Sally Thomsett (born 3 April 1950) is an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
actress
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...
who starred as Phyllis in the film ''
The Railway Children
''The Railway Children'' is a children's book by Edith Nesbit, originally serialised in ''The London Magazine'' during 1905 and published in book form in the same year. It has been adapted for the screen several times, of which the 1970 fil ...
'' (1970) and played Jo in the TV sitcom ''
Man About the House
''Man About the House'' is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer that starred Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. Six series were broadcast on ITV from 15 August 1973 to 7 A ...
'' (1973–1976). She also appeared as Janice in the film ''
Straw Dogs'' (1971) and Nemo in ''
Baxter!
''Baxter!'' is a 1973 British-American drama film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Patricia Neal, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Britt Ekland. The film follows a young boy called Roger Baxter who struggles to overcome his speech problem (rhotac ...
'' (1973).
Early life
Thomsett was born in
Plumpton in 1950 to Maurice and Dorothy Thomsett (née Joy) and had three older brothers. She grew up in nearby
Brighton
Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...
and attended the Elm Grove Infants and Juniors School. One of her brothers offered her five shillings to audition for ''The Max Bygraves Summer Show''. After doing so successfully, she appeared in several pantomimes until she left secondary school to attend Phildene Stage School in London.
Career
Out of drama school, Thomsett made several films for the
Children’s Film Foundation and appeared in many popular television series, including ''
Theatre 625
''Theatre 625'' is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production a ...
'', ''
Dixon of Dock Green
''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...
'', ''
Nearest and Dearest
''Nearest and Dearest'' is a British television sitcom that ran from 1968 to 1973. A total of 45 episodes were made, 18 in monochrome (black & white) and 27 in colour. The series, produced by ITV Granada, Granada Television for the ITV (TV netw ...
'' and ''
Z-Cars
''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...
''. She also starred as Jennifer Villiers in the comedy series ''The Very Merry Widow'' from 1967 to 1968 and also its
spin-off ''The Very Merry Widow and How'' in 1969.
''The Railway Children''
Thomsett was cast as Phyllis in ''The Railway Children'' despite the character being 11 years old and Thomsett being 20.
Jenny Agutter
Jennifer Ann Agutter (born 20 December 1952) is a British actress. She began her career as a child actress in 1964, appearing in ''East of Sudan'', '' Star!'', and two adaptations of ''The Railway Children''—the BBC's 1968 television serial ...
, who played her elder sister Bobbie in the film, was in fact two years younger than Thomsett. Thomsett was contractually forbidden to reveal her age during production, and was likewise not allowed to smoke, drink, drive a car, or be seen in public with her boyfriend. The film crew were unaware of her true age, and treated her as they would a child (e.g. giving her sweets), while addressing the younger Agutter as they would an adult. During an appearance on a BBC children's television programme ''shortly after'', Thomsett was told, "I wouldn't dream of asking a lady her age, but you're obviously quite a bit older than the part you played in the film". She received a nomination for the
BAFTA Film Award for Newcomer to Leading Film Roles
The British Academy Award for Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles is a discontinued award that was presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts until 1984.
The category had several name changes:
* 1952–1959: Most Promi ...
.
Later career
Thomsett went on to appear in ''
The Fenn Street Gang
''The Fenn Street Gang'' is a British television sitcom which ran for three seasons between 1971 and 1973. Created by John Esmonde and Bob Larbey, it was a spin-off from their popular '' Please Sir!'' series.
Synopsis
The series follows the l ...
'' and ''
Softly, Softly: Task Force'' before starring in the
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and co ...
film ''
Straw Dogs'' opposite
Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor and filmmaker. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable characters. He is th ...
and
Susan George, as well as ''
Baxter!
''Baxter!'' is a 1973 British-American drama film directed by Lionel Jeffries and starring Patricia Neal, Jean-Pierre Cassel and Britt Ekland. The film follows a young boy called Roger Baxter who struggles to overcome his speech problem (rhotac ...
'' with
Britt Ekland
Britt Ekland (; born Britt-Marie Eklund; 6 October 1942) is a Swedish actress, model and singer. She appeared in numerous films in her heyday throughout the 1960s and 1970s, including roles in '' The Double Man'' (1967), ''The Night They Raided ...
. After appearing in a television commercial advertising
Bovril
Bovril is the trademarked name of a thick and salty meat extract paste similar to a yeast extract, developed in the 1870s by John Lawson Johnston. It is sold in a distinctive bulbous jar, and as cubes and granules. Bovril is owned and distrib ...
in 1972, Thomsett was spotted by directors
Brian Cooke
Brian Cooke (born 1937) is a British comedy writer who, along with co-writer Johnnie Mortimer, wrote scripts for and devised many of the top television sitcoms during the 1970s, including ''Man About the House'', ''George and Mildred'', and '' ...
and
Johnnie Mortimer
John Mortimer (2 July 1931 – 2 September 1992) professionally Johnnie Mortimer, was a British scriptwriter for British TV whose work, along with creative writing partner Brian Cooke, also served as inspiration for American television pro ...
, who cast her in the hit
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
''
Man About the House
''Man About the House'' is a British sitcom created by Brian Cooke and Johnnie Mortimer that starred Richard O'Sullivan, Paula Wilcox, Sally Thomsett, Yootha Joyce and Brian Murphy. Six series were broadcast on ITV from 15 August 1973 to 7 A ...
'' as Jo, a role that she played for the show's entire run from 1973 to 1976, including a 1974 spin-off
film of the same name.
After ''Man About the House'' ended in 1976, Thomsett continued to act, appearing in ''
Wodehouse Playhouse
''Wodehouse Playhouse'' is a British television comedy series based on the short stories of P. G. Wodehouse. From 1974 to 1978, a pilot and three series were made, with 21 half-hour episodes altogether in the entire series. The series has been r ...
'' in 1978. After appearing in a
Crunchie
Crunchie is a brand of chocolate bar with a honeycomb toffee (or known as "sponge toffee" in Canada and "honeycomb" or "cinder toffee" in the UK as well as "hokey pokey" in New Zealand) sugar centre. It is made by Cadbury and was originally lau ...
chocolate bars advert in 1979, Thomsett gave up acting for a while in order to travel the world. She returned in the mid-1980s and appeared on stage in a 1987 production of ''The Cat and the Canary'' before making regular pantomime appearances. She also appeared in the music video for "
Doctor in Distress", a charity single made to save ''
Doctor Who
''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
'' from cancellation in 1985. Thomsett's career slowed down after the birth of her daughter, although she did appear on stage in 1998 and 1999 in a touring production of ''The Holly and the Ivy''.
Thomsett appeared in ''Peter Pan'' as Mrs. Darling at
Doncaster Racecourse
Doncaster Racecourse (also known as the Town Moor course) is a racecourse in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, England. It hosts two of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the St Leger Stakes and the Racing Post Trophy.
History
Doncas ...
during the 2014–2015 Christmas season.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomsett, Sally
1950 births
Living people
English film actresses
English television actresses
Actresses from Sussex
People from Plumpton, East Sussex