Natasha Parry (2 December 1930 – 22 July 2015) was an English actress of Russian descent. The daughter of film director Gordon Parry, she was married to theatre director

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

from 1951 until her death, and is the mother of filmmakers

Irina Brook Irina Brook (born 5 April 1962) is a Franco-British stage director, producer, and actress. She was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres in 2002 by the French Ministry of Culture. In May 2017 Brook was upgraded to Officier de l'ordre des Arts ...

and Simon Brook.

Early life

Born in London, Parry was the daughter of the Anglo-Greek film director Gordon Parry and his Russian wife. (Some sources say Gordon Parry was her stepfather.)

Stage

Parry made her stage debut at age 12 in ''

The Wingless Victory ''The Wingless Victory'' is a 1936 three-act tragedy written by Maxwell Anderson, set in the year 1800. It was produced on Broadway theatre, Broadway by Katharine Cornell and staged by Guthrie McClintic, running for 110 performances from December ...

''. At 14, she was in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

'', and later she played in ''Big Ben'' and ''

Bless the Bride ''Bless the Bride'' is a musical with music by Vivian Ellis and a book and lyrics by A. P. Herbert, the third of five musicals they wrote together. The story is about an English girl who elopes with a debonair French actor; he goes off to serve ...

''. On

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

she appeared in ''The Fighting Cock'' (1959–1960). Toward the end of her career, she was in ''The Tragedy of Hamlet'' at the

Young Vic The Young Vic Theatre is a performing arts venue located on The Cut, near the South Bank, in the London Borough of Lambeth. The Young Vic was established by Frank Dunlop in 1970. Kwame Kwei-Armah has been Artistic Director since February 201 ...

in London.

Film

Parry made her screen debut in ''

Dance Hall Dance hall in its general meaning is a hall for Dance, dancing. From the earliest years of the twentieth century until the early 1960s, the dance hall was the popular forerunner of the discothèque or nightclub. The majority of towns and citi ...

'' (1950). She appeared in many of her husband's productions including a live American television version of ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane an ...

'' (1953) opposite

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

, in Anouilh's ''The Fighting Cock'' with Rex Harrison, ''

Meetings with Remarkable Men ''Meetings with Remarkable Men, autobiographical in nature, is the second volume of the ''All and Everything'' trilogy written by the Greek-Armenian spiritual teacher G. I. Gurdjieff. Gurdjieff started working on the Russian manuscript in 1927, ...

'', ''

The Cherry Orchard ''The Cherry Orchard'' (russian: Вишнёвый сад, translit=Vishnyovyi sad) is the last play by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. Written in 1903, it was first published by ''Znaniye'' (Book Two, 1904), and came out as a separate edition ...

'', and ''

Happy Days ''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marshall, it was one of the most succ ...

''.

Personal life

Parry was out from performing for a year after contracting tuberculosis in 1952.

Marriage

In 1951, she married director

at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints,

Ennismore Gardens ''Ennismore'' is the second solo studio album by the English singer Colin Blunstone of rock band the Zombies. The name of the album comes from Ennismore Gardens, a square in Knightsbridge where Blunstone was living; the name being a variant spel ...

, Knightsbridge, London. The couple had two children,

Irina Irina (Cyrillic: Ирина) is a feminine given name of Ancient Greek origin, commonly borne by followers of the Eastern Orthodox Church. It is derived from Eirene (Ancient Greek: Εἰρήνη), an ancient Greek goddess, personification of pe ...

and

Simon Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...

.Profile
ftvdb.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 24 July 2015.

Death

Parry died on 22 July 2015 (Some sources say 23 July 2015) while on holiday in

La Baule La Baule-Escoublac (; br, Ar Baol-Skoubleg, ), commonly referred to as La Baule, is a communes of France, commune in the Loire-Atlantique departments of France, department, Pays de la Loire, western France. A century-old seaside resort in southe ...

, Brittany, France, at the age of 84 after a stroke.

Filmography

Selected television

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( – 28 January 1596) was an English explorer, sea captain, privateer, slave trader, naval officer, and politician. Drake is best known for his circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition, from 1577 to 1580 (t ...

– The Prisoner (1961) as Countess Inez * ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (french: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (''père'') completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers''. Li ...

'' (1964) as Mercédès

Selected theatre

* ''

'' (1953) * ''

Tchin-Tchin ''Tchin-Tchin'', also known as ''Chin-Chin'', is a Paris-based romantic comedy by François Billetdoux (1927–1991). Directed by François Darbon and designed by Francine Gaillard-Risler, it premiered at the Théâtre de Poche in Montparnasse, P ...

'' (1984,

Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord The Bouffes du Nord is a theatre at 37 bis, boulevard de la Chapelle, in the 10th arrondissement of Paris located near the Gare du Nord. It has been listed since 1993 as a ''monument historique'' by the French Ministry of Culture. History Founde ...

, Paris)

References

External links

* * 1930 births 2015 deaths Actresses from London English film actresses English television actresses English people of Greek descent Brook family {{England-actor-stub