Jennifer Stoller (26 April 1946 – 18 November 2018) was a British actress. In a career spanning almost 40 years, she appeared in TV, film, stage and radio productions.

Early life

Stoller was born in Finchley, north London, to

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

parents. Her father, Sam Stoller, was a fishmonger, of Russian and Lithuanian descent, and her mother Ada (née Pottersman), was from

Łódź Łódź, also rendered in English as Lodz, is a city in central Poland and a former industrial centre. It is the capital of Łódź Voivodeship, and is located approximately south-west of Warsaw. The city's coat of arms is an example of cant ...

, Poland. Stoller attended La Sagesse, a Catholic convent school, in

Golders Green Golders Green is an area in the London Borough of Barnet in England. A smaller suburban linear settlement, near a farm and public grazing area green of medieval origins, dates to the early 19th century. Its bulk forms a late 19th century and ea ...

. After completing high school, Stoller attended the Drama Centre theatre school in London, however in 1966 she was asked to leave as she was not considered suitable for group dramatic work.

Career

Following her training at the Drama Centre, Stoller worked in repertory theatre for a number of years, and in theatre-in-education groups. In 1971 she joined

Nancy Meckler Nancy Meckler is an American theatre and film director, known for her work in the United Kingdom with Shared Experience, where she was a joint artistic director alongside Polly Teale. Life and career Nancy Meckler was born and educated in the ...

’s Freehold company. Meckler was an American director and Stoller appeared in a number of new works, including works by American

Sam Shepard Samuel Shepard Rogers III (November 5, 1943 – July 27, 2017) was an American actor, playwright, author, screenwriter, and director whose career spanned half a century. He won 10 Obie Awards for writing and directing, the most by any write ...

. Stoller was also a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company in the 1970s, playing Helena in the 1972 world tour of

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 Sha ...

’s production of ''

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 was later a founding member of its offshoot company

Joint Stock A joint-stock company is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholders a ...

. She also performed with the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

and the National Theatre of England. In 1983 she performed in New York City as part of the

New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...

. In 2009 Stoller performed in Caryl Churchill's play ''

Seven Jewish Children ''Seven Jewish Children: A Play for Gaza'' is a six-page, 10-minute play by British playwright Caryl Churchill, written in response to the 2008-2009 Israel military strike on Gaza, and first performed at London's Royal Court Theatre on 6 Februar ...

'' at the Royal Court Theatre. The BBC refused to broadcast the play on radio due to its political nature; in response, ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' hired theatre director Elliot Smith to produce a version of the play that could be shared on its website, and Stoller performed the play as a monologue. Stoller was a member of the BBC Radio Drama Company and appeared in over 100 radio broadcasts. She also appeared in television series, notably in the role of Annabelle Harborough in the 1981 series ''

Sapphire & Steel ''Sapphire & Steel'' is a British television supernatural sci-fi/fantasy series starring David McCallum as Steel and Joanna Lumley as Sapphire. Produced by ATV, it ran from 1979 to 1982 on the ITV network. The series was created by Peter J. ...

'', and a small number of films. In her later years, Stoller taught and directed theatre productions for London theatre schools.

Death

Stoller died in London on 18 November 2018 of

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. She was 72 years old.

Stage appearances

Television appearances

Film appearances

Radio appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoller, Jennie 1946 births 2018 deaths People from Finchley Royal Shakespeare Company members Alumni of the Drama Centre London British people of Russian-Jewish descent British people of Lithuanian-Jewish descent British people of Polish-Jewish descent 20th-century British actresses 21st-century British actresses Actresses from London British film actresses British radio actresses British stage actresses British television actresses Jewish British actresses