Natasha Parry
English actress (1930–2015)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Natasha Parry (born Natalie Wills; 2 December 1930 – 22 July 2015) was an English actress.[1] Recognised for her work on stage and screen, she was best known for her collaborations with her husband, director Peter Brook.[2] She was the mother of filmmakers Irina and Simon Brook.
2 December 1930
Natasha Parry | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Natalie Wills 2 December 1930 London, England |
| Died | 22 July 2015 (aged 84) Saint-Nazaire, France |
Resting place | Jouars-Pontchartrain Churchyard, Île-de-France |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1949–2014 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Irina Brook Simon Brook |
| Father | Gordon Parry (step-father) |
Early life
Parry was born Natalie Wills in London in 1930. Her mother was a White Russian émigré who, according to John Heilpern, was related to Alexander Pushkin.[2] At some point, her mother remarried to film director Gordon Parry.[1][3]
Career
Stage
Parry made her stage debut at age 12[4] in The Wingless Victory. At 14, she was in A Midsummer Night's Dream, and later she played in Big Ben and Bless the Bride.[5] On Broadway she appeared in The Fighting Cock (1959–1960).[6] Toward the end of her career, she was in The Tragedy of Hamlet at the Young Vic in London.[2]
Film
Parry made her screen debut in Dance Hall (1950).[7] She appeared in many of her husband's productions including a live American television version of King Lear (1953) opposite Orson Welles,[8] in Anouilh's The Fighting Cock with Rex Harrison,[9] Meetings with Remarkable Men, The Cherry Orchard, and Happy Days.[10]
Personal life
In 1951, she married director Peter Brook at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and All Saints, Ennismore Gardens, Knightsbridge, London.[11] The couple had two children, Irina and Simon.[12][13]
Parry stopped performing for a year after contracting tuberculosis in 1952.[3]
Death
Parry died on 22 July 2015 (Some sources say 23 July[2]) while on holiday in La Baule, Brittany, France, at the age of 84 after a stroke.[1]
Acting credits
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Golden Arrow | Betty Felton | |
| 1950 | Dance Hall | Eve | |
| 1950 | Midnight Episode | Jill Harris | |
| 1951 | The Dark Man | Molly Lester | |
| 1952 | Crow Hollow | Ann Amour | |
| 1953 | King Lear | Cordelia | |
| 1954 | Knave of Hearts | Patricia | |
| 1957 | Windom's Way | Anna Vidal | |
| 1959 | The Rough and the Smooth | Margaret Goreham | |
| 1960 | Midnight Lace | Peggy Thompson | |
| 1961 | The Fourth Square | Sandra Martin | |
| 1963 | Girl in the Headlines | Perlita Barker | |
| 1968 | Romeo and Juliet | Lady Capulet | |
| 1969 | Oh! What a Lovely War | Sir William Robertson's Lady | |
| 1979 | Meetings with Remarkable Men | Vitvitskaia | |
| 1981 | La fille prodigue | La mère | |
| 1982 | Le Lit | Eva | |
| 2014 | Le goût des myrtilles | Jeanne |
Selected television
- Sir Francis Drake – The Prisoner (1961) as Countess Inez
- The Count of Monte Cristo (1964) as Mercédès
Selected theatre
- King Lear (1953)
- Tchin-Tchin (1984, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Paris)
