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'' (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, Eric Barker and Vincent Ball. The screenplay was written by Val Guest, and based on a novel by Matthew Finch. Additiona ...

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

'' 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 s ...

in 1949. In the mid-1960s, Summerfield played

P.G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeeve ...

'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. 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'': 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 from 1947 until his death in 1990. They had two sons:

Robin Sachs Robin Sachs (5 February 1951 – 1 February 2013) was an English actor, active in the theatre, television and films. He was also known for his voice-over work in films and video games. Born to a theatrical family, Sachs studied at the Royal Acad ...

, 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, B ...

on 13 July 2001, aged 80.

Filmography

* '' Take My Life'' (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'' (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 * '' Laughter in Paradise'' (1951) - Sheila Wilcott * '' Scrooge'' (1951) - Miss Flora * '' The Last Page'' (1952) - Vi * '' Mandy'' (1952) - Lily Tabor * '' Top Secret'' (1952) - Cecilia * ''

Street Corner A streetcorner or street corner is the location which lies adjacent to an intersection (road), intersection of two roads. Such locations are important in terms of local planning and commerce, usually being the locations of street signs and lamp post ...

'' (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 Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

'' (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 murde ...

'' (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 Handy. ...

'' (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 ''Petticoat Pirates'' is a 1961 British comedy film directed by David MacDonald and starring Charlie Drake, Anne Heywood, Cecil Parker, John Turner and Thorley Walters Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English c ...

'' (1961) - Chief Wren Mabel Rawlins * '' Guns of Darkness'' (1962) - Mrs. Bastian * '' On the Beat'' (1962) - Sgt. Lucilla Wilkins * '' The Running Man'' (1963) - Hilda Tanner * ''The Yellow Hat'' (1966) - Lady Xenia * '' The Spy Killer'' (1969, TV Movie) - Mrs. Roberts * '' Foreign Exchange'' (1970, TV Movie) - Mrs. Roberts * '' Some Will, Some Won't'' (1970) - Elizabeth Robson * '' The Watcher in the Woods'' (1981) - Mrs. Thayer * ''

The Island of Adventure ''The Island of Adventure'' (published in 1944) is a popular children's book by Enid Blyton. It is the first book in the Adventure Series. The first edition was illustrated by Stuart Tresilian. Plot summary During school holidays, Jack, his si ...

'' (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