Catriona MacColl (born 3 October 1954) is an English actress who has worked extensively in both film and television across Europe. She is best known for her work in Italian horror films, as she has appeared in

Lucio Fulci Lucio Fulci (; 17 June 1927 – 13 March 1996) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor. Although he worked in a wide array of genres through a career spanning nearly five decades, including comedies and Spaghetti Westerns, he ga ...

's '' City of the Living Dead'' (1980), '' The Beyond'' (1981) and ''

The House by the Cemetery ''The House by the Cemetery'' ( it, Quella villa accanto al cimitero) is a 1981 Italian horror film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film stars Catriona MacColl, Paolo Malco, Ania Pieroni, Giovanni Frezza, Silvia Collatina and Dagmar Lassander. It ...

'' (1981).

Early life

MacColl was born in

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 3 October 1954. In her youth, she trained professionally as a

ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

from the age of five, attending the Royal Ballet School. As a young adult, MacColl suffered a foot injury that prevented her from continuing her career path in dancing.

Career

MacColl is recognised for her work on European television and film, mainly in Italy. She has gained somewhat of a cult status, by horror fans, because of her career as an Italian horror actress. MacColl began her career in the late 1970s, making her debut in the French romantic drama ''Le dernier amant romantique'', in which she received a small role. In 1979, she received her first leading role in ''

Lady Oscar , also known as ''Lady Oscar'' and ''La Rose de Versailles'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine '' Margaret'' from 1972 to 1973, while a revival of the s ...

'', a historical drama directed by

Jacques Demy Jacques Demy (; 5 June 1931 – 27 October 1990) was a French director, lyricist, and screenwriter. He appeared at the height of the French New Wave alongside contemporaries like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut. Demy's films are celebra ...

based on the manga '' Rose of Versailles'' by

Riyoko Ikeda is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She is included in the Year 24 Group, by some, although her status as one of them has been debated due to a focus more on epic stories than the internal psychology of those mangaka. She was one of the most ...

. According to MacColl, because ''Lady Oscar'' was not widely released in Europe, her career stalled:

"I met all kinds of incredible French directors and of course they all knew Jacques. And they would all say: 'Oh, you’re the girl who played the lead in the Demy film that never came out?' So, they all knew who I was, but that really didn’t help me."

Following her part in the drama ''Le fils puni'', she appeared in the first of director

's 'The Gates of Hell Trilogy', '' City of the Living Dead'', playing the role of Mary Woodhouse, with

Christopher George Christopher John George ( Greek: Χριστόφορος Γεωργίου; February 25, 1931 – November 28, 1983) was an American television and film actor who starred in the 1960s television series '' The Rat Patrol''. He was nominated for a G ...

. MacColl was hesitant to do ''City of the Living Dead'', because the script was badly written. "It seemed to me like a series of special effects without a story", she said in an interview in 2011. She called her agent to seek his advice. He told her to "take the film, because nobody is going to see it anyway." MacColl says her agent turned out to be wrong about that. In her second role in the trilogy, '' The Beyond'', she plays the role of Liza Merril, a young woman who inherits an infamous hotel in

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is bord ...

only to discover what lies beneath it is one of the seven doors to Hell. MacColl has stated that ''The Beyond'' is her most favourable of the trilogy, for the fact that she enjoyed working with the cast and crew, especially

David Warbeck David Warbeck (born David Mitchell; 17 November 1941 – 23 July 1997) was a New Zealand actor and model best known for his roles in European exploitation and horror films. A native of Christchurch, New Zealand, Warbeck became involved in local ...

