Heather Chasen
| Heather Chasen | |
|---|---|
|
Heather Chasen, pictured in 2009. | |
| Born |
Heather Jean Chasen 20 July 1927 Singapore |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1945–2014 |
| Notable work | See below |
| Television |
Crossroads Marked Personal EastEnders |
| Children | Rupert Chasen |
| Parent(s) |
F.N Chasen Agnes H McCullock |
Heather Jean Chasen (born 20 July 1927) is an English actress. Chasen is known for her roles in soap operas; playing Valerie Pollard in the ITV soap opera Crossroads from 1982–86[1] and guest roles in Doctors, Holby City and Family Affairs. Chasen also played many roles in BBC Radio 2's The Navy Lark from 1959–77, and appeared in the television series Marked Personal from 1973–74. She played Lydia Simmonds in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, a role which received positive reviews from critics, EastEnders cast members and crew. Furthermore, she has appeared extensively in theatre productions and film; in 2012, she appeared in a film version of Les Misérables.
Early and personal life
Chasen was born on 20 July 1927, in Singapore.[2] Chasen's father, F.N. Chasen was an English ornithologist, who fought in World War I under the Norfolk Yeomanry as a trooper.[3] In 1921, he left England, to work at the Raffles Library and Museum in Singapore, marrying Chasen's mother, Agnes H McCullock, in 1926.[3] After Chasen's birth, her parents had another daughter, Christine Elizabeth, on 4 May 1931.[3] Her parents split in 1938, and both remarried.[3] Before the Japanese occupation, which led to the Battle of Singapore during World War II, Chasen and her mother left Singapore on the last boat before the occupation.[2] Her father, on a separate ship, HMS Giang Bee, perished however, when it was sunk by the Japanese on 12 February 1942, and Chasen's new stepfather, G.C.R Franks, too perished fighting, a month later, on the 22 March.[3] Chasen and her mother moved to England and Chasen trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where she then acted on stage and went on a tour with Frankie Howerd in Hotel Paradiso.[4] She also appeared with Sybil Thorndike in Call Me Jacky,[4] as well as going on tour with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. in The Pleasure of his Company, in Toronto.[4][5] Chasen is good friends with, and previously had a relationship with, Amanda Barrie.[6] In 1949, she married John Webster in Surrey and has one son with him, Rupert, born in Kensington, 1955.
Career
Crossroads and EastEnders
| “ | I did an episode where I played this journalist which they must have quite liked because they got back to me about a month later. [They asked me] 'Would you come back and join the cast and change the colour of your hair?' Well, I said okay and so I changed my [hair] colour from red to blonde and I looked exactly the same! I didn't look any different at all. And so then I came back as this naughty lady, Valerie Pollard. The most fun I had was when I was helping out behind the bar which is a very good place to be if you're in a soap because you're in every scene. I was very happy, it was a fun time, I enjoyed it. At the beginning, not at the very end. When I first joined it, for the first few months I was in it was great fun but after Jack (the producer) went it became less good and less fun and I didn't enjoy it so much". | ” | |
| — Chasen describing her time on Crossroads, from 1982 to 1986[1] | |||
