Gillian Hanna (20 June 1944 – 18 August 2019) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

stage, film, TV and voice actress. She founded the feminis
Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company
about which she wrote a book that was published in 1991.

Early life

Hanna graduated with a First Class degree in Modern Languages from

Trinity College, Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

. She went on to work as an actor as well as a translator.

Career

In 1975, Hanna founded the feminist ''

Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company is a British feminist theatre company established in 1975. Monstrous Regiment went on to produce and perform 30 major shows, in which the main focus was on women's lives and experiences. Performer-led and collectiv ...

''. Hanna worked with the company for fifteen years. In 1981, she starred in

Honor Moore Honor Moore is an American writer of poetry, creative nonfiction and plays. Biography She is the daughter of Jenny Moore and of Bishop Paul Moore. She is the author of three collections of poems: ''Red Shoes'', ''Darling'', and ''Memoir''; two ...

's ''Mourning Pictures'' at the

Tricycle Theatre The Kiln Theatre (formerly the Tricycle Theatre) is a theatre located in Kilburn, in the London Borough of Brent, England. Since 1980, the theatre has presented a wide range of plays reflecting the cultural diversity of the area, as well as ...

, a Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company production, with original music by Tony Haynes. The play was broadcast on

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

in May 1982. She later published a book about the company, ''Monstrous Regiment: A Collective Celebration''. An essay of hers, "An Age Of Innocence", was published in the collection ''Trinity Tales: Trinity College In The Sixties''. She has extensive credits on stage as well as on TV and film. Hanna also had a bit part playing the very fragile and somewhat 'delicate' typist teacher Mrs Gossage in the sixth series of

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...

(1983) and played the sister of the evil Trevor Jordache in

Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Br ...

during the infamous 'body under the patio' storyline in the 1990s.

Books

* ''Monstrous Regiment: A Collective Celebration'', London: Nick Hern Books, (1991) *

Partial filmography

* ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three dau ...

'' (1973, TV Series) - Actress in Plugged Into History * ''

'' (1983, TV Series) - Mrs. Gossage * ''Brookside'' (1983-1995, TV Series) - Brenna Jordache / Mrs. Brown * '' The Fear'' (1988, TV Series) - Mrs. Broderick * '' All Creatures Great and Small'' (1988, TV Series) - Betty Sanders * ''The Wolves of Willoughby Chase'' (1989) - Mrs. Shubunkin * ''

Making News ''Making News'' is a television drama set in the world of journalism produced by Thames Television for the ITV network. A pilot episode, entitled 'Making News', was screened on 9 May 1989 as part of Thames' anthology series ''Storyboard''. T ...

'' (1990, TV Series) - Mrs. Gurney * ''

EastEnders ''EastEnders'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British soap opera created by Julia Smith (producer), Julia Smith and Tony Holland which has been broadcast on BBC One since February 1985. Set in the fictional borough of Walford in the Ea ...

'' (1991, TV Series) - Mrs. Desmond * '' All Good Things'' (1991, TV Series) - Mrs. Grant * ''The House of Bernarda Alba'' (1991, TV Movie) - Maid * ''

Poirot Hercule Poirot (, ) is a fictional Belgian detective created by British writer Agatha Christie. Poirot is one of Christie's most famous and long-running characters, appearing in 33 novels, two plays ('' Black Coffee'' and ''Alibi''), and more ...

'' (1993, TV Series) - Margaret Baker * ''The Marshal'' (1993) - Maria Pia * ''15: The Life and Death of Philip Knight'' (1995, TV Movie) - Margareth Knight * ''

Desmond's ''Desmond's'' is a British television situation comedy broadcast by Channel 4 from 1989 to 1994. Conceived and co-written by Trix Worrell, and produced by Charlie Hanson and Humphrey Barclay, ''Desmond's'' stars Norman Beaton as barber Desmond ...

'' (1993, TV Series) - Pamela * ''

Screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

'' (1993, TV Series) - Eileen * ''

Drop the Dead Donkey ''Drop the Dead Donkey'' is a British television sitcom that was first shown on Channel 4 in the United Kingdom between 1990 and 1998. It is set in the offices of "GlobeLink News", a fictional TV news company. Recorded close to transmission, i ...

'' (1994, TV Series) - Mrs. Babcock * ''

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 ...

'' (1995-2007, TV Series) - Sal Rhodes / Mrs. Mohan * ''The Heart Surgeon'' (1997, TV Movie) - Margot * '' Dangerfield'' (1997, TV Series) - Julie Hanson * ''

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 ...

'' (1998, directed by Bille August) - Mme. Thénardier * ''

All the Queen's Men ''All the Queen's Men'' is a 2001 English-language action comedy war film directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky and starring Matt LeBlanc and Eddie Izzard. Made on a budget of $15 million, the film received heavily negative reviews from critics, and ...

'' (2001, directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky) - Nettie * ''

Weirdsister College ''Weirdsister College'' is the sequel to successful British children's television series ''The Worst Witch'' (1998–2001), based on ''The Worst Witch'' books by Jill Murphy. ''Weirdsister College'' aired on ITV from 28 November to 14 December ...

'' (2001, TV Series) - Josie Foster * '' The Heart of Me'' (2002, directed by Thaddeus O'Sullivan) - Betty / Maid * ''

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 ...

'' (2005, directed by Roman Polanski) - Mrs. Sowerberry * ''

Doctors Doctor or The Doctor may refer to: Personal titles * Doctor (title), the holder of an accredited academic degree * A medical practitioner, including: ** Physician ** Surgeon ** Dentist ** Veterinary physician ** Optometrist *Other roles ** ...

'' (2006, TV Series) - Pat Bishop * ''The Kindness of Strangers'' (2006, TV Movie, directed by Tony Smith) - Hannah * ''Mist: The Tale of a Sheepdog Puppy'' (2006, TV Movie) - Swift * ''Mist: Sheepdog Tales'' (2007-2009, TV Series) - Swift / Queenie Creamer / MacPhereson Sister * ''

Inspector George Gently ''Inspector George Gently'' (also known as ''George Gently'' for the pilot and first series) is a 2008 British television crime drama series produced by Company Pictures for BBC One, set in the 1960s and loosely based on some of the Inspector G ...

'' (2008, TV Movie) - Mabs Hardyment * '' Mr. Nice'' (2010, directed by Bernard Rose) - Irish Phone Operator * ''

Married Single Other ''Married Single Other'' is a British television drama created and written by Peter Souter. The series is based on the lives of group of people who are either married, single or "other", other being defined as in a relationship. It began airing ...

'' (2010, TV Series) - Mrs. Kelly * '' Strike Back'' (2011, TV Series) - Joanna Heath * ''National Theatre Live: Treasure Island'' (2015, directed by Polly Findlay) - Grandma * ''

The Amazing World of Gumball ''The Amazing World of Gumball'' is an animated sitcom created by Ben Bocquelet for Cartoon Network. The series concerns the lives of 12-year-old Gumball Watterson, an anthropomorphic blue cat, and adoptive goldfish brother Darwin, who attend ...

'' (2015-2019, TV Series) - Betty McArthur (Season 4-6) * ''

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for future works, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

'' (2016, directed by Michael Grandage) - Julia Wolfe * '' Ethel & Ernest'' (2016, directed by Roger Mainwood) - Midwife / Aunty Flo (voice)

References

External links

*
Agent's Biography
* *
National TheatreOfficial Monstrous Regiment Theatre Company website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hanna, Gillian 1944 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Irish actresses 21st-century Irish actresses Irish film actresses Irish television actresses Irish stage actresses Alumni of Trinity College Dublin