, and that it was filmed in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

. The final of the trilogy was ''

'', for which she played Lucy Boyle, the mother and wife of a family who move into an old house, unaware that someone or something lives in the basement. MacColl did not originally plan to work in films with such a violent nature, as she had thought that they would not attract an audience, but following the growing fanbase of the trilogy over the years and that the films have received worldwide recognition, she is proud of the success of the trilogy. MacColl was asked by Fulci to appear in '' The New York Ripper'', but she declined. She has also appeared in such films as ''

Hawk the Slayer ''Hawk the Slayer'' is a 1980 British sword and sorcery adventure film directed by Terry Marcel, and starring John Terry and Jack Palance. The story follows two warring brothers who fight to gain control of a magical sword. Brave warrior, the titu ...

'' (1980), ''

Afraid of the Dark ''Afraid of the Dark'' is a 1991 French-British drama film directed by Mark Peploe and starring James Fox, Fanny Ardant and Paul McGann Paul John McGann (; born 14 November 1959) is an English actor. He came to prominence for portraying ...

'' (1991), '' A Good Year'' (2006), and most recently, the 2011

anthology film An anthology film (also known as an omnibus film, package film, or portmanteau film) is a single film consisting of several shorter films, each complete in itself and distinguished from the other, though frequently tied together by a single theme ...

The Theatre Bizarre ''The Theatre Bizarre'' is a 2011 American Horror film, horror anthology film. The six segments are directed by Douglas Buck, Buddy Giovinazzo, David Gregory (filmmaker), David Gregory, Karim Hussain, Tom Savini and Richard Stanley (director), Ric ...

''. She also starred in the Swiss short comedy film '' Employé du mois''. MacColl has had a successful career in television. In 1978 she made her television debut in the French series ''Il était un musicien''. Her credits include the mystery series ''Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson'', the short-lived BBC series '' Squadron'', the mini-series '' The Last Days of Pompeii'', '' Dempsey and Makepeace'', ''

The Hardy Boys The Hardy Boys, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional characters who appear in several mystery series for children and teens. The series revolves around teenagers who are amateur sleuths, solving cases that stumped their adult counterp ...

'', and the French soap opera ''

Plus belle la vie ''Plus belle la vie'' (More beautiful life) is a French television soap opera based on an idea by Hubert Besson and characters created by Georges Desmouceaux, Bénédicte Achard, Magaly Richard-Serrano and Olivier Szulzynger. On air since 30 Augus ...

''.

Personal life

MacColl was married to actor

Jon Finch Jon Finch (2 March 1942 – 28 December 2012) was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles. Most notably, he starred in films for directors Roman Polanski (''Macbeth'', 1971) and Alfred Hitchcock (''Fren ...

from 1982 to 1987 and now lives in France.

Filmography

Film

Television

* ''Squadron'' (1982; TV series) – Flt. Ct. Dr. Susan Young **''Histoire d'un bonheur'' (1982) – Patricia *'' The Last Days of Pompeii'' (1984 TV mini-series) – Julia *'' Dempsey and Makepeace'' (TV series) **''Hors de Combat'' (1985) – Angie Hughes *''

Katts and Dog ''Katts and Dog'' is a French and Canadian-produced television series that ran from 1988 to 1993. It was known as ''Rin Tin Tin: K-9 Cop'' in the United States where it originally aired on CBN Cable/The Family Channel and ''Rintintin Junior'' in ...

'' (TV series) **''The Grand Hotel Caper'' (1989) – Lydia *'' The Hitchhiker'' (TV series) **''Garter Belt'' (1989) – Catherine * Counterstrike (TV series) **''The Lady of the Rhine'' (1990) – Lorraine Sydberg *''

Strangers A stranger is a person who is unknown to another person or group. Because of this unknown status, a stranger may be perceived as a threat until their identity and character can be ascertained. Different classes of strangers have been identified f ...

'' (TV series) **''Touch'' (1996) – Eva *''

'' (2004–06; TV series) **''Episode #2.182'' (2006) – Ann Boccara

References

External links

*
Official site
cultcollectibles.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Maccoll, Catriona 1954 births English film actresses English television actresses Living people Actresses from London 20th-century English actresses 21st-century English actresses English expatriates in France Expatriate actresses in France