In 2011, Chasen was cast as Lydia Simmonds, Janine Butcher (Charlie Brooks)'s maternal grandmother and Norman Simmonds' (George Layton) mother,[7] in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, after the original actress Margaret Tyzack had to pull out of the role due to personal reasons.[8] Two episodes featuring Tyzack had already been broadcast,[9][10] and she featured in a further one on 14 April.[11] The producers wanted to keep Lydia in the show as they had plans for her,[12] so Chasen was cast and she replaced Tyzack in the role, beginning filming on 15 April [8] for scenes broadcast from 21 April.[13] EastEnders' executive producer, Bryan Kirkwood, added: "In order to continue the current storyline we've taken the decision for Heather Chasen to take over the role of Lydia."[14] The character died on-screen and Chasen made her last appearance on 13 June 2011,[15] and, though not credited for it, did a voice-over for the 14 and 28 June episodes.[16] Kirkwood later said "Lydia's storyline was perfect" and that Chasen had made the part her own after Tyzack's departure.[17] Brooks said of the storyline as a whole, "I absolutely loved exploring Janine's background. I was really proud with the scenes with Heather Chasen [Lydia]. It was really hard work, but worth it."[18]
Other work
Chasen has appeared in other television programmes such as The Bill and The Harry Hill Show.[4] She has had guest roles in Z-Cars and Dixon of Dock Green[19] and has voiced a number of characters in the radio show The Navy Lark, most notably WREN Heather Chasen and "battle axe" Ramona Povey.[20] In soaps, she has had four separate stints in the BBC soap opera Doctors, with her most recent stint in 2014,[21] reprising her role as Grace Barberry from 2012,[22] played Sylvie Leigh in Holby City and played Madge Bennet in the Channel 5 soap opera, Family Affairs, for five episodes.[1] More earlier credits include, playing "rich bitches" Caroline Kerr, in The Newcomers and Isabel Neal in Marked Personal, alongside Stephanie Beacham.[4] She also played the "evil" headmistress in Schoolgirls in Uniform at the Battersea Arts Centre.[4] In stage and theatre, Chasen appeared in The Rat Trap. Michael Billington from The Guardian described Chasen's character, Burrage the maid, as "trundling", rating the play three stars.[23] Other than this, she has appeared in Pardon Ma Prime Minister alongside Gerald Flood and Paul Curran, written by Edward Taylor and John Graham who created the BBC radio series The Men from the Ministry.[24] The Birmingham Mail described the play as "hilarious" and "promising".[24] One of Chasen's more recent plays was My Three Angels in which she played Madame Parole,[4] other plays include, The Man Who Came to Dinner, Who Bombed Birmingham playing Margaret Thatcher,[25] and The Lizard of Rock, in which she played the main role,[4][20] appearing alongside actor Jack Hawkins.[20] Chasen opined that she had a "lovely time" playing Miss Marple in A Murder is Announced alongside Richard Todd and Barbara Murray.[4] In 2009, Chasen appeared in the award-winning Anglo-Russian feature film Season of Mists, playing Jane.[25] Chasen appeared alongside Marina Blake, Sergei Chonishvili, Ifan Huw Dafydd and ex-EastEnders actor Dudley Sutton.[25] Other films Chasen has appeared in include, The Kiss of Tosca in 2000, The Toybox in 2003 and Cat Run, a 2011 film.[25][26]
Awards and nominations
Chasen was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, while she appeared in the New York adaptation of A Severed Head between 1963-65.[4] She appeared the cast of the Seasons of Mists which won a number of awards internationally.[25]
Filmography
- Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | No Hiding Place | Brenda | 1 episode |
| The Cheaters | Mary Calder | ||
| The World of Tim Frazer | Helen Baker | 6 episodes | |
| Danger Man | Helen Hamilton | 1 episode | |
| 1961 | Lorain Zameda | ||
| Walk a Crooked Mile | Angela Charles | ||
| Inspector Maigret | Guest | ||
| Dixon of Dock Green | Laura Beckley | ||
| 1962 | Saki | Agnes Huddle | |
| Dixon of Dock Green | Stella Judd | ||
| 1963 | Jezebel ex UK | Rita Lorraine | |
| Suspense | Clarice Morrison | ||
| 1965 | The Newcomers | Caroline Kerr | |
| 1967 | Z-Cars | Pamela Raven | 2 episodes |
| 1969 | Call My Bluff | Herself | 1 episode |
| 1973–74 | Marked Personal | Isabel Neal | 84 episodes |
| 1977 | Play of the Month: Waste | Lady Julia Farrant | |
| 1978 | A Traveller in Time | Mary, Queen of Scots | 3 episodes |
