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 ''Laughter in Paradise'' is a 1951 British comedy film, starring Alastair Sim, Fay Compton, George Cole, and Guy Middleton. The film was remade as ''Some Will, Some Won't'' (1970). Plot In his will, notorious practical joker Henry Russell leave ...

'' (1951), ''

Final Appointment ''Final Appointment'' is a 1954 British comedy thriller film directed by Terence Fisher, and starring John Bentley, Eleanor Summerfield and Hubert Gregg. It also features Arthur Lowe, later to become famous for his portrayal of Captain Main ...

'' (1954), ''

Odongo ''Odongo'' or ''Odongo Adventure on the African Frontier'' is a 1956 British Warwick Films CinemaScope African adventure drama film directed by John Gilling and starring Rhonda Fleming, Macdonald Carey and Juma. The screenplay concerns a white ...

'' (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 ''On the Fiddle'' (released as ''Operation Snafu'' and ''Operation War Head'' in the United States) is a 1961 British comedy film directed by Cyril Frankel and starring Sean Connery, Alfred Lynch, Cecil Parker, Stanley Holloway, Eric Barker, M ...

'' (1961), '' The Running Man'' (1963) and ''

Some Will, Some Won't ''Some Will, Some Won't'' is a 1970 British comedy film directed by Duncan Wood, a remake of '' Laughter in Paradise'' (1951). It starred an ensemble British cast which included Michael Hordern, Ronnie Corbett, Dennis Price, Leslie Phillips and ...

'' (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 The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Senat ...

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 right ...

'' 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 su ...

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, Jee ...

's fictional character

Aunt Dahlia Dahlia Travers (née Wooster) is a recurring fictional character in the Jeeves stories of English comic writer P. G. Wodehouse, being best known as Bertie Wooster's bonhomous, red-faced Aunt Dahlia. She is much beloved by her nephew, in contra ...

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 ''The World of Wooster'' is a comedy television series, based on the Jeeves stories by author P. G. Wodehouse. The television series starred Ian Carmichael as English gentleman Bertie Wooster and Dennis Price as Bertie's valet Jeeves. The s ...

'' (1965–1967) aired on

BBC 1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...

. 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'': Series 1: Episode 4, 1998 '' Faithful Until Death'' as Elfrida Molfrey.

Personal life and death

Summerfield was married to actor

Leonard Sachs Leonard Meyer Sachs (26 September 1909 – 15 June 1990) was a South African-born British actor. Life and career Sachs was born in the town of Roodepoort, in the then Transvaal Colony, present day South Africa. He was Jewish. He emigrated t ...

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'' (1948) - The Blonde * ''

The Weaker Sex ''The Weaker Sex'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ursula Jeans, Cecil Parker and Joan Hopkins. It was one of the most popular films at the British box office in 1948. The film's subject was what ''The Ne ...

'' (1948) - Clippie (uncredited) * ''

The Story of Shirley Yorke ''The Story of Shirley Yorke'' is a 1948 British drama film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Derek Farr, Dinah Sheridan and Margaretta Scott. The film was based on the play '' The Case of Lady Camber'' by Horace Annesley Vachell. It w ...

'' (1948) - Doris * '' All Over the Town'' (1949) - Beryl Hopper * ''

Man on the Run ''Man on the Run'' is a 1949 British film noir directed by Lawrence Huntington and starring Derek Farr, Joan Hopkins, Edward Chapman, Kenneth More and Laurence Harvey. Plot An army deserter, still a fugitive in post-war Britain, wanders ...

'' (1949) - May Baker, Anchor Hotel * '' No Way Back'' (1949) - Beryl * '' The Third Visitor'' (1951) - Vera Kurton * ''

'' (1951) - Sheila Wilcott * '' Scrooge'' (1951) - Miss Flora * ''

The Last Page ''The Last Page'', released in the United States as ''Man Bait'', is a 1952 British film noir produced by Hammer Film Productions starring George Brent, Marguerite Chapman and Diana Dors. The film is notable for being the first Hammer film dir ...

'' (1952) - Vi * '' Mandy'' (1952) - Lily Tabor * ''

Top Secret Classified information is material that a government body deems to be sensitive information that must be protected. Access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of people with the necessary security clearance and need to kn ...

'' (1952) - Cecilia * '' Street Corner'' (1953) - Edna Hurran * ''

Isn't Life Wonderful! , starring = Cecil ParkerEileen HerlieDonald WolfitPeter Asher , music = Philip Green , cinematography = Erwin Hillier , editing = Edward B. Jarvis , studio = Associated British Picture Corporation , distribu ...

'' (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 Hamm ...

'' (aka ''Blackout'') (1954) - Margaret 'Maggie' Doone * ''

'' (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 * ''

'' (1956) - Celia Watford * ''

It's Great to Be Young ''It's Great to Be Young'' is a 1956 musical Technicolor comedy film about a school music teacher, starring Cecil Parker and John Mills. Plot Mr Dingle (John Mills) seeks to interest his pupils in music in order to enjoy life, while the new ...

'' (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 murder ...

'' (1958) - Gloria * ''

'' (1960) - Ethel * ''

The Millionairess ''The Millionairess'' is a 1960 British romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Asquith, and starring Sophia Loren and Peter Sellers. Set in London, it is a loose adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's 1936 play of the same name. Plot By the ...

'' (1960) - Mrs. Willoughby * '' Carry On Regardless'' (1961) - Mrs. Riley (part cut) (uncredited) * '' Spare the Rod'' (1961) - Mrs. Harkness * ''

Don't Bother to Knock ''Don't Bother to Knock'' is a 1952 American psychological film noir thriller starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe and directed by Roy Ward Baker. The screenplay was written by Daniel Taradash, based on the 1951 novel ''Mischief'' by C ...

'' (1961) - Mother * ''

'' (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 ''Guns of Darkness'' is a 1962 British drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring David Niven, Leslie Caron and James Robertson Justice. It is based on the 1960 novel ''Act of Mercy'' by Francis Clifford, which was retitled ''Guns of ...

'' (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 ''The Spy Killer'' is a 1969 American action thriller drama spy television film originally aired on ABC and directed by Roy Ward Baker. Its teleplay, written by Jimmy Sangster, was based on his own 1967 novel ''private i''. The film starred R ...

'' (1969, TV Movie) - Mrs. Roberts * ''

Foreign Exchange The foreign exchange market (Forex, FX, or currency market) is a global decentralized or over-the-counter (OTC) market for the trading of currencies. This market determines foreign exchange rates for every currency. It includes all as ...

'' (1970, TV Movie) - Mrs. Roberts * ''

'' (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