1960s, Summerfield played P.G. Wodehouse's fictional character Aunt Dahlia on the

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

television series '' The World of Wooster'' (1965–1967) aired on

BBC 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. Summerfield was also a regular member in the panel game '' Just a Minute'' and was a team member for the entire 15-year run of '' Many a Slip'' (1964–1979). During her career spanning nearly half a century, she also appeared in a number of films and television series. Other TV series she appeared in included ''

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery series, based on the novels by John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six series, was originally broadcast on BBC1 between 10 January 19 ...

'': Season 2: Episode 5, 1991 '' Who Dares, Sings'' as May Walker; and ''

Midsomer Murders ''Midsomer Murders'' is a British crime drama television series, adapted by Anthony Horowitz and Douglas Watkinson from the novels in the '' Chief Inspector Barnaby'' book series (created by Caroline Graham), and broadcast on two channels of ...

'': Series 1: Episode 4, 1998 '' Faithful Until Death'' as Elfrida Molfrey.

Personal life and death

Summerfield was married to actor

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated to ...

from 1947 until his death in 1990. They had two sons: Robin Sachs, who was also an actor, and Toby Sachs. She died in

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buck ...

on 13 July 2001, aged 80.

Filmography

* ''

Take My Life ''Take My Life'' is a 1947 British crime film directed by Ronald Neame and starring Hugh Williams, Greta Gynt and Marius Goring. It was adapted from Winston Graham's 1947 novel of the same name. It was shot at Pinewood Studios and on loca ...

'' (1947) - Miss Carteret * ''

London Belongs to Me ''London Belongs to Me'' (also known as ''Dulcimer Street'') is a British film released in 1948, directed by Sidney Gilliat, and starring Richard Attenborough and Alastair Sim. It was based on the novel ''London Belongs to Me'' by Norman Colli ...

'' (1948) - The Blonde * '' The Weaker Sex'' (1948) - Clippie (uncredited) * '' The Story of Shirley Yorke'' (1948) - Doris * ''

All Over the Town ''All Over the Town'' is a 1949 British comedy film directed by Derek N. Twist and starring Norman Wooland, Sarah Churchill and Cyril Cusack. It was based on the 1947 novel by R. F. Delderfield. Premise After serving in the RAF during the S ...

'' (1949) - Beryl Hopper * '' Man on the Run'' (1949) - May Baker, Anchor Hotel * '' No Way Back'' (1949) - Beryl * ''

The Third Visitor ''The Third Visitor'' is a 1951 British crime film directed by Maurice Elvey and starring Sonia Dresdel, Guy Middleton and Karel Stepanek. It was based on a play by Gerald Anstruther, and filmed at Merton Park Studios. Cast * Sonia Dresdel as ...

'' (1951) - Vera Kurton * ''

'' (1951) - Sheila Wilcott * '' Scrooge'' (1951) - Miss Flora * '' The Last Page'' (1952) - Vi * '' Mandy'' (1952) - Lily Tabor * ''

Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to kn ...

'' (1952) - Cecilia * '' Street Corner'' (1953) - Edna Hurran * '' Isn't Life Wonderful!'' (1953) - Aunt Kate * '' Face the Music'' (1954) - Barbara Quigley * ''

Murder by Proxy ''Murder by Proxy'' is a 1954 British film noir crime drama film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Dane Clark, Belinda Lee and Betty Ann Davies. The screenplay concerns a man who is offered money to marry a woman. It was produced by Hamme ...

'' (aka ''Blackout'') (1954) - Margaret 'Maggie' Doone * '' Final Appointment'' (1954) - Jenny * '' Lost'' (1956) - Sgt. Cook * '' Odongo'' (1956) - Celia Watford * '' It's Great to Be Young'' (1956) - Barmaid * ''

No Road Back ''No Road Back'' is a 1957 British crime film directed by Montgomery Tully.''No Road Back''
at the

'' (1957) - Marguerite * ''

A Cry from the Streets ''A Cry from the Streets'' is a 1958 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert. It was entered into the 1st Moscow International Film Festival, and Vernon Harris's screenplay received a BAFTA nomination. Plot When a man is hanged for murd ...

'' (1958) - Gloria * ''

'' (1960) - Ethel * '' The Millionairess'' (1960) - Mrs. Willoughby * ''

Carry On Regardless ''Carry On Regardless'' is a 1961 British comedy film, the fifth in the series of 31 ''Carry On'' films (1958–1992). The film revolves loosely around the activities of a job agency, 'Helping Hands', run by Sid James's character, Bert Hand ...

'' (1961) - Mrs. Riley (part cut) (uncredited) * '' Spare the Rod'' (1961) - Mrs. Harkness * '' Don't Bother to Knock'' (1961) - Mother * '' On the Fiddle'' (1961) - Flora McNaughton * '' Petticoat Pirates'' (1961) - Chief Wren Mabel Rawlins * '' Guns of Darkness'' (1962) - Mrs. Bastian * '' On the Beat'' (1962) - Sgt. Lucilla Wilkins * ''

'' (1963) - Hilda Tanner * ''The Yellow Hat'' (1966) - Lady Xenia * '' The Spy Killer'' (1969, TV Movie) - Mrs. Roberts * ''

Foreign Exchange The foreign exchange market (Forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. It includes all aspec ...

'' (1970, TV Movie) - Mrs. Roberts * '' Some Will, Some Won't'' (1970) - Elizabeth Robson * ''

The Watcher in the Woods The Watcher in the Woods may refer to: * ''A Watcher in the Woods'', a 1903 non-fiction book by Dallas Lore Sharp * '' A Watcher in the Woods'', a 1976 novel by Florence Engel Randall * ''Watcher in the Woods'', a 2008 novel by Robert Liparulo * ' ...

'' (1981) - Mrs. Thayer * '' The Island of Adventure'' (1982) - Aunt Polly

References

External links

*
Obituary in ''The Guardian''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Summerfield, Eleanor 1921 births 2001 deaths Actresses from London English film actresses English stage actresses English television actresses 20th-century English actresses Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art