| 1981 | Ladykillers | Mrs. Martinetti | 1 episode |
| 1982 | Crossroads | Reporter | |
| Young Sherlock: The Mystery of the Manor House | Aunt Rachel | 5 episodes | |
| 1982–86 | Crossroads | Valerie Pollard | Unknown |
| 1983 | Shades of Darkness | Minor Role | 1 episode |
| 1989 | Heat of the Day | Mrs Kelway | |
| 1990 | Who Bombed Birmingham | Margaret Thatcher | |
| 1992 | The Eligible Bachelor | The Hon Amelia | |
| Surgical Spirit | Sabatini's Mother | ||
| 2003 | The Bill | Mrs. Belstram | |
| 2002 | Holby City | Sylvie Leigh | |
| 2003 | The All New Harry Hill Show | Betty | |
| Doctors | Norma | ||
| 2005 | Casualty | Bessie Symes | |
| Family Affairs | Madge Bennett | 5 episodes | |
| 2006 | Doctors | Ida Price | 1 episode |
| 2010 | Holby City | Sylvie Leigh | |
| 2011 | EastEnders | Lydia Simmonds | 12 episodes |
| Lydia Simmonds (voiceover) | 2 episodes | ||
| 2012, 2014 | Doctors | Grace Barberry | |
| 2013 | Dancing on the Edge | Lady Altringham | 1 episode |
- Film
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1949 | Meet the Duke | Carol |
| 1971 | Naughty! | Victorian Madame |
| 1972 | On the Game | Madame |
| 1972 | Suburban Wives | Kathy Lambert |
| 1973 | Commuter Husbands | Wife |
| 1976 | The Deadly Females | Frances |
| 1989 | The Plot to Kill Hitler | The Baroness |
| 2000 | The Kiss of Tosca | Tosca |
| 2003 | The Toybox | Gran |
| 2009 | Season of Mists | Jane |
| 2010 | The Social Network | Matt's wife |
| 2011 | Cat Run | Bingham's Mom |
| 2012 | Les Misérables | Madame Magloire |
- Radio
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1959–77 | The Navy Lark | WRN Chasen Mrs Ramona Povey Rita Murray Morpeth Goldstein Natasha Snogitoff Lady Quirk Miss Simpkins Lady Todhunter-Brown Lucy Doll Queen Jaratova Wren Simkins Second Officer Maclootie Lady Hamilton Myrtle Pertwee Mrs Sedgwick Fatima Sumpbolt Nurse at the RN College, Dartmouth Renee, daughter of the landlord of the Popple's Head pub and barmaid at the pub. |
| 1966 | The Embassy Lark | HE Fatima Soriaya Fazalik, Turkish Ambassador to Tratvia |
| 1967 | Sexton Blake adventures | Paula Dane |
- Stage/Theatre
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Donna Clarines | Marcella |
| 1954 | Blood Wedding | Leonardo's wife |
| 1958 | Little Eyolf | Rita Allmers |
| Templeton | Anna Dasousa | |
| The Mousetrap | Mollie Ralston | |
| 1960 | The Lizard of the Rock | Main Role |
| 1962 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helena |
| Policy for Murder | Lee Miller | |
| 1963 | The Maids | Solange |
| 1963, 1964, 1965 | A Severed Head | Antonia Lynch Gibbon |
| 1966 | Love from Liz | Nancy Morrow |
| Jorrocks | Mrs Barnington | |
| Thriller of the Year | Gillian Howard | |
| 1967 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Martha |
| 1967–68 | Call me Jacky | Countess Ardele Gina Ekdal The Wild Duck Jacqueline du Bois |
| 1969 | Forty Years On | Matron |
| Lady S | Lady Susan | |
| 1970 | Lady Frederick | Marchioness of Mereston |
| 1970–72 | The Pleasure of his Company | Katherine Daugherty |
| 1971 | Hello and Goodbye | Hester |
| The Amorous Prawn | Mrs. Fitzadam | |
| The Magistrate | Queen Margaret Richard III Agatha | |
| 1972 | Children of the Wolf | Helena |
| 1973 | Baby Love | Mrs. Taylor |
| 1975 | Hay Fever | Judith Bliss |
| Butterflies Are Free | Mrs. Baker | |
| Madame de Sade | Alison Diaries Comtesse de Saint Fond | |
| 1977 | Rebecca | Beatrice Lacy |
| 1978 | Murder in a Bad Light | Olivia Waynward |
| 1979 | The Eagel Has Two Heads | Edith de Berg |
| The Man Who Came To Dinner | Miss Preen | |
| 1994 | A Murder is Announced | Miss Marple |
| 1996 | Black Chiffon | Nanny |
| 1997 | School Girls in Uniform | The Headmistress |
| 1999 | Sweet Bramleys | June |
| Laying the Ghost | Freda | |
| 2000 | Getting On | Minor Role |
| 2001 | Mountain Language | Elderly Lady |
| 2002 | My Three Angles | Madame Parole |
| 2006 | The Rat Trap | Burrage the Maid |
| 2008 | Pardon Ma Prime Minister | Lead Role |
References
- 1 2 3 Watkins, Mike (21 April 2011). "Heather Chasen from Kings Oak to Walford". Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- 1 2 "Cast". The Navy Lark Collection (Booklet). The Navy Lark. BBC Audiobooks Ltd.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Michael, Nicholas (13 May 2011). ""Frederick Nutter "Mickey" Chasen". Retrieved 26 March 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "My Three Angels". The Mill At Sonning (Theatre) Ltd. Reading, Berkshire: The Mill At Sonning (Theatre) Ltd. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ↑ "Film Obituaries-Douglas Fairbanks Jr". The Daily Telegraph. 8 May 2000. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ Morris, Sally (1 December 2002). "Street star Amanda on coming out". Sunday Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (12 June 2011). "'EastEnders' casts Lydia's estranged son". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
- 1 2 Kilkelly, Daniel (12 April 2011). "'EastEnders' recasts Janine's grandmother". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ↑ Director: Jamie Annett; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Pete Lawson (5 April 2011). "Episode dated 05/04/2011". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ Director: Jamie Annett; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Pete Lawson (9 April 2011). "Episode dated 07/04/2011". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ Director: Karl Neilson; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Simon Ashdown (14 April 2011). "Episode dated 14/04/2011". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "Enders' granny has ended it". The Sun. News Group Newspapers. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ Director: John Greening; Executive Producer: Bryan Kirkwood; Writer: Christopher Reason (21 April 2011). "Episode dated 21/04/2011". EastEnders. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "Heather Chasen takes on EastEnders' role". BBC. BBC Online. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (June 2011). "Janine is distraught as Lydia passes away". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (June 2011). "Lydia's death sparks suspicions over Janine". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 22 June 2011.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (18 July 2011). "Exclusive: Bryan Kirkwood - 'EastEnders' executive producer". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 19 July 2011.
- ↑ "The Big Interview. "I dont want Janine to kill Pat!"". Inside Soap. Hachette Filipacchi UK (30): 32. 30 July – 5 August 2011.
- ↑ "EastEnders recasts Janine's gran". What's on TV. IPC Media. 13 April 2011. Retrieved 24 June 2011.
- 1 2 3 "Time out:Looking back". Daily Post. Liverpool: MGN Ltd. 30 April 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- ↑ Director: Natasha Carlish; Executive Producer: Mike Hobson and Peter Eryl Lloyd; Writer:Toby Walton (23 February 2012). "Flipping Cats". Doctors. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 3 March 2012.
- ↑ Director: Christiana Ebohon; Executive Producer: Mike Hobson and Peter Eryl Lloyd; Writer:Toby Walton (20 August 2014). "Grey Matters". Doctors. BBC. BBC One. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
- ↑ Billington, Michael (1 December 2006). "The Rat Trap". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- 1 2 "A wink at a taxing problem". Birmingham Mail. (Free Library). 3 May 2008. Retrieved 2 June 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Balavage, Catherine (20 April 2011). "Seasons Of Mist; UK Premiere Held At Odeon Covent Garden". Frost Magazine. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
- ↑ "Heather Chasen". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
External links
- Heather Chasen at the Internet Movie Database
- Crossroads 1982 – Valerie Pollard Makes Her First Appearance on YouTube